Short sellers cover positions on HMV
THE PERCENTAGE of shares held short in troubled entertainment retailer HMV has fallen, as sellers cover their positions, according to researcher DataExplorers.
The struggling firm had seen 25 per cent of its shares out on loan in January, although investors are no longer shorting the firms stock as heavily.
Yet the percentage of the retailer’s stock being shorted remains high, at almost 19 per cent, according to the latest figures (see left).
Research director at DataExplorers Will Duff Gordon said: “Even at this level, HMV remains the third most shorted stock in our index, where the average is only 1.8 per cent of total shares outstanding on loan.”
Meanwhile, struggling directories firm Yell has 18.9 per cent of its shares out on loan, which represents 89 per cent of the available supply that can be borrowed
The top ten shorted stocks this month also includes Home Retail Group, the company behind the Argos chain.