Micron, Nvidia, Hims & Hers See Higher Short Volume

$Micron Technology(MU)$   saw higher trading of borrowed shares that were sold short before the memory giant resumed its slide Monday after a news report that Samsung Electronics could begin mass production of the world's first six-generation high-bandwidth memory later this month. 

Short volume rose to 2.88 million shares Friday, as the stock advanced, trimming its first weekly decline in more than two months. The stock has climbed almost 66% over the past six months, the best performer on the $Philadelphia Semiconductor Index(SOX)$  , weakening the case for speculators to bet against the company that's expected by analysts to more than double its revenue for its fiscal year ending in August. 

The global semiconductor industry is forecast to see sales rise to about $1 trillion in 2026, after reaching a record $791.7 billion last year, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. Sales of memory products climbed almost 35% to $223.1 billion last year, the second biggest increase among the semiconductor product segments, behind logic products, the SIA said in a report Friday. 

$NVIDIA(NVDA)$  's short volume rose Friday, as the stock jumped 7.8% that day, its biggest increase in almost 10 months, raising the risk of a squeeze for speculators who were betting that the AI chip giant. The stock has climbed 1,192% rally since the end of 2022 as Nvidia widened its lead in the high margin business of advanced chips that power artificial intelligence workloads.

Trading in borrowed Nvidia shares that were sold short to 22.53 million Friday, from 12.53 million shares a day earlier. The stock headed 3% higher Monday, poised to be the second-biggest gainer on the $NASDAQ(.IXIC)$  . 

$Hims & Hers Health (HIMS.US)$'s stock tumbled more than 26% Monday, benefiting short sellers. The slump came after the company posted on x.com Saturday it decided to stop offering a compounded semaglutide pill. The move came after media reports that the Department of Health and Human Services referred Hims to the Department of Justice for possible violations of federal law, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration vowed to take action against copycat weight-loss drugs. 

Short volume declined to 4.4 million shares Friday, from 10.16 million shares a day earlier. Short interest, or the tally of outstanding shorted shares that haven't been closed, stood at 72.25 million shares as of Jan. 15, the latest exchange data available showed. That's almost 32% of the total shares that are available for trading. The stock has fallen to the lowest since October 2024. 

The stock has jumped more than five-fold in the three years through the end of 2025, buoyed by rising sales of compounded versions of weight-loss drugs. That practice was allowed by the FDA when the weight-loss drugs produced by $Novo-Nordisk A/S (NVO.US)$ and $Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.US)$ were in shortages. That spigot has since been shut as the producers of the original drugs ramped up production, ending shortages. 

Less than 6% of the Hims shares that are available for trading were profitable positions, according to exchange data. The average cost of those profitable positions was $16.60, a support level that could aggravate the selling, should the price break below that. The average cost of the shares bought were $24.96, much higher than its current level of $16.90. 

$Amazon (AMZN.US)$, $Strategy (MSTR.US)$, $Nokia Oyj (NOK.US)$, $Ciena (CIEN.US)$ $NexGen Energy (NXE.US)$ $Stellantis NV (STLA.US)$, $ADT Inc (ADT.US)$, and $Bank Bradesco SA(prefer share ADS) (BBD.US)$ also saw higher short volume. 

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