AMR and CLF lead most shorted materials stocks with over $2B market cap; Linde and Ecolab among least

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Rising geopolitical tensions are putting short interest in materials stocks back in the spotlight, highlighting investor caution around steel, chemicals, and metals firms exposed to trade and supply chain disruptions.

The State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XLB]) has climbed about 11% year to date, leading sector gains even as broader markets remain volatile.

HERE ARE THE TOP 5 MOST SHORTED MATERIALS STOCKS, ALL WITH A MARKET CAPITALIZATION ABOVE $2B (AS A % OF SHARES OUTSTANDING):

* Alpha Metallurgical Resources (AMR [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMR]) – Steel sector, short interest 15.41%, Quant rating 2.88 (Hold)
* Huntsman Corporation (HUN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/HUN]) – Diversified chemicals sector, short interest 14.46%, Quant rating 3.06 (Hold)
* Olin Corporation (OLN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/OLN]) – Commodity chemicals sector, short interest 13.31%, Quant rating 3.00 (Hold)
* MP Materials (MP [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MP]) – Diversified metals & mining sector, short interest 13.09%, Quant rating 2.81 (Hold)
* Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CLF]) – Steel sector, short interest 12.64%, Quant rating 2.74 (Hold)

HERE ARE THE LEAST SHORTED MID- TO MEGA-CAP MATERIALS STOCKS (AS A % OF SHARES OUTSTANDING):

* Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMBP [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMBP]) – Metal, glass & plastic containers sector, short interest 0.87%, Quant rating 4.14 (Buy)
* Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AEM]) – Gold sector, short interest 0.87%, Quant rating 3.45 (Hold)
* Greif (GEF.B [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/GEF.B]) – Metal, glass & plastic containers sector, short interest 0.93%
* Ecolab (ECL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ECL]) – Specialty chemicals sector, short interest 1.08%, Quant rating 3.06 (Hold)
* Linde (LIN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/LIN]) – Industrial gases sector, short interest 1.20%, Quant rating 3.20 (Hold)

MORE ON STATE STREET® MATERIALS SELECT SECTOR SPDR® ETF

* 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]
* Materials large-cap stocks with A-grade EPS revisions [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4572751-materials-large-cap-stocks-with-a-grade-eps-revisions]
* Materials mid-cap stocks with A-grade EPS revisions [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4572747-materials-mid-cap-stocks-with-a-grade-eps-revisions]