Chewy Bears Tighten Grip as Short Surge Hits 91%

CHWY is the week's standout short story. Its short interest jumped to 91.3% of free float as of October 15. That is up 25 points in just seven days from 65.9%. The pet-products retailer carries a market cap of $8.6 billion and sits at the very top of the most-shorted US names above $1 billion.

SKYD runs a distant second. Skydance Corporation's SI hit 65% of free float, up 15 points on the week. The media company has fallen 22% over three months and its cost to borrow stands at 2.2%.

SAIL added 6 points in a week to reach 33.5%. SailPoint operates in identity security software, a sector under pressure from pricing competition.

GME bears returned too. GameStop's short interest rose to 10.8% of free float from 7.2% a week ago. Social chatter around the meme name has picked up again.

WOLF carries the highest short score in this scan at 77. Wolfspeed's SI sits at 83.8% of free float with 10 days to cover and a cost to borrow near 1.9%.

On the earnings front, TSLA reports on October 21. ORTEX alternative data tracking German car registrations, a series that leads Tesla revenue by 43 days, is running 269% above the same quarter last year. Tesla's short interest itself is modest at 2.5% of free float, little changed on the week. GM reports a day earlier. The same German car data leads GM revenue by 15 days and is running 133% above last year's pace.

CHWY also appears in this week's earnings calendar, adding squeeze potential if results beat.