Themes

ASX Tech & Software Stocks

The ASX software complex — high multiples, recurring revenue, and where the bears disagree.

15 constituents · short positions as of · ASIC data, T+4 delay

Median short

1.97%

across 15 constituents

Most shorted

WTC

8.60% of issued capital

Biggest 4-week riser

IRE

+1.92pp in 4 weeks

Above 5% short

2

of 15 constituents

Theme short interest over time

Weekly average · shaded band is the constituent range

Constituents

ASX Tech & Software Stocks
CodeShort %Δ 4wΔ 1mDays to cover
WTC8.60%+0.3pp+25.1%14.7
CAT6.74%+0.0pp+2.8%19.8
XRO4.75%+0.2pp+25.3%10.1
SDR3.11%-0.5pp+15.0%7.8
IRE2.77%+1.9pp-7.4%3.7
GTK2.77%+0.3pp+13.1%11.5
MP12.42%-0.4pp+1.9%3.4
TNE1.97%+0.0pp+9.3%8.6
HSN1.96%-0.3pp-23.2%4.0
3601.79%+0.0pp-18.6%1.9
OCL1.22%+0.0pp
NXL0.91%-0.2pp+19.0%4.5
QOR0.14%-3.2pp
RDY0.06%-0.0pp
SKO0.00%+0.0pp

Membership is curated and verified against company metadata — a wrong member is worse than a missing one. Refine further in the screener.

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About this theme

ASX software carries some of the highest earnings multiples on the market, and a multiple is the part of a valuation a short seller can attack without disputing a single number in the accounts. The bear cases here are consistent in shape: growth decelerating as a product saturates its home market, net revenue retention slipping, capitalised development expense flattering reported profit, or an offshore expansion costing more than the revenue it wins. Because valuation is the thesis, these positions are sensitive to interest rates as well as to results — the same discount rate that justifies a premium multiple removes it. Reporting season is the pressure point in both directions: a downgrade from a highly rated name repices the sector, while an in-line result against a heavily shorted register can force a squeeze with very little stock available to buy.

Short positions come from official ASIC short position reports (published with a T+4 trading-day delay) joined with daily price and volume data. The chart averages the constituents reporting in each week and shades the range between the least and most shorted of them; a member with no data that week is absent from the average rather than counted as zero.

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