Short sellers are circling some of the market’s most beaten-down and most volatile names, led by Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG), which now has more than 80% of its float sold short — the highest ratio among the market’s 10 most-shorted stocks, according to short-interest data from Benzinga Pro.
- ONDS stock is moving. See the real-time price action here.
Rounding out the top four are car-rental operator Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR), hotel franchisor Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) and home-furnishings retailer RH (NYSE:RH) — all carrying short interest above 55% of float, a level that has repeatedly touched off squeeze-chasing trading this year.
Avis has been especially prone to violent reversals: shares soared 160% in a short squeeze in April, and its short interest has stayed elevated ever since.
Top 10 Most Shorted Stocks
Here are the most heavily shorted stocks (with market caps above $2 billion and free floats above 5 million) as of Aug. 13, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
| Company | Ticker | Short % of Float |
| Venture Global | (NYSE:VG) | 80.57% |
| Avis Budget Group | (NASDAQ:CAR) | 57.06% |
| Choice Hotels International | (NYSE:CHH) | 55.87% |
| RH | (NYSE:RH) | 55.25% |
| Charter Communications | (NASDAQ:CHTR) | 50.40% |
| Lucid Group | (NASDAQ:LCID) | 42.84% |
| Ondas Holdings | (NASDAQ:ONDS) | 41.44% |
| CleanSpark | (NASDAQ:CLSK) | 40.30% |
| SoundHound AI | (NASDAQ:SOUN) | 39.89% |
| Bitdeer Technologies | (NASDAQ:BTDR) | 39.04% |
Momentum Diverges Across the List
Positioning is shifting fast beneath the surface. Ondas’ short interest has climbed from under 35% in July, even as the drone and defense-tech name slipped Thursday.
Lucid’s ratio, by contrast, has eased from nearly half its float earlier this month, though the EV maker remains a perennial fixture atop short-seller lists.
Reminders:
- Highly shorted stocks are battlegrounds where negative fundamentals meet speculative trading.
- Short squeezes can deliver huge, fast gains, but at high risk and volatility.
- Monitoring the short interest leaderboard can help identify which stocks might be the next short squeeze, but timing such trades remains extremely challenging.
- Always conduct due diligence, as the volatility often reflects deep underlying risks and business uncertainty.
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