NASDAQ Short Interest - Largest Positions and Changes

Yesterday Reuters reported short interest on the Nasdaq rose 4.1% in mid-July, reflecting an increase in bearish sentiment in the stock market.

Below are data and charts for the five Nasdaq stocks that experienced the largest increases and decreases in their short positions in the first half of July. Also included are data and a chart for the five largest NASDAQ short positions as of July 15, 2009.

FIVE BIGGEST INCREASES:
COMPANY                   July 15     June 30  NET CHANGE  %CHANGE
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E*Trade Financial(ETFC) 135,357,993  95,942,774  39,415,219  41.08
Cell Therapeutics(CTIC)  31,428,479  14,244,326  17,184,153 120.64
Evergreen Solar  (ESLR)  30,912,624  22,979,653   7,932,971  34.52
Applied Materials(AMAT)  54,661,221  47,382,033   7,279,188  15.36
Starbucks Corp   (SBUX)  48,176,793  41,999,418   6,177,375  14.71

Click Chart courtesy of stockcharts.com for full size image

FIVE BIGGEST DECREASES
COMPANY                   July 15     June 30  NET CHANGE  %CHANGE
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Sirius XM Radio  (SIRI) 146,038,635  194,820,020 -48,781,385 -25.04
Sanmina-SCI Corp (SANM)   1,771,396   11,172,618  -9,401,222 -84.15
Intel Corp       (INTC)  79,599,664   88,709,534  -9,109,870 -10.27
Level 3 Comm Inc (LVLT) 101,482,009  109,950,552  -8,468,543  -7.70
Finisar Corp     (FNSR)   1,200,475    8,521,489  -7,321,014 -85.91

Click Chart courtesy of stockcharts.com for full size image

FIVE BIGGEST POSITIONS:
COMPANY                   July 15     June 30  NET CHANGE  %CHANGE
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Sirius XM Radio  (SIRI) 146,038,635  194,820,020 -48,781,385 -25.04
E*Trade Financial(ETFC) 135,357,993   95.942,774  39,415,219  41.08
Level 3 Comm Inc (LVLT) 101,482,009  109,950,552  -8,468,543  -7.70
Microsoft Corp   (MSFT)  80,868,407   86,848,410  -5,980,003  -6.89
Intel Corp       (INTC)  79,599,664   88,709,534  -9,109,870 -10.27

Click Chart courtesy of stockcharts.com for full size image

Questions for the SEC and Congress:

1. Why is there a nine day delay in making the data public?
   
   
2. Why is this data not made available in real time or at the end of each trading day?
   
   
3. Who has access to this data before the public and are they allowed to trade on this undisclosed to the public information?
   
   
4. If anyone who is allowed to trade on the information, then what happened to enforcing Regulation FD that limits selective disclosure and insider trading?
   

If ANYONE has access to the data to make these calculations, then I think it is criminal that this data is not made available as soon as available to everyone.

Disclaimer: I own in my own portfolio and cover in "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter" AMAT, FNSR, INTC and MSFT. I may buy or sell at any time without announcement beforehand.

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