Tech prevails as most shorted sector for third month
21 March 2025 US
Image: Miha_Creative/stock.adobe.com
Technology remained the most shorted sector for the third consecutive month, with heavily shorted securities in February including Apple, IBM, Super Micro, SoFi, and Texas Instruments, according to a recent Hazeltree report.
The Shortside Crowdedness Report is a monthly listing of the top 10 shorted securities in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, split into large, mid, and small-cap categories.
Tim Smith, managing director of data insights at Hazeltree, says: “Our February analysis shows the US tech sector continued to see layoffs, though at a slower pace than last year, alongside a surge in job postings, low unemployment, and a contracting IT job market.
“This points to a market in transition — not collapse — as companies recalibrate talent strategies to align with shifting priorities and economic conditions. Tech remained a top target for short sellers in the Americas for the third consecutive month, with eight of the 10 most crowded large-cap securities.”
The aggregated and anonymised data comes from the contributing Hazeltree community, which includes around 700 asset manager funds.
Hazeltree Crowdedness Score is a metric that grades securities on a scale of 1 to 99, highlighting those most targeted by investors and reflecting key demand and supply dynamics.
In the large-cap category, Chevron Corporation topped the list as the most crowded securities in the Americas, with Super Micro Computer in second place.
In EMEA, Kering returned to the top for the second consecutive month in the same category, and H&M had the highest institutional supply utilisation (76.34 per cent) for the eighth successive month.
Disco Corporation was the most crowded large-cap securities in APAC, while MTR Corp had the highest institutional supply utilisation (21.07 per cent).
Dayforce dominated the mid-cap category in the Americas, with Wolfspeed holding its place as the most crowded security for the seventh consecutive month in the small-cap category.
In EMEA, the mid-cap category saw a tie between Kingfisher, BE Semiconductor Industries, and Delivery Hero, while Kokusai Electric Corporation held the title of the most crowded security in APAC.
Alphawave IP Group topped the list in the small-cap category in EMEA, with Tokai Carbon Co. keeping its position in the same category for a second month in APAC.
The Shortside Crowdedness Report is a monthly listing of the top 10 shorted securities in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, split into large, mid, and small-cap categories.
Tim Smith, managing director of data insights at Hazeltree, says: “Our February analysis shows the US tech sector continued to see layoffs, though at a slower pace than last year, alongside a surge in job postings, low unemployment, and a contracting IT job market.
“This points to a market in transition — not collapse — as companies recalibrate talent strategies to align with shifting priorities and economic conditions. Tech remained a top target for short sellers in the Americas for the third consecutive month, with eight of the 10 most crowded large-cap securities.”
The aggregated and anonymised data comes from the contributing Hazeltree community, which includes around 700 asset manager funds.
Hazeltree Crowdedness Score is a metric that grades securities on a scale of 1 to 99, highlighting those most targeted by investors and reflecting key demand and supply dynamics.
In the large-cap category, Chevron Corporation topped the list as the most crowded securities in the Americas, with Super Micro Computer in second place.
In EMEA, Kering returned to the top for the second consecutive month in the same category, and H&M had the highest institutional supply utilisation (76.34 per cent) for the eighth successive month.
Disco Corporation was the most crowded large-cap securities in APAC, while MTR Corp had the highest institutional supply utilisation (21.07 per cent).
Dayforce dominated the mid-cap category in the Americas, with Wolfspeed holding its place as the most crowded security for the seventh consecutive month in the small-cap category.
In EMEA, the mid-cap category saw a tie between Kingfisher, BE Semiconductor Industries, and Delivery Hero, while Kokusai Electric Corporation held the title of the most crowded security in APAC.
Alphawave IP Group topped the list in the small-cap category in EMEA, with Tokai Carbon Co. keeping its position in the same category for a second month in APAC.
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