First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October (FOCT) short interest & short volume · 36K shares short
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October official short interest (FINRA, twice monthly) and daily short volume (FINRA Reg SHO), with history, % of float and days to cover.
What changed
FOCT short interest rose 36.5% to 36K shares in the Oct 15, 2026 report (1.4 days to cover). Daily short volume averaged 78.2% of volume over the last 20 sessions, up from 56.6% the 20 sessions before, the 99th percentile of its own 20-day averages since Oct 6, 2025.
Short interest
Official, twice monthly · settled Oct 15, 2026
- Shares short
- 36K
- prior 26K
- % of float
- —
- no float on file
- Days to cover
- 1.4
- avg vol 25K
- Change vs prior report
- +36.5%
| Report date | Shares short | $ value short | Change | % float | Days to cover | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2026 | 36K | $2.0M | +36.5% | — | 1.4 | $54.73 |
| Sep 30, 2026 | 26K | $1.4M | -11.4% | — | 1.7 | $54.08 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | 30K | $1.6M | +87.2% | — | 2.0 | $53.56 |
| Aug 31, 2026 | 16K | $851K | -37.5% | — | 1.4 | $53.78 |
| Aug 14, 2026 | 25K | $1.4M | -6.5% | — | 1.0 | $53.65 |
| Jul 31, 2026 | 27K | $1.4M | -22.1% | — | 2.0 | $52.75 |
Days to cover is short interest divided by FINRA's average daily volume for the period: how many average days of trading it would take shorts to buy back.
Source: FINRA equity short interest (twice monthly) · Settlement Oct 15, 2026
Daily short volume
Share of each day's volume sold short · FINRA Reg SHO
- Latest (Nov 11)
- 76.6%
- 37K of 49K
- 20-day average
- 78.2%
- prior 56.6%
- Percentile vs own history
- 99th
- 233 periods since 2025
Loading prices…
Source: FINRA Reg SHO daily short sale volume · Latest Nov 11, 2026
Short squeeze score (model)
Model, not a forecast: 40 pts short interest % of float (full at 30%), 25 pts days to cover (full at 10), 15 pts rise in short interest since the prior report (full at +50%), 20 pts price gain since the settlement date (full at +25%). Missing inputs score 0.
FOCT's squeeze score and its inputs with Lician Pro.Start 3-day trial — $149/yr
Market-wide: most shorted stocks, biggest changes and unusual short volume · FOCT overview
| Date | Short | Total | Short % of volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-11 | 37,403 | 48,854 | 76.6% |
| 2026-11-10 | 14,822 | 17,920 | 82.7% |
| 2026-11-09 | 24,679 | 41,767 | 59.1% |
| 2026-11-06 | 21,482 | 22,662 | 94.8% |
| 2026-11-05 | 19,903 | 26,794 | 74.3% |
| 2026-11-04 | 23,656 | 31,796 | 74.4% |
| 2026-11-03 | 42,158 | 49,960 | 84.4% |
| 2026-11-02 | 27,296 | 32,774 | 83.3% |
| 2026-10-30 | 21,792 | 31,691 | 68.8% |
| 2026-10-29 | 18,891 | 26,092 | 72.4% |
FOCT short interest FAQ
What is FOCT's short interest?
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October (FOCT) had 36K shares sold short and not yet covered in FINRA's Oct 15, 2026 settlement report.
How many days to cover does FOCT have?
1.4 days: 36K shares short divided by an average daily volume of 25K for the Oct 15, 2026 period.
Is FOCT short interest rising or falling?
FOCT short interest rose (+36.5%) from 26K to 36K shares in the Oct 15, 2026 report.
Is FOCT a short squeeze candidate?
Lician's squeeze watch scores FOCT 15 out of 100 (low) from the Oct 15, 2026 report: days to cover 3.6/25, change in short interest vs prior report 10.9/15. It is a transparent model of how crowded the short side is, not a forecast that a squeeze will happen.
What share of FOCT daily volume is sold short?
78.2% on average over the last 20 sessions to Nov 11, 2026 (FINRA Reg SHO daily short volume; the 99th percentile of its own 20-day averages). Short volume counts market makers' same-day short sales, so it is not short interest.
What was FOCT's latest FINRA short volume?
On Nov 11, 2026, cached FINRA short volume for First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October (FOCT) was 37,403 shares, 76.6% of 48,854 total volume.
How many FOCT short-volume sessions are listed on this page?
This page lists 10 cached FINRA short-volume sessions for First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October (FOCT), from Oct 29, 2026 through Nov 11, 2026.
How did FOCT short volume percent change from the prior cached session?
Cached FINRA short volume for First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October (FOCT) moved from 82.7% on Nov 10, 2026 to 76.6% on Nov 11, 2026, down 6.1 percentage points.
Not investment advice. Figures as filed or reported, not a live feed.