The 10 most shorted ASX stocks plus the biggest risers and fallers – Week 33
Lotus short interest collapsed after a brutal raise and a four day squeeze, while shorts build across defence and small cap resource names.
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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 27 July and 3 August 2026
Month-on-month changes between 6 July and 3 August 2026
Most covered and rising short tables record week-on-week changes of ~0.5% or more
Most Shorted
Lotus saw short interest collapse after the stock plunged 57% to 24 cents on Monday 27 July, its first session back from a six week halt to finalise a funding package of a $60 million capital raise, $35 million in convertible notes and a $43 million prepayment facility. The raise was priced at 22 cents, a 66% discount, and roughly doubled shares on issue. The company was in desperate need of cash as its flagship Kayelekera project struggled to move diesel and sulphuric acid into landlocked Malawi, and uranium out via the city of Dar es Salaam. The Iran war compounded the pain, sending sulphuric acid costs up more than tenfold and redrawing shipping routes in a way that squeezed cashflow.
The 27 July trading session featured a brief intraday rally, where the stock briefly ran 22.9% from the open price to a high of 29.5 cents. It then added 26% the next day to 31.5 cents and another 9.5% to 34.5 cents the day after. This was likely short sellers rushing to take profits, squeezing the share price higher. By day four the covering had run its course and the stock tumbled 26% to 25.5 cents.
Ticker | Company | Short % | Week-on-Week | Month-on-Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Droneshield | 15.07% | 1.70% | 3.13% | |
4DMedical | 12.98% | -0.38% | 1.50% | |
Domino's Pizza | 12.44% | -1.20% | -1.42% | |
Boss Energy | 12.24% | 0.63% | 0.47% | |
Paladin Energy | 11.65% | -0.38% | 0.26% | |
Flight Centre | 11.58% | -0.76% | 0.15% | |
Lotus Resources | 11.55% | -10.94% | -11.26% | |
Telix Pharmaceuticals | 11.53% | -0.14% | -0.37% | |
CAR Group | 11.48% | 0.01% | 0.16% | |
Healius | 10.71% | -0.08% | 0.75% |
Rising Shorts
Short sellers raised bearish bets on emerging producers including Develop Global (copper/lithium), Alpha HPA (ultra-high purity aluminium) and Cauldron Energy (uranium explorer), as well as defence names Droneshield and Electro Optic Systems. Champion Iron's higher short interest likely reflects the weak iron ore backdrop, with prices falling as low as US$92.85 a tonne last week, the lowest since June 2025.
Myer's short interest edged higher after an FY27 trading update (27-Jul) drove a 12% selloff to the lowest level since February 2021. The commentary was rather bleak, noting: "Myer Group sought to stimulate demand by increasing promotional activity and whilst Value Creation and Integration Synergies have supported performance, it has not been sufficient to offset weak underlying consumer spending."
Ticker | Company | Short % | Week-on-Week | Month-on-Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Develop Global | 6.79% | 1.97% | 2.75% | |
Droneshield | 15.07% | 1.70% | 3.13% | |
Cauldron Energy | 1.95% | 1.37% | 1.69% | |
Alpha HPA | 7.00% | 1.17% | 1.21% | |
Champion Iron | 5.13% | 0.85% | 0.68% | |
Electro Optic Systems | 6.95% | 0.74% | 2.29% | |
Stockland | 5.03% | 0.69% | 1.93% | |
Graincorp | 3.11% | 0.66% | 0.34% | |
Boss Energy | 12.24% | 0.63% | 0.47% | |
Genesis Minerals | 9.56% | 0.62% | 3.07% | |
Sonic Healthcare | 7.77% | 0.56% | 1.43% | |
Myer | 3.35% | 0.56% | 0.69% | |
Karoon Energy | 4.75% | 0.54% | 0.09% | |
Dexus | 1.78% | 0.53% | 0.82% | |
JB Hi-Fi | 3.25% | 0.52% | 0.64% |
Most Covered
Beyond Lotus, short interest is easing across consumer facing names like Temple & Webster, Domino's Pizza, Kogan and Jumbo Interactive. The softer, albeit volatile, oil price backdrop is doing the same across travel names including Web Travel Group, Corporate Travel and Flight Centre.
Ticker | Company | Short % | Week-on-Week | Month-on-Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lotus Resources | 11.55% | -10.94% | -11.26% | |
Temple & Webster Group | 5.79% | -1.93% | -1.30% | |
WEB Travel Group | 2.99% | -1.39% | -2.07% | |
Ampol | 1.56% | -1.32% | -1.39% | |
Domino's Pizza | 12.44% | -1.20% | -1.42% | |
Corporate Travel | 6.11% | -1.10% | -1.28% | |
Tyro Payments | 3.59% | -0.95% | -1.20% | |
EML Payments | 2.18% | -0.93% | -1.26% | |
IPH | 7.39% | -0.89% | -1.30% | |
Kogan.com | 0.57% | -0.87% | -0.87% | |
Chalice Mining | 2.68% | -0.83% | -0.65% | |
Jumbo Interactive | 6.29% | -0.80% | -0.15% | |
Flight Centre | 11.58% | -0.76% | 0.15% | |
Lendlease Group | 5.84% | -0.75% | -0.55% | |
Peninsula Energy | 2.27% | -0.72% | 0.00% | |
Silex Systems | 8.07% | -0.68% | -0.47% | |
ZIP Co | 7.59% | -0.66% | -0.99% | |
St Barbara | 4.39% | -0.65% | -0.17% | |
Immutep | 3.03% | -0.65% | 0.56% | |
PWR Holdings | 6.45% | -0.64% | -0.84% | |
Australian Clinical Labs | 6.09% | -0.64% | -1.60% | |
Kingsgate | 1.66% | -0.61% | -0.05% | |
29Metals | 0.07% | -0.61% | -0.43% | |
IDP Education | 3.38% | -0.60% | -0.13% | |
Siteminder | 2.74% | -0.59% | -1.40% | |
Macquarie Technology Group | 2.06% | -0.55% | -0.72% | |
Endeavour Group | 9.15% | -0.52% | -0.66% |
