Short sellers were busy the week of May 25. ROKU topped the leaderboard with a 51.5% surge in short interest. Extreme borrowing costs hit names like KDK and PS, while China-related ETFs and semiconductor vehicles drew heavy structural short pressure. A handful of names saw covering — but bears were firmly in control.
ROKU — 51.5% SI surge to 7.96% of FF Short interest jumped from roughly 5.25% to 7.96% of free float in a single week. That came after an earnings beat. Cost to borrow is negligible at 0.40%. Bears appear to be fading the post-earnings pop with ease.
KDK — +42.5% to 4.7% of FF, CTB at 223% Kodiak AI's borrow market is locked. Utilization hit 100%. Cost to borrow stands at 210%. Availability is near zero at just 0.29% of SI. Every incremental short position is expensive to establish and difficult to add.
— +20.3% in one week, CTB at 236% Short interest climbed to 661,163 shares. Cost to borrow spiked to 236% — among the highest on record. Stock scarcity is driving the extreme financing cost.
FRT — +29.5% to 3.9% of FF Federal Realty Investment Trust hit its highest short interest since late April. SI sits at 4.36% of free float as of May 29. Borrow is cheap at 0.52%, so there is no mechanical barrier to further builds.
TDIV — +105% to 0.19% of FF The First Trust Nasdaq Technology Dividend ETF more than doubled its short base in one week. Absolute level remains low. Availability is abundant at 171% of SI, suggesting a deliberate positioning move rather than a supply squeeze.
KRP — +33% to 2.2% of FF Kimbell Royalty Partners saw a surge in borrowed shares. Availability stands at 1,217% — shorting is unconstrained. The oil and gas royalty MLP faces margin pressure as energy prices remain volatile.
JKS — SI plummets 27% to 3.0% of FF JinkoSolar saw the sharpest covering of the week. Short interest fell to roughly 3% of free float. Cost to borrow dropped to 0.44%. Bears are backing away fast.
ARXS — SI down 35% to 2.15M shares Arxis covered hard after a 35% post-IPO stock rally. Short interest tumbled from multi-month highs. Availability at 486% means adding back exposure would be easy — but few are trying.
Semis and tech ETFs under pressure. SOXX borrow tightened to critical levels as shorts piled in. SI on the iShares Semiconductor ETF hit 13.2% of float. Availability is razor thin at 19.4%. TDIV doubled its short base. Individual names ZS and ROKU both saw material builds. The short-side narrative around technology remains active.
China exposure attracting bears. FXI — the iShares China Large-Cap ETF — hit a record 38.3% short interest of float. Availability is near exhausted at just 5.1% of SI. That leaves almost no room for new shorts without a borrow squeeze. The structural bearish bet on Chinese equities continues to intensify.
Renewables and real estate seeing fresh pressure. FRT in REITs and BEP.UN in renewable energy both saw double-digit SI increases. Brookfield Renewable climbed to 0.45% of float, approaching its late-April highs. Cost to borrow at BEP.UN rose 10% on the week.
LUNR — SI at 24.4%, puts at 52-week highs. Intuitive Machines bears doubled down. SI is 24.4% of free float. Availability is nearly gone at just 1.99% of SI. Put positioning hit a 52-week extreme. The short and options side are aligned bearish.
SOXX — Borrow hits critical tightness. The semiconductor ETF convergence saw SI build alongside borrow market stress. Availability at 19.4% of SI signals the trade is becoming crowded.
ZS — Post-crash shorts, puts, and analyst reaction. Zscaler fell 31.5% and drew a coordinated response. SI sits at 12.8% of float. Options and analyst sentiment all moved in the same direction.
META — Call dominance extends to 2026 lows. The opposite dynamic applies at Meta. SI is just 1.46% of float. Call buying hit new 2026 lows in put/call ratio terms post-earnings. Short sellers are absent and options traders remain bullish.
UPS — Shorts add as call buyers hit 52-week extremes. A rare split signal at United Parcel Service. Options traders are buying calls at a 52-week extreme. Shorts are simultaneously adding positions. SI is 3.15% of float. Both sides are pressing their bets.
BBD — SI triples amid bullish options shift. Short interest tripled on the Polish developer while options turned bullish — a classic divergence that often precedes a directional resolution.
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.
