I'm not sure it's shorting per se, but the number of put options taken out in December - to protect the profits made during the year by the larger holders. Inevitably if they all try to do it at the same time, there's a bit of a stampede. Dunno, guessing.
Maybe they're all out of put options at the shop, so we're going up...
Quick chart - sometimes the simple ones say it most clearly:
Bp stock quotes
Bp stock charts
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