Short Sellers Swarm Li Auto’s Stock as Analysts See Poor Results

Bearish bets on Li Auto Inc.’s stock have surged to a record ahead of third-quarter results, where the Chinese electric-vehicle maker is forecast to post the biggest-ever revenue decline since its listing.

The firm’s Hong Kong-traded shares saw short interest as a percentage of free float climb to an all-time high of 8.1% on Friday, according to data from S&P Global. Li Auto’s revenue is expected to have dropped 38% year-on-year in the quarter ended September, analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg show. That’s poised to be the worst drop since the firm’s US listing in 2020, which came a year before the Hong Kong one.