Bears Circle Wolfspeed and Hertz as Small-Caps Spike

Short sellers kept their grip on two widely watched names this Friday. Wolfspeed sits at 87.5% SI of free float. Hertz Global Holdings is close behind at 73.5%. Borrowing Hertz stock costs a punishing 317% APR. That zero availability reading means fresh short positions are almost impossible to open.

The bigger story this week is in micro-cap territory. DKI (Darkiris Inc.) saw SI jump from 180% to 841% of free float in seven days. XXII (22nd Century Group) surged from 167% to 429%. These moves often reflect dilution mechanics and hard-to-borrow dynamics rather than pure bearish conviction, but they can trigger violent squeezes.

Jaguar Health also moved sharply, rising from 33% to 108% SI over the same period. Lucid Group held steady at 66%, with 16 days to cover and a cost to borrow of nearly 15%.

Micron Technology is trending after hours on chip news, though its SI is just 2%. Shorts there are not the story. GameStop SI dipped slightly to 8.5%, a continued retreat from its meme-era highs.

1-800-Flowers remains heavily shorted at 74%, with 24.6 days to cover, as weak consumer spending weighs on the name. Groupon holds at 68%, near multi-year highs in bearish positioning.