Bears Pile Into Semiconductors While MGM Shorts Rise

Short sellers are repositioning sharply heading into the weekend. ORTEX data as of 5 November shows some notable moves across sectors.

Wolfspeed remains one of the most pressured names in the market. Short interest sits at 88.9% of free float. The chip maker's cost to borrow is near zero, meaning bearish positions are cheap to hold. The stock has shed 26% over three months.

MGM Resorts International saw one of the bigger short interest jumps this week. SI rose 2.25 percentage points to 14.3% of free float. Bears appear to be fading the leisure recovery story.

Conagra Brands also attracted fresh shorts. SI climbed 2.19 points to 10.9% of free float. The packaged food sector is under pressure as US wage data hits record highs, squeezing consumer-staples margins at the top line.

On the other side, Whirlpool saw shorts trim positions. SI fell 1.9 points to 30.1% of free float. Papa John's also saw covering, with SI dropping 2.15 points to 19.9%.

Polestar is in focus this week ahead of its 12 November earnings. Dutch car registrations are running down 68% year-on-year, a dataset ORTEX measures as a leading indicator of Polestar revenue.

Hertz holds a borrow cost of 128%, one of the highest among names with meaningful market caps. At 73.4% SI of free float, any positive catalyst could trigger rapid covering.