Short sellers are making bold bets across several US names. Options markets are reflecting rising hedging pressure in the most shorted stocks.
WOLF tops the list with short interest at 98.2% of free float. Availability has hit zero. That means no shares remain to borrow. Cost to borrow stands at 12.4% APR. Short interest rose a further 4.9 percentage points in just seven days. Bears keep pressing despite extreme positioning.
CHWY carries 53.1% short interest. Availability is surprisingly ample at 511% of SI. That signals bears have not run out of ammunition. The stock remains a high-conviction short in consumer discretionary.
SOUN shows 38.2% short interest. Cost to borrow is the standout at 23.7% APR. That is among the highest in the mid-cap universe. Borrowing SoundHound shares is expensive. That cost creates short-squeeze risk if sentiment turns.
HTZ sits at 42.1% short interest. Availability is just 12.7%. Supply of borrowable shares is running tight. That combination — high SI, low availability — is a classic squeeze setup.
RH rounds out the watchlist at 38.7% short interest. Availability sits at 88%. Bears still have room to add. Cost to borrow is minimal at 0.5%.
The FT also flagged potential SpaceX and OpenAI IPOs. Those events could redirect options flow dramatically. Watch for unusual call buying if either listing gets confirmed.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
