Short Interest

Short interest is the total number of shares that investors have borrowed and sold, betting the stock price will fall. You'll see this metric reported regularly because it reveals how many traders are betting *against* a company—a useful signal of market sentiment. When short interest is high, it can sometimes create dramatic price swings if the stock rises unexpectedly, forcing those borrowers to buy shares back at higher prices (called a "short squeeze"). For example, if TechCorp has 5 million shares shorted and the stock suddenly jumps 20%, those short sellers might panic-buy to cut their losses, pushing the price even higher. Tracking short interest helps you understand what professional traders think about a stock's future.