Investors are reaching for the riskiest stocks in the market.

How do we know?

A long list of stock market indexes and individual issues just had their best day since the pandemic lows almost 5 years ago.

Meme coins are mooning while we're asleep at night.

More and more stocks are completing primary trend reversals.

The most risk-on groups are leading the charge.

With this in mind, it's time for another Freshly Squeezed report.

Here's our approach:

We find the most heavily shorted stocks in the market. Then, we monitor these names for signs of upward momentum. Once that momentum kicks in, we ride them higher as the bears get squeezed.

We got fresh short data on Monday, so let's dive in and talk about it.

Our scan is quite simple. It is designed to identify stocks with the most aggressive short positions.

Stocks are ripping in the U.S.

Is Europe next?

Looking at a basket of the fifty biggest names in Europe, we've got a clean level to bet against for a rotation higher. And a volatility picture that offers us an edge to play it.

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. No new positions today. 
2. Rolled KRE to January options.
3. Closed XLE at profit target.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!

From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

Welcome to The 2 to 100 Club.

In this scan, we look to identify the strongest growth stocks as they climb the market-cap ladder from small- to mid- to large- and, ultimately, to mega cap status (over $200B).

Once they graduate from small-cap to mid-cap status (over $2B), they come on our radar. Likewise, when they surpass the roughly $30B mark, they roll off our list.

But the scan doesn't just end there.

We only want to look at the strongest growth industries in the market, as that is typically where these potential 50-baggers come from.

initially covered this meme coin in May and it's up +500% since.

Today it looks to be completing a successful breakout.

Here's the chart.

The underperformance from Technology stocks continues.

And keep in mind that you've been seeing it in Large-caps for most of this year, but you've been seeing the underperformance from Small-cap Technology for over 18 months.

Small-cap Tech peaked in the summer of 2023 relative to the rest of the small-caps:

It's really been a disappointment for Technology investors.

Granted, there are Tech stocks working, but they are few and far between, compared to what we have seen in the past.

Look at the returns of these Technology ETFs relative to the performance in Bitcoin over the past month:

From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

When investing in the stock market, we always want to approach it as "a market of stocks."

Regardless of the environment, there are always stocks showing leadership and trending higher.

We may have to look harder to identify them depending on current market conditions. But there are always stocks that are going up.

The same can be said for weak stocks. Regardless of the environment, there are always stocks that are going down, too. 

We already have multiple scans focusing on stocks making all-time highs, such as Hall of Famers, Minor Leaguers, and the 2 to 100 Club.

We filter these universes for stocks that are exhibiting the best momentum and relative strength characteristics. 

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. No new positions today. 
2. Adjustment to XOP position.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!

We're now well into Year 3 of this bull market. 

So the question becomes: Is this fresh breakout the beginning of the next leg higher for equities?

Or is this market behavior evidence of exhaustion and it's time to get out?

Let me remind you of the "Fab 5" charts from the beginning of 2024 that helped determine whether we were starting a new leg higher this year or if it was time to bail.