> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.focusalpha.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Short Interest (FINRA)

> Reported short interest for US-listed securities per settlement date: shares short, change from the prior report, average daily volume and days to cover.

Short Interest provides reported short interest for a US-listed security. Each observation is one settlement date and carries the shares sold short, the change from the previous report, average daily volume and days to cover. Settlement happens twice a month and publication lags settlement by roughly eight days. History runs from 2017-12-29.

<Info>
  **Plan:** Professional and above · **Credits:** 1 per call
</Info>

## What You Can Use Short Interest For

Track how crowded a short position is and how it changed between settlements. Compute days to cover against average daily volume. Identify securities where short interest is large relative to float. Cross a short build against [company news](/news/company-news) or [8-K events](/events/8k-events) to see what preceded it.

## Short Interest Coverage

Coverage is US-listed securities reported by FINRA. History runs from 2017-12-29. Non-US listings are not covered.

## Short Interest Date Convention

`settlement_date` is the date the position was measured. Settlement occurs **twice a month**, at mid-month and at month-end.

Publication lags settlement by roughly eight days, so the newest row is never today's position — it is the position as of a settlement date one to three weeks ago. Results are ordered newest settlement first.

## Key Short Interest Fields

`current_short_position` is the shares sold short at settlement, and `previous_short_position` is the prior report's figure. `change_previous` and `change_percent` express the move between them.

`average_daily_volume` and `days_to_cover` size the position against trading activity. `float_shares` and `float_as_of` describe the share count used for ratios. `short_percent_float` and `short_percent_outstanding` are those ratios.

`issue_name`, `category` and `market_class_code` describe the security. `revision_flag` and `stock_split_flag` mark rows affected by a revision or a split.

## Why Short Interest Ratios Can Be Null

`short_percent_float` and `short_percent_outstanding` are computed against a share-count source that only covers recent settlements. They are therefore **null across the older history**, while the reported short position beside them is complete for that whole period.

A null ratio means there is no share count for that date. It does not mean the short position was zero. If you hold a float figure for that date, compute your own ratio from `current_short_position`.

## Short Interest Sources

Short positions are reported by FINRA. Float and shares outstanding come from a separate share-count source, which is why their coverage window differs from the position history. Days to cover and the two percentage ratios are calculated.

## Query Short Interest

Use the short interest endpoint for one company, newest settlement first.

<ParamField path="company_id" type="string" required>
  A ticker, CIK, ISIN, or canonical `cmp_` id.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="date_gte" type="string">
  Earliest settlement date, `YYYY-MM-DD`. `date_lte` sets the ceiling.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="limit" type="integer" default="100">
  Rows per page, between 1 and 1000. Page through with `cursor`.
</ParamField>

## Related Datasets

See also [Daily Prices and Market Cap](/market-data/prices) for the price series to pair with a short build, [13F Institutional Holdings](/ownership/13f) for the long side of the register, and [Company Screening](/companies/screening), which carries short-interest filters across the whole universe.

<RequestExample>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl "https://api.focusalpha.ai/v1/companies/GME/short-interest?limit=2" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOCUSALPHA_API_KEY"
  ```
</RequestExample>

<ResponseExample>
  ```json Response theme={null}
  {
    "data": [
      {
        "company_id": "cmp_003385",
        "ticker": "GME",
        "issue_name": "GameStop Corp. Class A",
        "category": "matched",
        "market_class_code": "NYSE",
        "settlement_date": "2026-08-14",
        "current_short_position": "54036583",
        "previous_short_position": "53736062",
        "change_previous": "300521",
        "change_percent": "0.56",
        "average_daily_volume": "10171317",
        "days_to_cover": "5.31",
        "float_shares": "409140234",
        "float_as_of": "2026-08-05",
        "short_percent_float": "13.21",
        "short_percent_outstanding": "12.04",
        "revision_flag": null,
        "stock_split_flag": null
      }
    ],
    "next_cursor": null,
    "coverage": {
      "available_from": "2017-12-29",
      "available_to": null,
      "update_frequency": "semi_monthly",
      "history_status": "complete"
    }
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>