The short interest data have been released for the December 15 settlement date. It just so happens that some of the latest short interest readings for major oil companies are backing off highs, while others are pushing on new highs.

The December 15 short interest data have been compared with the previous figures, and short interest for the selected stocks saw a definite jump.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) saw its short interest increase to 26.55 million shares from the previous reading of 22.28 million. Shares closed Thursday at $92.05, in a 52-week trading range of $69.58 to $114.38.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) saw its short interest rise to 54.57 million shares from the previous level of 51.55 million. Shares closed Thursday at $79.33, within a 52-week trading range of $66.55 to $94.43.

BP PLC’s (NYSE: BP) short interest increased to 7.22 million shares from its previous reading of 5.85 million. Shares closed Thursday at $32.12, in a 52-week trading range of $29.35 to $43.85.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) saw the number of its shares short increase to 36.98 million from the previous 33.33 million. Shares closed Thursday at $48.59, within a 52-week trading range of $41.10 to $70.79.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR), or Petrobras, saw its short interest jump to 177.64 million shares from its previous reading of 175.58 million. Shares closed Thursday at $4.53, in a 52-week trading range of $3.72 to $10.55. Unfortunately, Petrobras may be trading on an entirely different set of fundamentals and sentiment due to its woes in Brazil.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) short interest bucked the trend and decreased to 12.15 million shares from the previous reading of 12.63 million. Shares closed most recently at $69.20, in a 52-week trading range of $63.60 to $83.74.

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