---
title: "5 short positions that can't be suppressed are waiting for a catalyst to blow up"
type: "Topics"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/topics/40092297.md"
description: "The market looks calm this week, with SPX IV at only 14.47 and IV rank 26, but short flow is accelerating beneath the surface. I ran a screen for high short interest + recent catalysts + borrow fees and picked 5 squeeze candidates—not every one will blow up, but each has that “boot” that could make shorts change their minds. ① $Hertz Global(HTZ.US) · Short interest ~38% · 5/7 earnings, the most typical sample of this round's squeeze in the car rental sector..."
datetime: "2026-04-22T09:11:40.000Z"
locales:
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/topics/40092297.md)
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/topics/40092297.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/topics/40092297.md)
author: "[Vivian在买方](https://longbridge.com/en/profiles/27411896.md)"
---

# 5 short positions that can't be suppressed are waiting for a catalyst to blow up

The market looks calm this week, with SPX IV at only 14.47 and IV rank at 26, but short interest flow is accelerating beneath the surface. I screened for high short interest + near-term catalysts + borrow rate, filtering out 5 squeeze candidates—**not every one will squeeze, but each has that potential catalyst that could make shorts change their minds**.

* * *

**①** $Hertz Global(HTZ.US) **· Short ~38% · 5/7 Earnings**

The most typical sample of a rental car sector squeeze this cycle. From a +80% parabolic rise to a -9% pullback on 4/21, but short interest remains in the 30%+ range. **Three catalysts**: (1) Government shutdown + airline chaos, web search popularity +15%, land-based rental demand jumps; (2) 25% discount to drive demand expansion; (3) **5/7 Q1 earnings is the tone-setter**.

Entry strategy: Accumulate in the $7-$7.5 range, use 5/1 expiry $9 Calls for leveraged flexibility.  
Failure risk: Earnings profit expectations fall short, or Barclays-style institutional voices collectively turn bearish—refer to the CAR model, once short covering stops, momentum shifts extremely fast.

* * *

**②** $Beyond Meat(BYND.US) **· Short 31.3% · Borrow 47.9%**

A breeding ground for technical squeezes. **The 47.9% borrow rate is at a historical extreme**, with only 80K shares available to borrow—anyone wanting to add short positions faces extremely high costs. In this state, any positive news (new product, retail partnership, international order) could trigger a squeeze.

Entry strategy: Accumulate spot on dips + 5-month mid-term spread Calls for flexibility. BYND itself has no fundamental story, it's a pure structural trade, **keep position size under 2% of total capital**.  
Failure risk: If retail data continues to be poor, shorts have the patience to wait for borrow rates to come down, this type of borrow-driven squeeze could fail repeatedly.

* * *

**③** $Carvana(CVNA.US) **· Short ~33% · Mid-May Earnings**

Spillover squeeze from the used car chain. The logic of the CAR/HTZ rental squeeze is: travel demand recovery → tight rental supply → used car value retention → **used car inflation → CVNA benefits**. CVNA short interest is already 33%, once earnings confirm the inflation chain narrative, passive covering pressure is significant.

Entry strategy: Build a long position in the stock 1-2 weeks before earnings + buy OTM Calls to capture gamma.  
Failure risk: CVNA's debt structure is extreme; if the used car inflation narrative breaks down, shorts will instead add positions.

* * *

**④** $AST SpaceMobile(ASTS.US) **· Short 28.6% · May Satellite Launch**

The options market is already pricing it in. User-provided 4/21 flow shows: near-term $1.12M Buy Put (DTE 3-10) for hedging, long-term $322k Sell Put (DTE 150, OTM 34.4%) for taking delivery—a typical \*\*"short-term protection, long-term hold"\*\* structure. Institutions are clearly managing positions ahead of the May launch window.

Entry strategy: Build a position 7-10 days before the May launch date, using only options, not the stock (option IV is expensive but vega exposure is manageable).  
Failure risk: Launch delay or failure—ASTS has a history of this, it's the stock's "systemic grey rhino."

* * *

**⑤** $Cleveland Cliffs(CLF.US) **· Short 26.4% · May Tariffs + Earnings**

Cold-start potential in a traditional short sector. Steel restructuring + tariff policy expectations overlap with the May earnings window, **extremely low market attention** actually makes it a breeding ground for a squeeze—the short pool no one is watching is the easiest to drain.

Entry strategy: Build a position in the $10 range, paired with 5/15 ATM Calls.  
Failure risk: US tariff policy volatility, weak steel demand data—this is the fundamental reason why old short sectors are hard to squeeze.

* * *

**Common Risks for Squeeze Failure**

All squeeze trades have two common killers:

1.  **Catalyst delay**—time is the friend of shorts
2.  **Sector beta turns sour**—when the broader market reverses, the impulse for short covering is suppressed by panic

**SPX/IXIC/VOO are still at highs, which is the most favorable macro environment for squeezes**. Once the market softens by 5-7%, most of the above 5 stocks will follow down, and the squeeze narrative pauses. Before making a squeeze trade, check VIX—if VIX goes above 22, turn off the lights and exit.

### Related Stocks

- [CLF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CLF.US.md)
- [BYND.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BYND.US.md)
- [CVNA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CVNA.US.md)
- [ASTS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ASTS.US.md)
- [HTZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HTZ.US.md)
- [HTZWW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HTZWW.US.md)
- [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md)
- [HTZGQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HTZGQ.US.md)

## Comments (1)

- **阿二每天都要开心呀 · 2026-04-22T11:31:49.000Z**: Didn't CLF's earnings report just come out a few days ago? Why is there another earnings report in May?