# Short sellers load up against SpaceX as stock retreats back to IPO price

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-07-16 17:07 UTC · Category: Business

## Executive Summary
SpaceX shares have plummeted back to their IPO price, triggering massive profits for short sellers and a potential trillion-dollar loss in valuation.

## Intelligence Brief
SpaceX is experiencing a significant decline in share value, with prices dropping from $225 down to $127. This downturn has occurred as short sellers place heavy bets against the company, resulting in a reported profit of $8.7 billion for those traders. The decline is linked to recent events involving the Starship program, specifically an abort that caused shares to slide. In response to these setbacks, Reuters reports that SpaceX is targeting next week for another Starship launch attempt in an effort to stabilize its trajectory. Major financial outlets are closely monitoring the scale of this collapse. Bloomberg.com reports that SpaceX is set to wipe out $1 trillion in value as shares continue to slide.


Futurism highlights that short sellers are having a field day betting against the company. Meanwhile, Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch are analyzing the stock's performance, noting that the price has fallen below the $135 mark. The Wall Street Journal provides a comparative perspective, stating that the SpaceX IPO is currently trailing behind other largest debuts of 2026. Contextually, this volatility follows the company's transition to a public entity. MarketWatch draws a historical parallel to Meta's IPO to question whether the current drop signifies a total bust for investors. The stakes are high as the company attempts to maintain its valuation while facing technical hurdles with its hardware.


According to Yahoo Finance, investors are currently weighing what actions to take next as the stock loses altitude, while other analysts are attempting to predict the company's heading for the remainder of 2026. Future movements depend heavily on the success of the upcoming Starship test flight. Coverage from Reuters indicates that the next launch attempt is the primary focal point for the coming week. Market observers are watching to see if this mission can reverse the downward trend or if the stock will continue to slip further from its IPO price. The financial community remains focused on whether the company can recover the trillion dollars in value mentioned by Bloomberg or if the current short-selling momentum will persist.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| Reuters | SpaceX targets next week for another Starship launch attempt as shares slide on abort | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMizwFBVV95cUxNWGtOV1BXNFVRbFBRd1l5MFR0WTlDVWxDQ1piUUhNNVVGVWVzY0FrNUNlQVFRaWZmXzViZHNLb0pKZFhuMVllNXM1aHR0aWtTY1A4YjBmbzRfaHRVTG5RUWpXTEpVUmw5YW9waXpIYVZlRUh1ellsN2VHbHRUYTc3R2lEbFl4Z0l2THFJazd1c3p3UXNxVG1GNXc3aVRfMzIxUUtueTAwUDVyb29nVVdVc3d1YmdBOUthRnFtTXBmcTBuVFZrZzZJdTJ3Zi1SVmc?oc=5) |
| Bloomberg.com | SpaceX Set to Wipe Out $1 Trillion in Value as Shares Slide | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirgFBVV95cUxOSGQweEhZOU01ZXoxX0hwTHg0QVl4MnBNcXFhOTdYYzByVjduZTh0Um9JWnU4ZWhtUFoyQV9VWWVPSF9iRWxuTmJTT0tZU1JtZTZicEF3aE5XN18yTWRHZkh2QWc4bVNMQVlUT1I3QXdfMmtBcEpnMTdfUWNBSUtBR01mUTRIRVE3N3JOVW9rSC1TRS14bjRsNmp5dE1jMGUyaXJYMFpsZHp5STdKbFE?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Finance UK | While SpaceX’s share price has crashed from $225 to $127, Apple stock has turned £5,000 into… | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiiAFBVV95cUxOUUx6azJLNmFhd0JsT2NoUUt6ZlB3aTRMYUI0NzhpOTh0d0ZMNWFlRm9oQkh3cFpaZ3NYSHdjMkZlSTlqSXVtQTcwa3EzaEhSSXpLMmV0MUZKWEZnRzk0RFp3V3dhUUpjX0ZtZWFxV1VLU2JHeFF2OG9mZlF6dUpuQkNndWFFTkJH?oc=5) |
| Futurism | Short Sellers Are Having a Field Day Betting Against SpaceX as Shares Continue to Slip | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMigAFBVV95cUxOTF81bUUySWhubjJzaGtiUGlWb2l4Qk9yTGxvMGdCaC16dGRVbEJSTGdBX21pZjQ0d3ZzYmozckhYdnJIa2ZxNWpSeDNCV0ZzLXdFWHRGRVBiaVFIa0lSc3htQi1QWWNTczE4N2xXbWNIdG1VakhYUU95cTQ2RC1Odw?oc=5) |
| Reuters | Short sellers notch $8.7 bln profit as SpaceX shares dip to IPO price | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiyAFBVV95cUxOdHdsRkVXay1pdUdiNG4wNjlIaWpvOU9NQ3Vpci1UZVlycHZDWG1XdXB0NVFJVDFZSFFfZ0pZZWoyb0J2SG1RYi11eV92dUltUFFsM2VEWlR6d2ZwdUxhRHBNUXRBcVBPQVQ5NXdzUElGdEpCQXdsdlhzcFc1ckF2NTNNMjlVRFZfR0JtNGZtb2VFRHBkMTlfLXRISkRtSWU2SXRUMTRnUXBtUUFDUnFmTmFteEdNOGx0ejhBVjI3SEFnaWw4dU93aQ?oc=5) |
| WSJ | SpaceX IPO Trails Largest 2026 Debuts | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi3AFBVV95cUxOMzItdzZhZWZfUF81dnFKOGFNTHA3RU9lTnlWdWszOV9oZy1EZVZXMEk5bUl2WHo1YnlrOHVHSVRfNFRDNk5HNW90WTdhMms3a1FyaklYdW1vQjZZSm9sUjdPTWM3Y3A5WDd0eVdLQmlQdDVhYzFfRkR5OEhuQU9rMTIzTUk3Mi1ycVpFY3FHLXVfRE82ZlpkNlZ6ZVlRY2Qzc1NpajdZaEt3THItanhfazI3bWZxTnNDdFJoM2dLS3NxZEZQVjlkam9jQ0VWMDZac2x3OGJaZk9ybnhf?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Finance | SpaceX stock loses more altitude with Starship set for test flight: What Wall Street is saying | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi7gFBVV95cUxOMkdUb3A1SXZTcE4tWVFZb1pFR2ZSbzJtemNpc0hxY3hGT2RsS1hjZ2FjaG5SRG5kVGU2SDljQ3VHeEd5X200cEZIalBzeTQ4WkRHbWJJX0FDZXF5VWljRElDRzdHdk84TWR6RVhxLXA5MkxRenRobEhYbk1SWERDZDNiaDJhNXVBOWZlVktuSDFsdWRXRUtzMktHUHFhMXpGYlFOdHQ4THB3ZldHSVhBaHQ5anF0S3FrNEJuTGZXcjJnWTRlZ21Vd21tWWZwY2FvN0ZvM0YzWkJ1TVJKQnFfU1dnSVFkbTVSQnR0TFlR?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Finance | SpaceX stock is falling. What investors should do next. | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiyAFBVV95cUxQOW16eWFZSVBENnk3T3lDMlJKUE1lS0NoZ1hVZFdWTEJYZ29ZUXhZd213SmxlVHB1Q1haVGpoelpwWnpfZjExVEdpUm5EV0I1VGI2Yk5KbUZuWU81bXlrXzJWSGFmdEhGS0RUZmp2QmRWeWNSQU1ncUtOVEs0cGlibk96NTBzUV80SkdFb3RQaWpEV2FEQmNzclBJR1RGeEhReU1pMHJKU2xNaWREbG0zYWRkbVdGMEZwNDNGTWdXdEJmeGRTV3Jkcw?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Finance | Predicting Where SpaceX Is Headed by the End of 2026 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMioAFBVV95cUxOeEpQUjF6b1BUWHhNaUVkeFFzRmtvTERqTF9TbHhCeDZEeWF4T2F3WHJvWlN2RTdOdnRjVjlLaUxhOTN6X0FZcC1mYzl5R2VzVUFOVHU4cGdfNXFNMy1CNF9jbkhkTEYwYk1pM1ZuNjRUdVVuRTBUSHZHNzBuZlZydk9IekNrS3ZySVM5NldhNkxfTl80WjE2amJXdmlSRThW?oc=5) |
| MarketWatch | Is SpaceX’s stock a bust because it fell below $135? Look what happened after Meta’s IPO. | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixgFBVV95cUxOSklZZ1lFQ3NiOFlrdWpHeWEzcUU4R0hlU3lTU0IzSmF5LTJ0MnhzdmozTGIwRWg3ZUllMjdpWDJ4NzlsbW1DbjRmLTRkUkVqcFo5LWkwZDJCbml1eUdicW81MWV3S0xDMEFwY3BEWEdHUk5rV2FUYUpmUldpUll5UkRKQldwUG1wSmdCVUdZcVJPRkY5RUFsRnhiTkhybUpsZXJ4cWRvWFVjVncxVkpKeWsyS0luSG1aYmU3NHhpX2kzVjBaSVE?oc=5) |

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*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-07-16/short-sellers-load-up-against-spacex-as-stock-retreats-back-to-ipo-price*