We have tracked the short interest in the following North American Solar companies as of October 31: Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ), First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT), MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) and Sunpower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR). In the Chinese solar sector we tracked the following short interest changes: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO), LDK Solar Co. Inc. (NYSE: LDK), Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP), Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE).

For China-based firms, the percentage of shares short is not available because the companies are also listed on other exchanges.

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) saw short interest fall 3.3% to 3.27 million shares, or 10.8% of the company’s total float.

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) short interest fell by 5.3% to 28.22 million shares, which represents 47% of the company’s float.

GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT) showed an increase of 1.6% in short interest, to 35.69 million shares, about 30.2% of GT’s float.

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) showed a rise of 6.5% in short interest, to 22.96 million shares, about 10% of MEMC’s float.

Sunpower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) saw short interest fall by 3.8% to 4.05 million shares, 10.2% of the company’s total float.

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) showed a decrease of 3.2% in short interest, to 8.51 million shares.

LDK Solar Co. Inc. (NYSE: LDK) saw short interest drop 11.3% to 7 million shares.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) showed a rise of 1.8% in short interest, to 18.92 million shares.

Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) saw short interest rise 7.3% to 14.45 million shares.

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE) showed a rise of 4.1% in short interest, to 6.38 million shares.

LDK’s short interest fell even as the company’s share price dipped to well below a dollar. The company has gotten help from local government and other optimists to keep it afloat. Suntech has so far resisted any intervention that would affect management’s ownership stake, but that attitude cannot last forever. Either governments will get a piece or the company will shut down. It is difficult to predict which of the Chinese makers will survive, but right now, a good guess would be that none of the local governments will want to lose the jobs and that all will survive in some form or other. That cannot last forever of course, but over the next year or so, that likely will be the pattern.

Paul Ausick

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