Published November 5, 2026 · by Troels Højbjerg, Founder
A short seller borrows shares, sells them, and hopes to buy them back cheaper. Short interest is the share of a stock's freely traded shares that has been sold this way. At 9%, nine out of every hundred freely traded shares are sold short.
On WallStreetBuys, I call below 2% low and above 10% high. Among the 167 stocks in this article, the middle one had 3.4% short interest at the latest reading. 49 of them were at 10% or more.
I took the short interest each stock had on June 12, 2026, and followed the share price to November 4. That is about 100 trading days. The result lines up almost step by step:
| Short interest, June 12 | Stocks | Median change to Nov 4 | Stocks that fell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2% | 47 | +7.8% | 18 of 47 |
| 2% to 5% | 45 | -4.5% | 27 of 45 |
| 5% to 10% | 24 | -32.1% | 18 of 24 |
| 10% or more | 51 | -37.6% | 43 of 51 |
| All 167 | 167 | -11.4% | 106 of 167 |
Source: own calculation on the 200 US stocks I cover. Closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends, June 12 to November 4, 2026. Measured November 5, 2026.
The top fifth by short interest (33 stocks, between 16% and 38%) had a median change of -43.1%, and 30 of the 33 fell. The bottom fifth (33 stocks, under 1.3%) had +7.3%, and 14 fell.
This is the part that keeps the numbers honest. Of the 51 stocks with 10% or more short interest, 38 are in the smallest third of my list by market value. Size could explain part of the pattern, so the table above mixes two things.
I split the stocks by size to see whether the pattern holds inside each group:
| Market value | 10% or more short interest | Under 5% short interest |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest third (up to about $11 billion) | 38 stocks: -37.6% | 7 stocks: -0.7% |
| Middle third ($11 to $189 billion) | 12 stocks: -27.6% | 31 stocks: -0.8% |
| Largest third (above $190 billion) | 1 stock | 54 stocks: +7.4% |
Source: own calculation, same period. Median change June 12 to November 4, 2026. Market value as in my data today, in US dollars.
In the middle third, the difference is still there: -27.6% for 12 stocks with high short interest against -0.8% for 31 stocks with low. In the smallest third there are only 7 low-short stocks to compare with, so I would not lean on that gap. In the largest third, almost no stock had high short interest.
At the latest readings, Lucid Group stands at 60.4%, Ondas Holdings at 43.9%, SoundHound AI at 41.9%, Nano Nuclear Energy at 38.9% and Eos Energy Enterprises at 38.6%. 61 of the 193 stocks with a figure are at 10% or more.
The figure is reported about twice a month, so what you see can be days to weeks old. The current ranking is on Most shorted stocks.
Stocks with 10% or more short interest in June had a median change of -37.6% by November 4, and 43 of 51 fell. Stocks under 2% rose 7.8%. Part of that is size, because most of the heavily shorted stocks are small, but in the middle third of the list the gap was still -27.6% against -0.8%. High short interest is a sign that many investors expect a fall, and in this period they were mostly right. It does not tell you what one stock will do next.
One thing to check: if you own a stock with short interest above 10%, look at its latest figure and at how the share price has moved over the last three months.
Short interest, grades for value, quality and momentum, and the current signal for every stock I cover are free and need no sign-up on the Most shorted stocks page.
It means many investors have sold the stock short, betting it will fall. It is a warning sign, not a verdict. Among 167 US stocks I tracked from June 12 to November 4, 2026, the ones with 10% or more short interest on June 12 had a median change of -37.6%. Stocks under 2% had a median of +7.8%. High short interest was mostly found in small companies, so size played a part too. Short interest is the share of a stock's freely traded shares that investors have borrowed and sold. A short seller must buy the shares back later, so heavy shorting can also push a price up sharply if the stock starts rising. My numbers do not show which way a single stock will go.
Among the 200 US stocks I cover, the highest short interest in my latest readings (October 30 to November 5, 2026) was in Lucid Group at 60.4%, Ondas Holdings at 43.9%, SoundHound AI at 41.9%, Nano Nuclear Energy at 38.9% and Eos Energy Enterprises at 38.6%. The full list, updated after each reading, is on the Most shorted stocks page. Short interest is reported about twice a month, so a figure can be days to weeks old.
Read also: Most shorted stocks · Is insider buying a good signal? · When to sell a stock · How to find undervalued stocks · Glossary
This is information, not individual investment advice. The numbers are our own calculations on market data and may contain errors. Past results are no guarantee of the future. You decide for yourself — and remember to spread your risk.