Nydar's FTD widget tracks SEC failure-to-deliver data across US equities — settlement failure patterns, FTD spikes relative to float, and potential squeeze setup detection
Nydar's Failure to Deliver (FTD) widget surfaces stocks with the highest volumes of unsettled trades, sourced directly from SEC EDGAR biweekly filings. Nydar ranks stocks in two views — Top FTDs by absolute share count and Spikes by deviation ratio (3x+ above historical average) — so you can spot both large-cap settlement backlogs and emerging squeeze setups on lower-float names.
Persistent or spiking FTDs can signal problems beneath the surface — naked short selling, locate failures, or operational bottlenecks at clearing firms. Traders use Nydar's FTD data to identify stocks under settlement stress, which can set the stage for forced buy-ins and sharp price moves. Nydar's spike detection algorithm flags stocks at 3x or above their historical average, surfacing unusual activity automatically.
Academic research supports the informational value of FTD data. Evans et al. (2009) found that failures to deliver are concentrated in stocks with high short interest and are associated with lower subsequent returns, suggesting that FTDs carry predictive information about overvaluation (Journal of Financial Economics, 94(2), 307-326). Boni (2006) documented that stocks appearing on the SEC's Regulation SHO threshold list — those with persistent FTDs — experience significant negative abnormal returns in the following month (Journal of Financial Markets, 9(1), 1-31). More recently, Fotak, Raman, and Yadav (2014) showed that naked short selling, which generates FTDs, is associated with greater price efficiency but also increased settlement risk (Journal of Financial Economics, 114(3), 461-483).
US equities settle on a T+1 basis — when you buy shares, the seller has one business day to deliver them. When they don't, it's recorded as a failure to deliver. The SEC aggregates these failures daily and publishes the data in biweekly batches through EDGAR.
FTDs happen for several reasons. Some are mundane: administrative errors, processing delays, or timing mismatches between counterparties. Others are more significant: a market maker selling shares short without locating a borrow first (naked shorting), or a stock being so heavily shorted that available shares are genuinely scarce.
The distinction matters. A stock with consistently high FTDs relative to its float may have a structural supply problem. That's why traders treat Nydar's FTD data as one component of short squeeze analysis — it reveals where delivery obligations are piling up.
Nydar ranks stocks by total failure-to-deliver quantity. The stocks with the most undelivered shares appear at the top, giving you a snapshot of where the biggest settlement backlogs sit.
Nydar ranks stocks by spike ratio — how much their latest FTD count exceeds their recent average. Nydar surfaces unusual activity regardless of absolute size, catching smaller stocks where FTDs are suddenly surging.
The stock ticker symbol. Nydar displays this prominently so you can quickly scan the list and cross-reference with your watchlist or other Nydar widgets.
The total number of shares that failed to deliver. Nydar displays this in abbreviated format — 1.2M for 1,200,000 shares, 450K for 450,000. In Nydar's Top FTDs view this is the cumulative total; in Spikes view it reflects the latest reported quantity.
Only shown when Nydar detects a stock's FTD count at 3x or more above its recent average. A badge reading "5.2x spike" means the latest FTD volume is 5.2 times the historical norm. Higher ratios warrant closer investigation.
The closing price of the stock on the settlement date. Useful for gauging the dollar value of undelivered shares and filtering out penny stocks where high FTD counts may be less meaningful.
The date on which the delivery failure occurred. Remember that SEC data runs approximately two weeks behind, so the settlement date will not match today's date. Factor this delay into your analysis.
Start with Spikes for unusual activity
Nydar's Spikes view highlights stocks where FTD volume is abnormally high relative to their own baseline. A 5x or 10x spike on a mid-cap stock is more actionable than a large-cap sitting at 1.2x its average.
Cross-reference with short interest
High FTDs on a stock with high short interest and low float can indicate that shorts are struggling to locate borrows. This combination is one of the preconditions for a short squeeze. Cross-reference with Nydar's Short Squeeze Scanner widget for overlap.
Check the price action since the settlement date
Nydar's FTD data is delayed by about two weeks. Pull up Nydar's chart widget for any stock with high FTDs and see what has happened since the settlement date. If the stock has already moved sharply, the forced covering may have already occurred.
Track persistence across reporting periods
A single spike can be a one-off operational issue. FTDs that remain elevated across multiple biweekly reports in Nydar suggest a structural delivery problem — those are the setups with more conviction behind them.
Nydar's data is delayed. SEC FTD data is published approximately two weeks after the settlement dates it covers. Price action may have already responded to the underlying delivery pressure by the time you see Nydar's data. Always check what has happened since the settlement date.
FTDs are cumulative, not additive. Nydar shows the outstanding FTD balance on each date as reported by the SEC, not new failures for that day. A stock showing 500K FTDs on Monday and 300K on Tuesday means 200K were resolved — not that 800K total shares failed to deliver.
High FTDs alone are not a trade signal. Large-cap stocks with heavy trading volume can have high FTD counts as a normal byproduct of market-making activity. Context matters — compare Nydar's FTD counts to average daily volume and float size before drawing conclusions.
| Feature | FTD Widget | Short Interest | Cost to Borrow | Short Squeeze | Dark Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data source | SEC EDGAR | FINRA | Broker feeds | Multiple | FINRA ADF |
| Update frequency | Biweekly | Biweekly | Daily | Daily | Daily |
| Measures | Settlement failures | Shares sold short | Borrow cost % | Squeeze probability | Off-exchange volume |
| Best for | Delivery stress | Bearish positioning | Supply scarcity | Forced covering | Institutional flow |
| Spike detection | Yes (3x+ ratio) | No | No | Yes (composite) | No |
| Use with FTD data | -- | Cross-reference | Confirm scarcity | Validate setup | Check hiding |
SEC EDGAR
Fails-to-Deliver data published biweekly by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Nydar ingests this data covering all equity securities traded on US exchanges.
Nydar updates biweekly with approximately 2-week delay
Last reviewed: March 2026