Live Nation Entertainment and Apple were the most shorted large-cap stocks in the US during December 2024, according to the latest Shortside Crowdedness Report from Hazeltree, a data analytics and treasury technology firm for alternative asset managers.
The monthly report, which analyses hedge fund short positions across global equities, also found that H&M, Anta Sports Products, Renesas Electronics, and The Oriental Land Company topped short interest in the EMEA and APAC regions.
According to Hazeltree’s findings, half of the top 10 shorted large-cap stocks in the Americas were technology companies, including major players like Apple, IBM, and AMD. Notably absent from the list was Tesla which had been a dominant short target for most of 2024.
“During December, we saw tech names continue to dominate the most shorted list in the Americas, with Apple, IBM, and AMD leading the way,” said Tim Smith, Managing Director of Data Insights at Hazeltree.
The report assigns each security a Hazeltree Crowdedness Score ranging from 1 to 99, with 99 representing the highest concentration of short interest.
In the Americas, Live Nation and Apple were closely followed by IBM and Chevron, while Super Micro Computer had the highest institutional supply utilisation (41.80%).
Bloom Energy Corp, meanwhile, was the most shorted mid-cap stock for the second consecutive month (score: 99), while Comstock Resources had the highest institutional supply utilisation (50.26%).
Wolfspeed led small-cal short interest for a fifth straight month (score: 99) and also had the highest institutional supply utilisation (57.23%).
In EMEA, H&M reclaimed its position as the most shorted large-cap stock in the region with a 99 score and an institutional supply utilisation of 75.67%m while Alstom topped the list of mid-cap stocks with a 99 score, and Neste Oyj had the highest institutional supply utilisation (25.98%).
SSP Group, Hays, Basic-Fit NV, and Alphawave IP Group were the most shorted small caps all scoring 99, while Air France-KLM had the highest institutional supply utilisation (91.45%).
In APCA, Anta Sports Products, Renesas Electronics, and The Oriental Land Company were the most shorted large-cap securities (score: 99), while United Microelectronics Corporation led in institutional supply utilisation (42.89%).
Ibiden was the most shorted mid-cap stock (99 score), while WuXi AppTec had the highest institutional supply utilisation (34.56%).
Mercari topped the list of most sorted small-cap stocks for the second consecutive month (score: 99), while Renova had the highest institutional supply utilisation (57.21%).
Hazeltree’s Shortside Crowdedness Report is compiled using data from 15,000 global equities across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC regions. The data is sourced from approximately 700 hedge funds, representing 20% of total hedge fund gross market value.
