Bears Pile Into Energy and Retail as SI Spikes

Short sellers moved hard into several US names over the past seven days, with MMED, MiniMed Group, posting the sharpest jump in the data. Its short interest as a percentage of free float hit 90.98%, up from 74.51% a week ago, a 16.5 percentage point surge in seven days.

TLN was the most notable mover in large caps. Talen Energy's SI % of free float climbed to 11.85% from 6.55%, nearly doubling in a week. The $17.9 billion nuclear power company has drawn interest amid volatile energy markets, with CNBC reporting Asia-Pacific markets watching geopolitics closely.

Retail is also attracting fresh short pressure. GAP saw its SI rise 2.6 percentage points to 15.18%, as consumer spending concerns weigh on the apparel sector. Fast-food newcomer JMKE (Jersey Mike's) and NYT also crept higher.

WOLF remains one of the most-shorted large-cap names. Wolfspeed's SI sits at 81.49% of free float. Shares are down 12.5% over three months and analysts see minimal upside.

CHWY holds the highest short interest among stocks with meaningful liquidity, at 67.99% of free float. Availability is over 440%, suggesting the borrow is easy to find.

BALY carries a cost to borrow of 76%, the highest among mid-cap names with real short interest (10.6% of FF), signalling strong short-side conviction but expensive access.

Bears are active. The Dow fell over 300 points this week as Treasury yields surged, giving shorts fresh macro cover to press positions.