SpaceX rallies 9% ahead of first EPS report amid high short interest and lock-up expiration

SpaceX shares are climbing roughly 9% as the company approaches what might be the most consequential week of its young life as a public company. The rally comes ahead of its first-ever quarterly earnings report, scheduled for August 4, 2026, with a cocktail of catalysts that reads like a volatility trader’s fever dream. Short interest sitting at approximately 31% of the float. A lock-up expiration that could flood the market with over 900 million new shares. An Nvidia partnership. And Elon Musk, being Elon Musk. Pick your catalyst. The short squeeze setup everyone’s watching Here’s the thing about SPCX right now: roughly 196 million shares are currently sold short, representing about 31% of the trading float. That’s an extraordinary level of bearish conviction for a company with a market cap hovering around $2.11 trillion. The stock has been trading well below its post-IPO peak near $225, which helps explain why bears piled in. SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq on June 12, 2026, with shares surging 19% on its first day of trading. The subsequent pullback gave shorts a reason to bet the initial euphoria was overdone. The lock-up time bomb The earnings report on August 4 triggers a major ...