Sumitomo Mitsui's short interest rose 47% amid earnings below expectations and a downgrade.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group's short interest increased 47% in March to 6.09 million shares, while Sumitomo Corp.'s dropped 38.6% to 63,468 shares. Both Japanese firms reported earnings below analyst expectations, leading Sumitomo Mitsui to be downgraded to a "Hold" rating by Wall Street Zen.