About that Tesla short squeeze...

It's a triumphant day for Tesla.

The company had promised to hit the critical target of producing 5,000 Model 3s per week by the end of June. Yesterday, a few hours after the self-imposed deadline, Elon Musk announced on Twitter:

7000 cars, 7 days ♥️ Tesla Team ♥️

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2018

The story was quickly picked up by news outlets across the world, and the figures were confirmed this morning by Tesla's investor relations office .

In a direct reference to the cabal of short sellers who have been targeting the company, Mr Musk also gleefully taunted the bears with a Royal Teens 1950s pop anthem:

Who likes short shorts">https://t.co/hoKsDT8xdS

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 29, 2018

Would it prove a pivotal moment, a powerful refutation of the naysayers who said Tesla could never manufacture its new affordable electric car at scale?

Mr Musk had been promising a day of reckoning for short sellers for weeks:

They have about three weeks before their short position explodes

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 17, 2018

Nay, months:

Looks like sooner than expected. The sheer magnitude of short carnage will be unreal. If you’re short, I suggest tiptoeing quietly to the exit … https://t.co/A0Q90pSLKA

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2018

And early on it looked that way, with the shares opening up 5.7 per cent.

Except:

At pixel, the shares were down 3.2 per cent.

Related Links: Tesla revs higher after hitting Model 3 production target - FT Tesla: debt deterioration meets equity exuberance - FT Alphaville