The 10 Most Shorted ASX Stocks · Week 29, 2026
DMP’s 40.1 days-to-cover is the week’s real squeeze maths
13 July 2026 — 17 July 2026
The ASX short tape was basically flat: average short interest rose +0.01% across 699 stocks, with breadth split 132 risers vs 136 fallers. LOT still wears the crown at 22.80% short, while DMP’s 13.84% short comes with a brutal 40.1 days-to-cover. The cleanest signal this week was GMD: shorts jumped +0.87% to 7.67% on a 3-week streak and a +2.47 z-score move.
By Shorted AI Research · Published · Sourced from official ASIC short position reports (T+4 delay). Methodology · Not financial advice.
This Week's Analysis
Forget the leaderboard for a second. The most dangerous number on it is 40.1. That’s DMP’s days-to-cover — a 13.84% short position that would take 40.1 days of average volume to unwind, even after a -0.08% week-on-week trim. Crowded exit. Slow door. 1
At the top, LOT is still the market’s favourite punching bag at 22.80% short (WoW -0.01%) with 14.7 days-to-cover. The 13-week path tells you this hasn’t been a one-week tantrum either: it ground higher from 11.53% to 22.80%. 1 But the real crowding risk inside the top 10 is liquidity, not just percentage. Alongside DMP (40.1 days-to-cover), CAR sits at 11.63% short with 28.8 days-to-cover, TLX is 11.72% with 19.5, FLT is 11.81% with 18.9, and ELD arrives at 10.75% with 18.0. 1 ELD is the new entrant — NEW TO TOP 10 at 10.75% short (WoW +0.04%). 1 That’s happening even with a set of solid headline half-year numbers on file: revenue of $1,767.677 million (H1 FY2026, +32%), profit after tax of $39.5 million (H1 FY2026, +17%), operating cash flow of $67.0 million, and an interim dividend of 18.0 cents per share (100% franked). 2 In Energy, the uranium pair is still a staple: BOE eased to 11.71% (WoW -0.07%, 7.1 days-to-cover) while PDN lifted to 11.48% (WoW +0.16%, 15.9 days-to-cover). 1
Daily Snapshots
Top Shorted Stocks This Week
Financial Snapshot
Key financial metrics from recent company reports for the most shorted stocks.
Biggest Risers
Stocks with the largest increase in short interest this week.
Biggest Fallers
Stocks with the largest decrease in short interest this week.
Movers Analysis
This week’s cleanest “shorts piled in” print was GMD: 6.80% → 7.67% (+0.87%). It’s a 3-week streak of increases and a +2.47 z-score move — a 2.47-sigma jump versus its own 13-week pattern. 1 The timing lines up with a burst of corporate action headlines around the Genesis–Vault merger and related materials. 3 EOS also had shorts adding into weakness: 6.11% → 6.44% (+0.33%) while the stock fell -18.87% on the week to $8.04. 1 4 DRO did the same on a smaller move: 12.68% → 12.84% (+0.16%) with the share price down -9.92% to $2.27. 1 4 On the unwind side, the outliers were real. WGX saw short interest drop 1.88% → 1.41% (-0.47%), a -3.34 z-score move. 1 INA fell 3.06% → 2.62% (-0.43%), a -3.87 z-score move and its 2nd consecutive weekly fall — covering, even as the stock was down -6.87% for the week to $4.20. 1 4 The biggest raw cover was IMU: 1.52% → 0.54% (-0.98%). Days-to-cover is 0.4, so when shorts decide to leave, they can leave fast — and they did, despite the share price dropping -28.57% to $0.10. 1 4
Industry Positioning
- Automobiles & Components5.15%+0.043 stockstopPWH7.60%
- Food, Beverage & Tobacco4.63%-0.029 stockstopELD10.75%
- Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail3.66%-0.035 stockstopEDV9.74%
- Consumer Services2.82%+0.0228 stockstopDMP13.84%
- Health Care Equipment & Services2.81%0.0031 stockstop4DX12.00%
- Real Estate Management & Development2.20%-0.019 stockstopLIC7.39%
- Insurance2.10%-0.0110 stockstopGDG5.55%
- Banks1.92%-0.028 stockstopBEN3.30%
- Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail1.78%+0.0130 stockstopBAP9.81%
- Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences1.71%-0.0429 stockstopTLX11.72%
- Energy1.65%+0.0246 stockstopBOE11.71%
- Software & Services1.64%-0.0136 stockstopWTC8.48%
Zooming out, shorting pressure barely changed at the index level: average short interest rose +0.01% across 699 stocks, and market breadth was close to even (132 risers vs 136 fallers on moves >0.01pp). 1 The most shorted industry by average remains Automobiles & Components at 5.15% (WoW +0.04%) across 3 stocks, led by PWH at 7.60%. 1 Food, Beverage & Tobacco is next at 4.63% (WoW -0.02%) across 9 stocks, led by ELD at 10.75% — which now matters more, given ELD is also in the overall top 10. 1 Consumer Services ticked up to 2.82% (WoW +0.02%) across 28 stocks, led by DMP at 13.84%. Energy also lifted to 1.65% (WoW +0.02%) across 46 stocks, led by BOE at 11.71%. 1
Outlook
One thing to watch next week: does GMD extend the streak to a 4th consecutive weekly rise from 7.67%? If it does, the merger-driven short build is still accelerating. 1 3
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “days-to-cover” mean, and why is DMP’s 40.1 days-to-cover a big deal?
Days-to-cover estimates how many days of average trading volume it would take for shorts to buy back stock and exit. DMP at 40.1 days-to-cover is a crowded-exit setup: if the trade turns, the unwind can take time because the position is large relative to normal liquidity. [ref-1]
Which stock is new to the ASX top 10 most shorted this week?
ELD is NEW TO TOP 10 at 10.75% short (WoW +0.04%). [ref-1]
Which short-interest move was statistically unusual this week?
GMD’s move from 6.80% to 7.67% (+0.87%) had a +2.47 z-score, meaning a 2.47-sigma jump versus its own 13-week pattern. On the covering side, INA’s -0.43% move had a -3.87 z-score and WGX’s -0.47% move had a -3.34 z-score. [ref-1]
Is shorting broadening across the ASX or narrowing?
It’s basically balanced this week: average short interest rose +0.01%, with 132 risers versus 136 fallers (moves >0.01pp). [ref-1]
Sources
- ASIC short position data and Shorted.com.au weekly short interest tables (Week 2026-W29, report date 2026-07-13)(2026-07-13) [asic data]
- ELD: Elders Limited Half Year Results Announcement(2026-05-18) [financial report]
- GMD: Genesis & Vault agree to merge, creating a new gold major(2026-07-14) [announcement]
- ASX stock price data table (Week 2026-W29) for ILU, WGX, CAR, DRO, ELD, FLT, TLX, ALX, EOS, GEM, GMD, INA, LOT, MLX, PDN, BOE, IMU, KAR, 4DX, DMP, DTR(2026-07-13) [price data]
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.