short interest surged14 Apr 2016 16:22
Markit data showed that "short interest" - which measures the number of shares lent to speculators betting on a fall in the stock - in Berkeley had surged to nearly 5 percent of the company's total shares available for loan, against just 2 percent on March 1 and 0.8 percent at the start of 2016.
"This bear raid, which comes on the heels of a sharp retreat in Berkeley's shares since mid-December, represents the first time in over five years that short sellers took a position of about 5 percent of shares outstanding in a UK-listed homebuilder," said Markit analyst Simon Colvin.