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Dictionary of Terms


Average Daily Volume The average amount of shares traded in a single day. Averages are often referred to in time frames of 10 days, 1 month, and 3 months.
Breakdowns A breakdown is a downward move in stock price that occurs when a key price support level of a stock is violated. See long squeeze.
Breakouts A breakout is an upward move in stock price that occurs when a key price resistance level of a stock is exceeded. See short squeeze.
Days to Cover Is calculated using the following equation:
Days to Cover = Shares Short / Average Daily Vol.
A stock's "Days to Cover" (same as Short Ratio) is the average number of days it would take to cover the total short interest in a stock. This number is calculated by dividing shares short by the average daily volume for a stock. This indicator is powerful in gauging the ease-ability of the shorts to buy the shares that are short, and thus potentially causing dramatic changes in stock price.
Float The amount of shares in liquid circulation that can be readily traded. This number is calculated by taking the total outstanding shares and subtracting shares held by insiders and institutions. This can be even further helpful in evaluating the liquidity in a stock, thus effecting price moves.
Long Squeeze

A long squeeze is a strong, bearish price move that occurs when people sell stock. When a trader is long a stock, they profit when the stock price goes up, and suffer losses when the stock price goes down. As a stock trades down in price, people who own stock suffer trading losses.

To lessen the inherent risk of this, traders often times initiate stop loss orders at key price points commonly recognized as indicators of whether a stock is trending up or down: the 52-week low, 50 day MA, and 200 day MA.

In a long squeeze, the shorts have full control of the downward price moves and great market opportunity in weak stocks. Since someone someone who owns a stock, suffers trading losses in a stock that is trending down, a breach of these levels can trigger a powerful chain reaction of selling, causing a sharp drop in stock price up, called a "long squeeze". See for additional thoughts.

% from 52-Week High This number is calculated as a percent of a stock's current price "FROM" it's 52 week high. An example of the math of how this is calculated is shown below for you:
52-Wk High Stock Price = $17.50
Current Stock Price = $8.35
Thus, the distance from the 52-Wk High = $9.15
9.15/8.35 = 109% From the 52-Wk High
Percent Insider Holders The percent of total shares that are held by company insiders. Often times these shares have restrictions on when they can be bought and sold.
Percent Institutional Holders The percent of total shares that are held by institutional investors.
52-week Performance This is an indicator of the relative strength of a stock over the past 52 weeks. A strong number indicates strong performance and a low number indicates weak performance.
Short Interest Short Interest is the term used to refer to the total outstanding number of shorted shares that are present in a stock.
Shares Outstanding The total number of shares that make up 100% ownership in a company.
Shart Ratio (Same as "Days To Cover"). Please refer above to "Days To Cover"
Short Quote A specialized collection of short interest information and investment data relevant to a particular stock.
Shares Short The shares that have been sold in the open market, with the assumption that the stock price will go down. If the stock goes up instead, the need to lessen losses can trigger the buying of stock.
Short % of Float Percentage of shares short in relation to the number of shares that make up a stock's float.
Short Squeeze

A short squeeze is a strong, bullish price move that occurs when people buy stock. When a trader is short a stock, they profit when the stock price goes down, and suffer losses when the stock price goes up. The total number of short shares in a stock is called the "short interest". As a stock trades up in price, people who are short suffer trading losses.

To lessen the inherent risk of this, traders often times initiate stop loss orders at key price points commonly recognized as indicators of whether a stock is trending up or down: the 52-week high, 50 day MA, and 200 day MA.

Since someone short a stock, suffers trading losses in a stock that is trending up, a breach of these levels can trigger a powerful chain reaction of buying, causing a surge in stock price up, called a "short squeeze". These price levels can become areas of heavy trading activity and great market opportunity when short interest is at extremely high levels. If the stock however, does not decisively breach these levels, the shorts can flood into the stock as it displays a continued downward bias. See for additional thoughts.

In The News


“The possibility of a short squeeze is one reason some analysts look at a high amount of short interest as a bullish indicator. Short Interest is the fuel, performance is the fuse, says ShortSqueeze.com”
- USA Today


...short sellers, not financial results, are driving up Air T's share price. More than half the shares were sold short last month, according to ShortSqueeze.com”
- Reuters


“...according to ShortSqueeze.com. Any encouraging news from Martha Stewart Living could lead to a wave of short sellers trying to buy stock and limit their losses, pushing the price higher. ”
- CNBC / MSN Money


A subscription to ShortSqueeze.com gives you access to a spreadsheet packed with data... interesting and useful...”
- Barron's