The LSE shorts stats are about 6 months out of date . Short positions held by shorters with >0.5% is down to 4.6% from a peak of 8.7%. However, there may be several lurking at just below the 0.5% threshold.
Shorters will sell into anything other than unambiguously good results.... this morning is further evidence of this ... expected recovery under way already
file with the other toilet paper from Brokers over the last couple of years giving price targets of anything between £4 and £10. Given the rather odd timing of Barclays decision to initiate Bab coverage it might be an idea to compare the current list of shorters with major Barclays brokerage clients.......
This is a case study in share price manipulation ......with probable acting in concert by various shorters ..... with some position covering coming in spurts
Interestingly this rise has been achieved with only a small reduction in the overall level of short positions. I suspect that with what looks like a solid forecast for the balance of the year the shorters will be starting to sweat .....and one or two will soon break ranks
Shorters selling into any bit of news that could be negatively construed .....eg this afternoon'sthe refinancing announcement ....which doesn't seem dramatic to me
One of the big shorters is beginning to close out their position and the incurred dividend costs for long term shorters are mounting...time to close out those rather profitable positions is suspect .... unless they want to gamble on a total political disaster.
And as a result of your confusion you started speculating about 'kitchen sinking' by the new Chairman ..... which is something that falls to a new CEO not a new Chairman....... so all in all.... not a great start on the Babcock board. Please try harder.