Edited by Peter Hillerberg1 min readStories are generated from ORTEX data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. How we publish
Bears sharpened their claws this week. Short interest data from ORTEX signals rising defensive and bearish positioning across several mid-cap names, with options market dynamics following closely.
WOLF — Wolfspeed — stands out as the most extreme case. Short interest hit 98.2% of free float on May 21. That is up from 93.3% just seven days earlier. Cost to borrow has jumped to 12.38% APR. Crucially, availability is zero. There are no shares left to borrow. That combination — near-total float short, no availability — points to a severely stressed trade, with put options likely commanding a premium.
CHWY sits at 53.1% short interest of free float, up 2.5 points in a week. Availability remains high at 511%. Bears are adding but have room to grow.
COLM saw short interest climb 3.6 points to 16% in seven days. The consumer discretionary space is drawing fresh selling pressure.
Macro headlines are adding to skittish sentiment. Reports of SpaceX and OpenAI IPOs are driving speculative call-buying in related tech. Meanwhile, GME sits at 15.8% of free float short, and MSTR — Strategy Inc — carries 12.2% SI with cost to borrow at 0.42%. Both remain magnets for options activity on both sides.
SMCI is at 14.9% short. Availability is 197%, meaning supply is ample for new short positions.
This is not financial advice.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
