research(short-squeeze): 2026-04-12 — new short_squeeze scanner; high SI (>20%) as squeeze-risk discovery for cross-scanner confluence

Implements ShortSqueezeScanner wrapping existing get_short_interest() in finviz_scraper.py.
Research finding: raw high SI predicts negative long-term returns (academic); edge is using
SI as a squeeze-risk flag when combined with earnings_calendar or options_flow catalysts.
Directly addresses earnings_calendar pending hypothesis (APLD 30.6% SI was strongest setup).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/iterations/LEARNINGS.md

@@ -13,6 +13,13 @@
 | early_accumulation | scanners/early_accumulation.md | 2026-04-12 | Sub-threshold (score=60); no catalyst → structurally score-capped by ranker |
 | social_dd | scanners/social_dd.md | 2026-04-12 | Sub-threshold (score=56); BUT 55% 30d win rate — diverges from social_hype; ranker may be suppressing it incorrectly |
 | volume_accumulation | scanners/volume_accumulation.md | — | No data yet |
+| short_squeeze | scanners/short_squeeze.md | — | No data yet — new scanner, research: high SI (>20%) + catalyst = squeeze risk; not a directional signal alone |
+
+## Research
+
+| Title | File | Date | Summary |
+|-------|------|------|---------|
+| Short Interest Squeeze Scanner | research/2026-04-12-short-interest-squeeze.md | 2026-04-12 | High SI (>20%) + DTC >5 as squeeze-risk discovery; implemented as short_squeeze scanner |
 | reddit_dd | scanners/reddit_dd.md | — | No data yet |
 | reddit_trending | scanners/reddit_trending.md | — | No data yet |
 | semantic_news | scanners/semantic_news.md | — | No data yet |

docs/iterations/research/2026-04-12-short-interest-squeeze.md

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# Research: Short Interest Squeeze Scanner
+
+**Date:** 2026-04-12
+**Mode:** autonomous
+
+## Summary
+
+Stocks with high short interest (>20% of float) and high days-to-cover (DTC >5) face elevated squeeze
+risk when a positive catalyst arrives — earnings beat, news, or unusual options activity. Academic
+literature confirms that *decreases* in short interest predict positive future returns (14.6% annualized
+for distressed firms), while raw high SI alone is actually a negative long-term indicator. The edge
+here is not buying high-SI blindly, but using high SI + catalyst as a squeeze-risk scanner: a
+discovery tool that surfaces stocks where short sellers are structurally vulnerable.
+
+## Sources Reviewed
+
+- QuantifiedStrategies (short squeeze backtest): Short squeeze strategies alone backtested poorly —
+  rarity and randomness of squeezes prevent a reliable standalone edge
+- Alpha Architect (DTC & short covering): DTC is a better predictor of poor returns than raw SI;
+  long-short strategy using DTC generated 1.2% monthly return; short covering (SI decrease) signals
+  informed belief change
+- QuantPedia / academic: SI decrease in distressed firms predicts +14.6% annualized risk-adjusted
+  return; short sellers are informed traders whose exit signals conviction shift
+- Scanz / practitioner screeners: Consensus thresholds — SI% of float > 10% (moderate), >20%
+  (high), DTC > 5 (high squeeze pressure)
+- tosindicators.com: "Upcoming earnings with high short interest" scan is a common institutional
+  approach — validates the earnings_calendar pending hypothesis
+- earnings_calendar.md (internal): Pending hypothesis that SI > 20% pre-earnings produces better
+  outcomes; APLD (30.6% SI, score=75) was the strongest recent earnings setup
+- social_dd.md (internal): GME scan (15.7% SI, score=56) showed 55% 30d win rate — best 30d
+  performer in pipeline
+
+## Fit Evaluation
+
+| Dimension | Score | Notes |
+|-----------|-------|-------|
+| Data availability | ✅ | `get_short_interest(return_structured=True)` in `finviz_scraper.py` fully integrated |
+| Complexity | trivial | Wrap existing function, map to `{ticker, source, context, priority}` format |
+| Signal uniqueness | low overlap | No existing standalone short-interest scanner; social_dd uses SI as one factor among many |
+| Evidence quality | qualitative | Academic support for DTC as predictor; practitioner consensus on thresholds |
+
+## Recommendation
+
+**Implement** — The data source is already integrated and the signal fills a genuine gap. The scanner
+should NOT simply buy high-SI stocks (negative long-term returns). Instead, it surfaces squeeze
+candidates for downstream ranker scoring: stocks where short sellers are structurally vulnerable and
+any catalyst could force rapid covering. The ranker then assigns final conviction based on cross-
+scanner signals (options flow, earnings, news). This directly addresses the earnings_calendar pending
+hypothesis (SI > 20% pre-earnings).
+
+## Proposed Scanner Spec
+
+- **Scanner name:** `short_squeeze`
+- **Data source:** `tradingagents/dataflows/finviz_scraper.py` → `get_short_interest(return_structured=True)`
+- **Signal logic:**
+  - Fetch Finviz tickers with SI > 15% of float, verified by Yahoo Finance
+  - CRITICAL: SI >= 30% (extreme squeeze risk — one catalyst away from violent covering)
+  - HIGH: SI >= 20% (high squeeze potential — elevated squeeze risk)
+  - MEDIUM: SI >= 15% (moderate squeeze potential — worth watching)
+  - Context string includes: SI%, DTC if available, squeeze signal label
+- **Priority rules:**
+  - CRITICAL if `short_interest_pct >= 30` (extreme_squeeze_risk)
+  - HIGH if `short_interest_pct >= 20` (high_squeeze_potential)
+  - MEDIUM otherwise (moderate_squeeze_potential)
+- **Context format:** `"Short interest {SI:.1f}% of float — {signal_label} | squeeze risk if catalyst arrives"`
+- **Strategy tag:** `short_squeeze`

docs/iterations/scanners/short_squeeze.md

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# Short Squeeze Scanner
+
+## Current Understanding
+Identifies stocks with structurally high short interest (>15% of float by default, CRITICAL at >30%)
+where short sellers are vulnerable to forced covering on any positive catalyst. The scanner uses
+Finviz for discovery (screener filters) + Yahoo Finance for exact SI% verification.
+
+Key distinction: High SI alone predicts *negative* long-term returns on average (academic consensus).
+The scanner is a squeeze-risk flag, not a directional buy signal. Value comes from cross-scanner
+confluence: a stock appearing here AND in options_flow or earnings_calendar is significantly stronger
+than either signal alone.
+
+## Evidence Log
+
+_(populated by /iterate runs)_
+
+## Pending Hypotheses
+- [ ] Does short_squeeze + options_flow confluence produce better 7d win rate than either scanner alone?
+- [ ] Does short_squeeze + earnings_calendar (SI>20%) produce better outcomes than earnings alone? (See earnings_calendar.md pending hypothesis)
+- [ ] Is there a volume threshold (e.g., market cap <$2B small-cap) that sharpens the signal?

tradingagents/dataflows/discovery/scanners/__init__.py

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from . import (
     reddit_trending,  # noqa: F401
     sector_rotation,  # noqa: F401
     semantic_news,  # noqa: F401
+    short_squeeze,  # noqa: F401
     technical_breakout,  # noqa: F401
     volume_accumulation,  # noqa: F401
 )

tradingagents/dataflows/discovery/scanners/short_squeeze.py

@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+"""Short interest squeeze-risk scanner.
+
+Surfaces stocks with structurally elevated short interest where any positive
+catalyst (earnings beat, news, options activity) could force rapid short covering.
+
+Research basis: docs/iterations/research/2026-04-12-short-interest-squeeze.md
+Key insight: High SI alone predicts *negative* long-term returns (mean reversion);
+the edge is using high SI as a squeeze-risk flag for downstream cross-scanner
+ranker scoring, not as a directional buy signal on its own.
+"""
+
+from typing import Any, Dict, List
+
+from tradingagents.dataflows.discovery.scanner_registry import SCANNER_REGISTRY, BaseScanner
+from tradingagents.dataflows.discovery.utils import Priority
+from tradingagents.utils.logger import get_logger
+
+logger = get_logger(__name__)
+
+_SIGNAL_LABELS = {
+    "extreme_squeeze_risk": "extreme squeeze risk",
+    "high_squeeze_potential": "high squeeze potential",
+    "moderate_squeeze_potential": "moderate squeeze potential",
+    "low_squeeze_potential": "low squeeze potential",
+}
+
+
+class ShortSqueezeScanner(BaseScanner):
+    """Scan for stocks with high short interest and elevated squeeze risk."""
+
+    name = "short_squeeze"
+    pipeline = "edge"
+    strategy = "short_squeeze"
+
+    def __init__(self, config: Dict[str, Any]):
+        super().__init__(config)
+        self.min_short_interest_pct = self.scanner_config.get("min_short_interest_pct", 15.0)
+        self.min_days_to_cover = self.scanner_config.get("min_days_to_cover", 2.0)
+        self.top_n = self.scanner_config.get("top_n", 20)
+
+    def scan(self, state: Dict[str, Any]) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
+        if not self.is_enabled():
+            return []
+
+        logger.info(
+            f"📉 Scanning short interest (SI >{self.min_short_interest_pct}%)..."
+        )
+
+        try:
+            from tradingagents.dataflows.finviz_scraper import get_short_interest
+
+            raw = get_short_interest(
+                min_short_interest_pct=self.min_short_interest_pct,
+                min_days_to_cover=self.min_days_to_cover,
+                top_n=self.top_n,
+                return_structured=True,
+            )
+
+            if not raw:
+                logger.info("No short squeeze candidates found")
+                return []
+
+            logger.info(f"Found {len(raw)} high short interest candidates")
+
+            candidates = []
+            for item in raw:
+                ticker = item.get("ticker", "").upper().strip()
+                if not ticker:
+                    continue
+
+                si_pct = item.get("short_interest_pct", 0)
+                signal = item.get("signal", "low_squeeze_potential")
+                label = _SIGNAL_LABELS.get(signal, signal)
+
+                # Priority based on squeeze intensity
+                if signal == "extreme_squeeze_risk":
+                    priority = Priority.CRITICAL.value
+                elif signal == "high_squeeze_potential":
+                    priority = Priority.HIGH.value
+                else:
+                    priority = Priority.MEDIUM.value
+
+                context = (
+                    f"Short interest {si_pct:.1f}% of float — {label}"
+                    " | squeeze risk elevates if catalyst arrives"
+                )
+
+                candidates.append(
+                    {
+                        "ticker": ticker,
+                        "source": self.name,
+                        "context": context,
+                        "priority": priority,
+                        "strategy": self.strategy,
+                        "short_interest_pct": si_pct,
+                        "squeeze_signal": signal,
+                    }
+                )
+
+            candidates = candidates[: self.limit]
+            return candidates
+
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning(f"⚠️  Short squeeze scanner failed: {e}")
+            return []
+
+
+SCANNER_REGISTRY.register(ShortSqueezeScanner)