The short interest data have come out for the May 29 settlement date. It is important to note that semiconductor trends are considered to be leading indicators of technology and broader electronics demand. Chip makers with a solid position in the mobile space continue to advance, and the world’s largest semiconductor maker is also strong as demand for desktops and laptops has been better than expected.

On the broad scope, short sellers appear to be backing off these semiconductor stocks as most of this sample has seen its short levels decrease. The May 29 short interest data have been compared with the previous figures.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) saw its short interest increase to 116.08 million shares. The previous level was 110.43 million. Shares closed Tuesday at $31.25, in a 52-week trading range of $27.72 to $37.90.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) had its short interest decrease to 118.03 million shares. The previous level was 119.56 million. Shares of AMD closed Tuesday at $2.29, in a 52-week trading range of $2.14 to $4.80.

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Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) saw its short interest skyrocket to 69.01 million, compared to the previous period, in which 19.61 million shares were reported short. Currently this is the highest reading within the past 52 weeks. Qualcomm shares closed Tuesday at $66.84, in a 52-week trading range of $62.26 to $81.97.

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) saw its short interest for the May 29 settlement date continue to decline handily to 21.20 million shares. The previous reading was 26.10 million. The past few readings are the lowest readings on the year. The highest reading on the year was 82.90 million in late February. Shares closed Tuesday at $19.91, in a 52-week trading range of $18.63 to $25.71.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) saw its short interest fall to 65.81 million shares from the previous reading of 67.90 million. Short interest is currently at its lowest level on the year. Shares of Micron closed Tuesday at $25.19, in a 52-week range of $24.94 to $36.59.

SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) was one of the chip stocks that had its short interest decrease in May. The most recent reading was 16.93 million shares, compared to the previous reading of 17.22 million. Shares closed Tuesday at $66.81, in a 52-week trading range of $63.00 to $108.77.

Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) saw its short interest decrease to 8.04 million shares, versus the previous short interest level of 9.35 million. Note that Broadcom has only just entered into an agreement with Avago to be purchased for $37 billion. Shares closed Tuesday at $53.55, in a 52-week range of $34.50 to $57.70.

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