Bears Pile Into CoreWeave as EV Names Stay Toxic

CoreWeave is the week's standout mover among large-cap shorts. Short interest as a percentage of free float hit 24.8%, up from 21.2% seven days ago, a gain of 3.6 percentage points. That is a sharp climb for a $25 billion AI infrastructure play. Bears are circling ahead of a heavy earnings week, with market commentary flagging short sellers targeting AI-linked names as $5 trillion in market cap prepares to report.

EV stocks remain a graveyard. Lucid Group sits at 64.7% SI of free float, with availability near zero at 0.02%, meaning almost no new shares are available to borrow. Hertz holds at 72.3% with a cost to borrow of 190%, one of the most punishing borrow rates in the market. ORTEX alt data shows US plug-in vehicle registrations hit a four-year July low at 21,482. That backdrop keeps short sellers comfortable holding these positions.

Wolfspeed carries 83.8% SI of free float with 9.6 days to cover, a squeeze candidate if any positive catalyst lands.

1-800-Flowers holds at 78.4% SI of free float, barely moving over the past month. The stock is down 25% in three months.

Porsche saw SI jump 3.2 points in the week to 27.3%. European auto names broadly face pressure. Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen both report this week, with ORTEX alt data showing Dutch car registrations running 6% below the same quarter last year for both groups.