short interest

American  

noun

Finance.

1. the total amount by which a single seller or all sellers are short in a particular stock or commodity or in the market as a whole.

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Etymology

Origin of short interest

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Charter has one of the highest levels of short interest relative to its float in the S&P 500, indicating bearish sentiment.

From Barron's

The surge is partially due to the stock’s sizable short interest—27.2% of its float is sold short.

From Barron's

The stock’s short interest made it a target of meme-stock traders looking to trigger a short squeeze this summer.

From Barron's

Short interest in the stock has spiked as well, with around 20.5 million shares pegged to bets against the company, or around 1.2% of Oracle’s outstanding float.

From Barron's

Short interest in the stock has risen to around 55 million shares, according to data from Ortex, or around 2% of the outstanding float.

From Barron's