EVs Crushed, Gates Buys Trash, AppLovin Gets Love

US: Bears Target EVs and Chips

Short sellers went hard on electric vehicles this week. LCID short interest hit 49.7% of free float — up 14.4 points in seven days. WOLF sits even higher at 83% of free float, with zero shares left to borrow. Both names face the same story: rising pessimism, maxed-out short positions, and steep price declines. Options flow backed the bears, with negative bets flooding EV and chip names on Friday.

The contrast with insider activity is striking. Bill Gates filed $241M in purchases of RSG across late August and early September. He accumulated over one million shares at $220–225 each. Meanwhile, NVDA board member Mark Stevens disclosed $411M in sales during the same window — 1.85 million shares sold at up to $227. Two very different signals from two very different hands.

Analysts: Travel Up, Groceries Down

APP picked up a Buy upgrade with a $508 target. Analysts also lifted price targets on travel names — ABNB, EXPE, and DASH all received upward revisions in a cluster. ADBE saw its consensus target nudge to $279 after strong quarterly results. On the downside, KR had its target cut to $68.52.

Europe: Construction in Focus

UK names take the spotlight this week. Kier Group posts full-year 2026 results before London opens Tuesday. Barratt Redrow is also on the earnings calendar. Both sit in a UK construction sector watching interest rate moves closely.

Week Ahead

LEN reports Q3 results Wednesday after the US close — the biggest homebuilder on the calendar. TCOM reports today. PGR rounds out the week for insurers. No confirmed IPOs land in the next seven days.