Short Interest

Short interest is the total number of shares that investors have borrowed and sold, betting the stock price will fall. You'll hear about it when reading market analysis or stock discussions—it matters because high short interest can signal investor skepticism, but it can also create dramatic price spikes if those borrowed shares need to be bought back quickly. Think of it like this: if lots of people borrow and sell shares of TechCorp expecting the price to drop, but then good news comes out and the stock rises instead, those investors scramble to buy shares back at higher prices to return them, pushing the price up even more. Short interest data is publicly reported and tracked by investors looking for potential opportunities or warning signs.