Right now Wall Street is relatively quiet. Most companies have released their quarterly reports for the holiday season, and it will be another few weeks before reports covering the first quarter of 2015 start rolling in.
A select few companies, however, will be letting investors know how the last quarter went this week. And an even smaller cohort can expect their stocks to make wild moves when that time comes. That's because they have stocks that are heavily shorted -- they have a lot of investors betting against their short-term success.
When these two forces -- a high short interest and a quarterly release -- combine, volatility is almost always the result. If you don't believe me, the last time I wrote such an article, the three stocks I identified as big movers saw their stocks swing an average of 11% following publication of earnings.
But I don't think you should use this information to try and time the market to make a quick buck, because there's absolutely no telling which way these stocks will head. Instead, I think it's vital for shareholders of MSC Industrial (MSM 0.17%), Pier One (PIRRQ), and Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) to take a look at the slideshow below to see what they should really be focusing on when earnings are released.
Photos: MSC Industrial, Mike Mozart, via Flickr.
