Hedgies Lost $5bil shorting Tesla

Since Donald Trump’s election win, the hedge funds clinging on to bets against Tesla Inc. have lost billions of dollars, as they feel the fallout of the special relationship between the president-elect and Elon Musk.

Hedge funds that had short positions against Tesla between election day and Friday’s close took an on-paper hit of at least $5.2 billion, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data compiled by S3 Partners

They were among a shrinking group caught out, as many of their peers unwound bets against Tesla over the past four months, according to separate data provided by Hazeltree tracking the positions of more than 500 hedge funds. That adjustment of positions coincided with Musk’s endorsement of Trump on July 13.

The Tesla chief executive officer has emerged as Trump’s biggest billionaire fan. Musk has used his position as the world’s richest person to turbocharge Trump’s campaign, making him one of the biggest donors of the 2024 election. Throwing his lot in with the president-elect now lines Musk up for a position of political influence, as Trump makes clear he’s planning to reward loyalists.