--- title: "SpaceX Stock Now Has $26 Billion in Short Bets — 35% of its Entire Float" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/294229274.md" description: "SpaceX has attracted $26 billion in short bets, representing 35% of its tradable float, making it a primary target for bearish traders betting against AI leaders. Despite collective losses in the short-selling sector, these wagers have yielded nearly $7.3 billion in profits since SpaceX's IPO. The stock has dropped 15% from its listing price, with further volatility expected around upcoming earnings and lockup expirations." datetime: "2026-07-29T15:15:18.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/294229274.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294229274.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/294229274.md) --- # SpaceX Stock Now Has $26 Billion in Short Bets — 35% of its Entire Float Short sellers are nursing steep losses in 2026, down more than $200 billion collectively, yet many keep piling into one trade: betting against AI leaders, according to data from **S3 Partners**. **SpaceX** (NASDAQ:SPCX), has emerged as the most contested target in that trade. Bears have wagered more than $26 billion against **Elon Musk**‘s rocket and AI company, representing roughly 35% of SpaceX’s entire tradable float, even though it amounts to a small slice of the company’s $1.5 trillion market capitalization, per S3 Partners. - _SPCX stock is down today._ See the chart and price action here.  ## Shorting Elon Musk  Traders wagering against SpaceX have pocketed nearly $7.3 billion in mark-to-market profits since the company’s record-breaking IPO last month, making it the second most profitable short target of the year behind **Tesla Inc.** (NASDAQ:TSLA), whose shorts are up almost $9.1 billion. “We’ve seen continued SPCX short selling since its inception,” S3 Partners managing director Ihor Dusaniwsky said. **Read Also: KLA Stock Dives Further After Q4 Report — Here's Why** The skepticism has persisted even as SpaceX secured fast-track inclusion on the Nasdaq 100 and other major indexes, a move that required Nasdaq, FTSE Russell and CRSP to adjust their rules ahead of the offering.  Two key catalysts are ahead: SpaceX reports quarterly earnings on Aug. 4, followed two days later by its first lockup expiry, when early pre-IPO shareholders become eligible to sell. The stock has already fallen nearly 15% from its listing price, and the lockup could inject fresh volatility. Musk has pushed back hard against the bearish crowd. He warned on social media that “the survival probability of firms who maintain a significant short position in SpaceX over time is very low.”  The comment echoes his long-running feud with Tesla shorts, including his 2018 warning that bears had “about three weeks before their short position explodes” and his 2024 claim that short holders “will be obliterated” once Tesla reaches full autonomy at scale, a jab he once aimed directly at **Bill Gates**. **Read Also: Is the AI Chip Trade Actually Cracking? $1 Trillion Wiped Out in Korea — And It's Spreading** ## Shorting the Hyperscalers  SpaceX is not the only AI-adjacent name drawing bearish attention. Hyperscalers **Alphabet Inc.** (NASDAQ:GOOGL), **Amazon.com Inc.** (NASDAQ:AMZN) and **Microsoft Corp.** (NASDAQ:MSFT), along with chipmakers **Broadcom Inc.** (NASDAQ:AVGO), **Micron Technology Inc.** (NASDAQ:MU) and **Nvidia Corp.** (NASDAQ:NVDA), all rank among the year’s ten most shorted stocks, per S3 Partners.  The growing bearish bets add another layer of pressure on a sector already facing scrutiny over its massive AI spending. _Photo: Thrive Studios ID / Shutterstock_ ### Related Stocks - [SPCX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCX.US.md) - [SPCH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCH.US.md) - [SPCF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCF.US.md) - [SPAL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPAL.US.md) - [SNK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNK.US.md) - [SSPC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSPC.US.md) - [SPCU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCU.US.md) - [LOFF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LOFF.US.md) - [TSLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) - [KLAC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/KLAC.US.md) - [.NDX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.NDX.US.md) - [NDAQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NDAQ.US.md) - [GOOGL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GOOGL.US.md) - [AMZN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZN.US.md) - [MSFT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MSFT.US.md) - [AVGO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AVGO.US.md) - [MU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MU.US.md) - [NVDA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [GOOG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GOOG.US.md) - [NVD.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVD.DE.md) ## Related News & Research - [SpaceX lockup expiry: Morgan Stanley believes 'largely unchanged' fundamentals create attractive entry point at current levels](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293785215.md) - [SpaceX stock-purchasing by Congress members fuels conflict concerns](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294051253.md) - ['Don't Expect More Miracles,' Says Investor About SpaceX Stock](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293529763.md) - [SpaceX Stock Has Plunged 45% Since Its IPO Peak — But Don't Panic, Says Goldman Sachs](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294106558.md) - ['Prof G' Scott Galloway Says Morgan Stanley's $300 SPCX Target Is the Stuff of 'Romantic Comedies'](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293961855.md)