The 10 Most Shorted ASX Stocks · Week 20, 2026
11 May 2026 — 15 May 2026
The top of the leaderboard barely moved, with LOT still the most shorted name on the ASX at 16.01% (down -0.41%) and DMP close behind at 15.55% (down -0.14%). The real action was in the movers: CTT spiked from 1.80% to 2.60% (+0.80%), while RIO saw a rare large-cap lift from 7.35% to 8.02% (+0.66%).
By Shorted AI Research · Published · Sourced from official ASIC short position reports (T+4 delay). Methodology · Not financial advice.
If you only look at the top 10, you’d think shorts took a breather. But the week’s loudest signal came from CTT: short interest jumped from 1.80% to 2.60% (+0.80%). That’s a big weekly move for a $125M retailer with a beta of 2.24 — the kind of setup where positioning can snowball quickly if the tape turns. 1
LOT remains the market’s favourite short at 16.01%, even after easing from 16.42% (-0.41%). DMP is still heavily targeted at 15.55% (down -0.14%), which makes sense when you line it up against FY2025: revenue from ordinary activities fell -3.1% to $2,303.7 million and the year ended with a net loss after tax of -$3.7 million. 2 TLX (15.27%, -0.10%) and PNV (14.37%, -0.05%) stay crowded despite their growth narratives — a reminder that the ASX will short expensive expectations as readily as weak earnings. TWE sits at 12.85% with a flat weekly change (+0.00%), even after reporting FY2025 revenue from ordinary activities of $2,990.1 million and profit attributable to shareholders of $436.9 million. 3
Key financial metrics from recent company reports for the most shorted stocks.
Stocks with the largest increase in short interest this week.
Stocks with the largest decrease in short interest this week.
RIO was the eye-catcher among the risers: 7.35% to 8.02% (+0.66%). That’s not retail punting — that’s real money leaning in. It comes with solid disclosed numbers (H1 2025 consolidated sales revenue of $26,900 million and underlying EBITDA of $11,500 million), so this reads more like a macro/commodity view than a company-specific blow-up trade. 4 DRO also saw shorts add: 10.72% to 11.09% (+0.37%). For a defence-linked growth stock, that’s a meaningful weekly nudge higher. On the cover side, BOE had one of the sharpest pullbacks: 13.73% to 13.26% (-0.47%). With FY26 production guidance of 1.6M lbs U3O8 and C1 cash cost guidance of A$41-45/lb, some shorts are clearly choosing to reduce exposure into the ramp narrative rather than press it. 5
Two themes stand out. First: consumer-facing names remain structurally shorted — DMP at 15.55%, GYG at 13.87%, and FLT at 10.89% (up +0.02%). Second: the uranium trade is still a battleground. LOT leads the entire market at 16.01% while BOE is still high at 13.26% even after this week’s -0.47% unwind. Zooming out, the market’s average short position is 1.42% across 731 stocks, with a WoW average change of +0.08%. So while the headline names were steady, the broader market is still inching risk higher. 6
Watch whether CTT’s 2.60% becomes a trend (momentum shorts love follow-through), and whether RIO holds above 8.02% — large-cap short builds tend to be deliberate, not accidental.
LOT is the most shorted at 16.01%, down from 16.42% (-0.41%) week-on-week.
CTT rose from 1.80% to 2.60%, a +0.80% weekly increase.
DMP’s FY2025 showed revenue from ordinary activities down -3.1% to $2,303.7 million and a net loss after tax of -$3.7 million, which keeps the fundamental debate alive. [ref-2]
Yes — RIO moving from 7.35% to 8.02% (+0.66%) is a sizeable weekly shift for a mega-cap, and it happened despite H1 2025 consolidated sales revenue of $26,900 million and underlying EBITDA of $11,500 million. [ref-4]
Mixed: BOE fell from 13.73% to 13.26% (-0.47%), but LOT is still extremely crowded at 16.01% even after a -0.41% weekly dip.
Track the live rankings on the most shorted ASX stocks page, watch short squeeze candidates, or see market-wide totals in the ASX short selling statistics.
Data sourced from ASIC short position reports (T+4 delayed). This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Short selling data may not reflect real-time market conditions.
