Most and least shorted materials stocks with up to $2B market cap

[Sulfur Miners of Ijen]
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The State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XLB]) leads all sectors with an 18% year-to-date gain, signaling strong market momentum even amid broader market volatility, as investors closely track steel, chemicals, and metals stocks.

However, small- and micro-cap names are also drawing attention, with several lithium miners, critical metals producers, and chemical makers among those in focus, including Sigma Lithium (SGML [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SGML]), American Lithium (AMLIF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMLIF]), Braskem S.A. (BAK [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BAK]), Standard Lithium (SLI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SLI]), and Atlas Lithium (ATLX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ATLX]).

HERE’S A LIST OF THE 5 MOST SHORTED SMALL-TO-MICRO-CAP MATERIALS STOCKS AS OF MID-FEBRUARY (AS A % OF SHARES OUTSTANDING):

* PureCycle Technologies (PCT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/PCT]) — Quant Rating: Hold (2.83); Short Interest: 25.74%
* Ramaco Resources (METC [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/METC]) — Quant Rating: Sell (1.76); Short Interest: 20.20%
* McEwen (MUX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MUX]) — Quant Rating: Hold (3.27); Short Interest: 19.30%
* United States Antimony (UAMY [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/UAMY]) — Quant Rating: Hold (3.16); Short Interest: 18.65%
* ASP Isotopes (ASPI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ASPI]) — Quant Rating: Strong Sell (1.13); Short Interest: 16.46%

HERE’S A LIST OF THE 5 LEAST SHORTED SMALL-TO-MICRO-CAP MATERIALS STOCKS AS OF MID-FEBRUARY (AS A % OF SHARES OUTSTANDING):

* Northern Technologies International (NTIC [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NTIC]) — Quant Rating: Strong Sell (1.46); Short Interest: 0.26%
* NexMetals Mining (NEXM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NEXM]) — Quant Rating: Hold (2.52); Short Interest: 0.25%
* Nexa Resources (NEXA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NEXA]) — Quant Rating: Strong Buy (4.70); Short Interest: 0.13%
* Solitario Resources (XPL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XPL]) — Quant Rating: Hold (2.85); Short Interest: 0.11%
* BioLargo (BLGO [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BLGO]) — Quant Rating: Strong Sell (1.23); Short Interest: 0.01%

Materials ETFs: (XLB [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XLB]), (VAW [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/VAW]), (IYM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/IYM]), (FXZ [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/FXZ]), (MXI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MXI]), (RSPM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RSPM])

MORE ON RELATED TICKERS, ETC.

* Market Sector Review: Extreme Market Bifurcation [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4870638-market-sector-review-extreme-market-bifurcation]
* The Great Commoditization: How To Invest In A Post-AI World [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4870233-great-commoditization-how-to-invest-in-post-ai-world]
* How I Use XLB As A Leading Indicator For S&P 500 [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4865455-how-i-use-xlb-as-a-leading-indicator-for-s-and-p-500]
* 2 out of 7 S&P 500 materials stocks beat EPS estimates this week: Earnings Scorecard [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4552198-2-out-of-7-sp-500-materials-stocks-beat-eps-estimates-this-week-earnings-scorecard]
* Most and least shorted materials stocks with over $2B market cap [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4551170-most-and-least-shorted-materials-stocks-with-over-2b-market-cap]