Short Sellers Got Crushed in 2020 as Tesla, Moderna Soared
- Market recovery, short-selling bans, vaccine hopes hit shorts
- Short-biased funds head for worst year ever, HFR data shows
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Short sellers won some high-profile victories this year with the collapse of payments firm Wirecard AG and hospital operator NMC Health Plc. Otherwise, 2020 is shaping up to be the worst year on record for some investors seeking to profit from share price declines.
A monthly index of short-selling hedge funds is down 32% this year through October, according to data provider Hedge Fund Research. The performance is unlikely to have improved in November, given that European stocks posted their biggest-ever gain last month while the S&P 500 Index set a record.