Nasdaq Announces End-of-Month Open Short Interest Positions in Nasdaq Stocks as of Settlement Date February 27, 2026

On March 10, 2026, Nasdaq released its end-of-month short interest positions for Nasdaq securities as of the settlement date of February 27, 2026. The report highlighted a notable total of 15,794,218,322 shares sold short across 3,629 Nasdaq Global MarketSM securities, a minor decline from the previous figure of 15,834,216,597 shares in 3,595 issues reported on February 13, 2026. This drop marks a slight reduction in overall short interest, reflecting an increase in the average days to cover from 2.25 to 2.64 days.

In the subset of The Nasdaq Capital MarketSM, short interest also decreased, totaling 3,685,699,100 shares at the end of the February reporting period, down from 3,724,995,849 shares reported earlier. The average days to cover for this segment rose from 1.43 to 1.65 days, indicating a slight change in market dynamics.

Aggregating all securities, the report reveals that the total short interest across the 5,282 Nasdaq securities stood at 19,479,917,422 shares. This is a small decrease from 19,559,212,446 shares in the previous period, with the average days to cover increasing from 2.02 to 2.37 days.

Short selling remains a significant aspect of market activity, representing positions taken by investors anticipating a decline in stock prices. These statistics are crucial for traders and investors looking to gauge market sentiment and potential future movements. For further details on Nasdaq short interest figures, interested parties can refer to Nasdaq's dedicated resources available on its website.

As of February 27, 2026, Nasdaq reported a slight decrease in short interest across its securities, with total shares sold short falling from over 19.5 billion to approximately 19.48 billion. This decrease, while small, reflects broader market dynamics that could signal different investment opportunities going forward. Notably, the average days to cover for all Nasdaq securities has increased to 2.37 days, up from 2.02 days in the previous reporting period. This uptick indicates that it may take longer for short sellers to buy back shares, implying that short interest remains elevated.

Investors should pay attention to these figures, particularly in the context of market sentiment and potential volatility. The rising days to cover could suggest that a segment of investors is losing confidence in the long-term performance of certain Nasdaq-listed companies, thus opening opportunities for contrarian investors who may look for undervalued stocks.

Additionally, the notable volume of short interest on key indices, particularly within 1,653 securities on The Nasdaq Capital Market, suggests potential caution is maintaining its grip on market sentiment. With a short interest of over 3.6 billion shares in that sector, it complicates the outlook for investors considering smaller-cap stocks.

As a strategy, those looking to invest in the Nasdaq should consider diversifying their exposure. Identifying solid companies with low short interest ratios may provide enticing entry points while avoiding stocks that may be subject to punitive buying pressure from short-covering.

Overall, prudent market participants will analyze the short interest data in conjunction with fundamental and technical indicators to inform their strategies, potentially seeking both defensive plays and opportunities to capitalize on the market's sentiment dynamics.