UK 09:06 Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Breaking news and expert analysis on fast-moving AIM and LSE listed shares
The accepted market wisdom that one should never be a bear in company throws up a lot of exceptions. Carillion (CLLN), for some time now top of the leaderboard of the most shorted shares on the LSE, is a good example.
Early this year we showed the ten top shorted London-listed shares at the start of 2017. Following the recent half-year and crash in the top one, Carillion (CLLN), how are they performing?...
From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, at the start of the year we showed the ten top shorted London-listed shares HERE. The following updates, showing those with a current reported short position of +7%...
From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the ten top shorted London-listed shares at the start of 2017...
From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following details the disclosed most shorted London-listed shares at the start of 2016...
From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following details the 20 highest single net short positions and the changes (red if short increased, green if reduced) since a previous analysis HERE.
From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following details the most shorted shares (by net short position %) and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since a previous analysis HERE.
Carillion plc (CLLN), “following discussions with Balfour Beatty's major shareholders”, has offered improved prospective merger terms in an attempt to get the board of Balfour Beatty (BBY) to re-engage in discussions and agree to get a current 5pm Thursday deadline for Carillion to announce a firm intention or not to undertake a transaction extended. The following updates with Balfour having now rejected this.
Having previously concluded on the Balfour Beatty (BBY) and Carillion (CLLN) merger saga that ‘the potential synergies from a merger appeal to many investors, but with uncertainty as to whether a transaction can be resurrected and ahead of the results announcements later this month, it is a watching brief here for now’, the following updates with Balfour having now affirmed that it has rejected a revised proposal from Carillion and “lost confidence in the likely delivery of a successful transaction”. Carillion meanwhile is to “give further consideration to its position and will make a further announcement in due course”.
Doing the early morning rounds of RNS announcements, I’ve noticed an increasing frequency of companies carefully stage managing corporate actions apparently to deflect attention from less than impressive results. On its own, this view is too anecdotal to be a reliable indicator of a significant top, but I can’t help but wonder the extent to which companies in the FTSE350 are struggling to keep up with QE-fuelled expectations?
