The Short Report

This story features AMP LIMITED, and other companies. For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: AMP

Guide:

The Short Report draws upon data provided by the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) to highlight significant weekly moves in short positions registered on stocks listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Short positions in exchange-traded funds (ETF) and non-ordinary shares are not included. Short positions below 5% are not included in the table below but may be noted in the accompanying text if deemed significant.

Please take note of the Important Information provided at the end of this report. Percentage amounts in this report refer to percentage of ordinary shares on issue.

Stock codes highlighted in green have seen their short positions reduce in the week by an amount sufficient to move them into a lower percentage bracket. Stocks highlighted in red have seen their short positions increase in the week by an amount sufficient to move them into a higher percentage bracket. Moves in excess of one percentage point or more are discussed in the Movers & Shakers report below.

Summary:

Week ending May 24, 2018

Last week saw the ASX200 plateau, having failed to breach the previous high, before tanking on May 22 despite the Dow being up 300 points. It was all domestic – Telstra exodus, Royal Commission and so forth.

Speaking of the RC, I have been keeping an eye on short positions in the banks and AMP, being top 20 stocks. Little movement has been seen in bank shorts as a result but AMP ((AMP)) shorts did start to tick up quietly, albeit not to an extent worth highlighting.

Last week AMP shorts rose to 3.5% from 2.8%.

I noted in last week’s Report that Domino’s Pizza ((DMP)) shorts had risen to 18.3% from 16.3% despite a rally in the stock price. Last week’s ASIC data have Domino’s back at 16.2%, suggesting a data anomaly.

In either case, the stock remains the second most shorted on the ASX.

I also highlighted Afterpay Touch’s ((APT)) slide down the table following the signing of its first US customer. Last week the stock dropped off the 5% plus table.

And I highlighted Greencross’ ((GXL)) steady move in the opposite direction. Last week Greencross entered the elite 10% plus club with an increase to 10.9% from 9.2%.

Indeed there was a lot of movement in short positions last week, in both directions, as the table below shows. Among the bigger movers are stocks this Report has highlighted in recent weeks.

Skin/haircare company BWX ltd ((BWX)) has received a takeover offer. Its shorts fell to 7.3% from 10.6% last week.

Retail Food Group’s ((RFG)) share price had plunged -70% year to date following the company’s franchisee scandal, but the appointment of a new CEO last week sparked a 20% rebound. Short-covering was involved, given shorts fell to 8.2% from 10.3%.

And I have noted in recent weeks tin miner Metals X ((MLX)) moving quietly up the table. Last week saw shorts rise to 8.6% from 7.3%.

As there are no new stocks to highlight, no Movers & Shakers this week.

 Weekly short positions as a percentage of market cap:

10%+

SYR    19.5
DMP   16.2
JBH     15.4
GXY   14.7
MYR   13.2
NAN   12.5
VOC   12.1
ORE    11.5
AAC   11.5
NWS   11.5
IVC     11.2
GXL    10.9
HT1     10.0

In: GXL          Out: BWX, APO, RFG                                             

9.0-9.9

IGO, APO, GEM, MYX

In: APO, GEM           Out: GXL, BIN                                                                                             
8.0-8.9%

AAD, MLX, HVN, BIN, IPH, RFG, GMA, PLS

In: RFG, BIN, MLX, GMA, PLS                  Out: GEM, FLT, WEB

7.0-7.9%

MTS, BGA, FLT, IFL, WEB, TPM, BWX, BKL, QUB, SFR

In: BWX, FLT, WEB, BKL, QUB, SFR       Out: PLS, MLX, GMA, TGR, ING

6.0-6.9%

RSG, ING, TGR, CSR, PRY, SEK, KAR, BAP, MOC

In: ING, TGR, KAR, MOC               Out: BKL, QUB, SFR

5.0-5.9%

SUL, MQA, NSR, CCP, NXT, MYO, AHG, IMF, BEN, JHC, BOQ, NUF

In: MQA, AHG, JHC, NUF               Out: KAR, MOC, APT

                       
Movers & Shakers

See above.

ASX20 Short Positions (%)

To see the full Short Report, please go to this link

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS REPORT

The above information is sourced from daily reports published by the Australian Investment & Securities Commission (ASIC) and is provided by FNArena unqualified as a service to subscribers. FNArena would like to make it very clear that immediate assumptions cannot be drawn from the numbers alone.

It is wrong to assume that short percentages published by ASIC simply imply negative market positions held by fund managers or others looking to profit from a fall in respective share prices. While all or part of certain short percentages may indeed imply such, there are also a myriad of other reasons why a short position might be held which does not render that position "naked" given offsetting positions held elsewhere. Whatever balance of percentages truly is a "short" position would suggest there are negative views on a stock held by some in the market and also would suggest that were the news flow on that stock to turn suddenly positive, "short covering" may spark a short, sharp rally in that share price. However short positions held as an offset against another position may prove merely benign.

Often large short positions can be attributable to a listed hybrid security on the same stock where traders look to "strip out" the option value of the hybrid with offsetting listed option and stock positions. Short positions may form part of a short stock portfolio offsetting a long share price index (SPI) futures portfolio – a popular trade which seeks to exploit windows of opportunity when the SPI price trades at an overextended discount to fair value. Short positions may be held as a hedge by a broking house providing dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) underwriting services or other similar services. Short positions will occasionally need to be adopted by market makers in listed equity exchange traded fund products (EFT). All of the above are just some of the reasons why a short position may be held in a stock but can be considered benign in share price direction terms due to offsets.

Market makers in stock and stock index options will also hedge their portfolios using short positions where necessary. These delta hedges often form the other side of a client's long stock-long put option protection trade, or perhaps long stock-short call option ("buy-write") position. In a clear example of how published short percentages can be misleading, an options market maker may hold a short position below the implied delta hedge level and that actually implies a "long" position in that stock.

Another popular trading strategy is that of "pairs trading" in which one stock is held short against a long position in another stock. Such positions look to exploit perceived imbalances in the valuations of two stocks and imply a "net neutral" market position.

Aside from all the above reasons as to why it would be a potential misconception to draw simply conclusions on short percentages, there are even wider issues to consider. ASIC itself will admit that short position data is not an exact science given the onus on market participants to declare to their broker when positions truly are "short". Without any suggestion of deceit, there are always participants who are ignorant of the regulations. Discrepancies can also arise when short positions are held by a large investment banking operation offering multiple stock market services as well as proprietary trading activities. Such activity can introduce the possibility of either non-counting or double-counting when custodians are involved and beneficial ownership issues become unclear.

Finally, a simple fact is that the Australian Securities Exchange also keeps its own register of short positions. The figures provided by ASIC and by the ASX at any point do not necessarily correlate.

FNArena has offered this qualified explanation of the vagaries of short stock positions as a warning to subscribers not to jump to any conclusions or to make investment decisions based solely on these unqualified numbers. FNArena strongly suggests investors seek advice from their stock broker or financial adviser before acting upon any of the information provided herein.

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