SMH Short Volume
VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management industry, with a market capitalization near $64.28B, listed on NASDAQ, carrying a beta of 1.82 to the broader market. VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index (MVSMHTR), which is intended to track the overall performance of companies involved in semiconductor production and equipment. public since 2000-06-05.
Short volume measures the number of shares sold short on a given day as reported by FINRA. Tracking short volume relative to total volume helps identify unusual bearish sentiment or short-squeeze potential.
- Latest Date
- 2026-05-15
- Short Volume
- 2.8M
- Total Volume
- 5.1M
- Short %
- 55.62%
- 30-Day Avg Short %
- 50.41%
Showing 30 days of FINRA short volume data for VanEck Semiconductor ETF.
Learn how short volume is reported and how to read the data →
SMH most-active contracts
| Type | Strike | Expiration | Volume | OI | IV | Bid | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUT | $500.00 | May 22, 2026 | 208.0K | 2.9K | 65.0% | $2.48 | $2.60 |
| PUT | $380.00 | May 22, 2026 | 62.9K | 265 | 96.6% | $0.10 | $0.15 |
Top 2 contracts from the ORATS-sourced nightly scan; ranked by volume within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.
Frequently asked SMH short volume questions
- What is the daily SMH short volume?
- As of May 15, 2026, VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) short volume is 2.8M shares against 5.1M total reported volume, or 55.62% short-side. Short volume measures shares sold short during the day; it is flow, not inventory.
- How is SMH short volume reported?
- FINRA publishes the Daily Short Sale Volume File for trades reported to FINRA TRFs and the FINRA/Nasdaq ADF on a T+1 basis. The headline figure is the count of shares that printed at the short-sale or short-exempt tick across all reporting venues for the symbol; each exchange separately publishes its own daily short-sale data file.
- What does SMH short volume tell options traders?
- Daily short-sale flow is one input that helps disambiguate dealer-hedging activity from directional bear flow when the chain shows fresh customer call inventory. It is not a clean MM-only proxy: the headline number mixes directional shorting, options-MM delta-hedging, ETF-creation arbitrage, and convertible-arb hedging. Cross-check against gamma-exposure and OI changes for a cleaner read.