How Do I Find Short Interest for a Stock?

Think of it this way: If something were to happen to push General Electric down 10% or more, there are much more risky stocks out there that would go down a lot more on that day. Here are some well-known blue chips and the recent short position as a percentage of the float:

'Safer' Stocks and Their Short Positions
General Electric (GE)	0.2%
Coca-Cola (KO)	0.4%
Anheuser Busch (BUD)	0.6%
Wal-Mart (WMT)	0.7%
Microsoft (MSFT)	0.9%
McDonald's (MCD)	1.2%
Google (GOOG)	1.6%

Short Percentages in 'Riskier' Stocks

You'll find higher short percentages in riskier stocks. There are a number of reasons for an investor or trader to take a big short position in a stock. Some may think a stock has gone up too much and is set for a fall, while others may see a struggling company with a falling stock and are willing to bet that it will go down further. Some simply believe that the valuation for a stock is too high, while some are predicting an earnings shortfall in the near future.

There's no "typical" percentage for investors to compare a stock to, but the list below shows a number of companies, some good and some bad, and the recent short position as a percentage of the float:

'Riskier' Stocks and Their Short Positions
Amgen (AMGN)	2.4%
Marvell Technology (MRVL)	3.9%
Akamai (AKAM)	5.9%
Whole Foods (WFMI)	7.5%
XM Satellite Radio (XMSR)	9.7%
Ford (F)	10.2%
Amazon.com (AMZN)	14.9%
Palm (PALM)	18.6%
Under Armour (UA)	28.0%
NutriSystem (NTRI)	33.2%
Crocs (CROX)	35.2%