Stockpickr
Top NYSE Short-Squeeze Plays for 2009
Stockpickr Staff
01/12/09 - 06:35 PM EST
Updated from 1:11 p.m. EST
If you were watching the biggest-percentage gainers on Thursday, you would have noticed that Sears Holdings(SHLD Quote), which trades on the Nasdaq, was up by almost 9.5 points, an increase of more than 23% in just one day.
This was likely due to a short squeeze. The stock has 16% of its shares shorted, and when the company's fourth-quarter earnings beat analysts' estimates, short-sellers scrambled to cover their positions, driving the stock much higher.
There are also plenty of heavily shorted stocks on the NYSE (including USEC (USU Quote)). Short-squeeze opportunities are measured by the short ratio, which is the number of days it would take the short-sellers to cover their position based on recent average daily volume.
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In Monday trading, USEC closed at $5.30 per share (up 18% year-to-date).