The 10 most shorted ASX stocks plus the biggest risers and fallers – Week 21
A sharp rally for names like Boss Energy, Syrah Resources and Cettire forced shorters to cover their bearish bets last week.
Source: iStock
Mentioned
Welcome back to the Short Seller Series – A recap of the most heavily shorted stocks on the ASX and those experiencing significant changes to short interest over the past week.
Short selling data is four days behind today's date because reporting is not mandatory until three business days after the trade. The tables below will compare:
Week-on-week changes between 5 and 12 May 2025
Month-on-month changes between 1 April and 12 May 2025
Most covered and rising short tables record week-on-week changes of 0.5% or more
Most Shorted
Ticker | Company | Short % | Week-on-Week | Month-on-Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Boss Energy | 23.59% | -1.26% | -2.07% | |
Paladin Energy | 15.47% | -0.77% | -0.79% | |
Idp Education | 13.10% | 0.78% | 0.25% | |
Mineral Resources | 13.08% | -0.41% | -0.17% | |
Deep Yellow | 12.31% | -0.10% | -0.87% | |
Pilbara Minerals | 11.57% | 0.04% | -0.90% | |
Liontown Resources | 11.30% | -1.06% | -0.68% | |
Cettire | 10.73% | 1.30% | 0.76% | |
Polynovo | 10.67% | 0.32% | 0.50% | |
Karoon Energy | 10.23% | 0.35% | 1.06% |
Key takeaways
Uranium Short Squeeze: Boss Energy’s shares soared nearly 90% from April 7 to May 13, likely forcing short sellers to cover amid the stock's upthrust.
Liontown’s Rally Pressures Shorts: A ~60% surge in Liontown Resources’ stock between May 6 and 16 may be driving bearish positions to exit.
Cettire Rides Tariff Relief: Cettire emerged as a key beneficiary of U.S.-China tariff de-escalation, with its stock jumping 22% on May 13 (peaking at 34% intraday), though short sellers appear resilient against the rally.
Rising Shorts
Ticker | Company | Short % | Week-on-Week | Month-on-Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cettire | 10.73% | 1.30% | 0.76% | |
Kelsian Group | 4.08% | 1.08% | 1.62% | |
Clarity Pharmaceuticals | 9.17% | 1.06% | 3.36% | |
IGO | 8.35% | 0.90% | 0.91% | |
Botanix Pharmaceuticals | 3.59% | 0.87% | 0.35% | |
Bannerman Energy | 8.16% | 0.81% | -0.16% | |
Reliance Worldwide | 2.56% | 0.80% | 1.30% | |
Idp Education | 13.10% | 0.78% | 0.25% | |
Breville Group | 5.14% | 0.76% | 1.43% | |
Brainchip | 2.36% | 0.73% | -1.20% | |
Bank of Queensland | 3.85% | 0.54% | 0.25% |
Key takeaways
Kelsian’s Short Interest Rises Despite Rally: Kelsian Group saw an 18% one-day spike on May 7, yet short interest ticked higher. The company reaffirmed its Q3 performance and guided FY25 EBITDA to the lower end of its range. Analysts noted that, despite a weather-related downgrade due to Cyclone Alfred, guidance exceeded consensus, with Q4 earnings supported by strong contract momentum.
Clarity Pharmaceuticals Faces Short Surge: Short interest in Clarity Pharmaceuticals climbed to 9.17%, up from 5.18% a month ago and 1.76% at the beginning of the year. The stock has plummeted 79% from its September 2024 peak to a 15-month low.
Most Covered
Ticker | Company | Short % | Week-on-Week | Month-on-Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mayne Pharma | 1.71% | -1.26% | 0.77% | |
Boss Energy | 23.59% | -1.26% | -2.07% | |
Syrah Resources | 5.94% | -1.25% | -1.94% | |
Liontown Resources | 11.30% | -1.06% | -0.68% | |
Megaport | 6.31% | -0.97% | -1.54% | |
Paladin Energy | 15.47% | -0.77% | -0.79% | |
Northern Star Resources | 0.61% | -0.76% | -2.12% | |
Flight Centre | 4.68% | -0.76% | -1.27% | |
Domino's Pizza | 9.40% | -0.73% | -0.44% | |
Qualitas | 1.22% | -0.66% | -0.68% | |
Nick Scali | 5.58% | -0.66% | -1.15% | |
Siteminder | 1.72% | -0.61% | -0.09% | |
Lotus Resources | 8.42% | -0.59% | -2.45% | |
Droneshield | 3.98% | -0.58% | -1.79% |
Key takeaways
Mayne Pharma’s Short Covering Pre-Takeover: Ahead of a potential $7.40-per-share takeover by Cosette Pharmaceuticals, Mayne Pharma sees short covering, though its $6.48 share price on Friday reflects market skepticism about the deal’s completion.
Syrah’s Rally Squeezes Shorts: Syrah Resources’ stock skyrocketed over 100% from April 9 to May 15, likely pressuring short sellers to cover amid the explosive rally.
