Southfield — Few CEOs divide the stock market quite like Elon Musk. On one side are the believers, steadfast bulls who think Musk’s Tesla will make them rich even though, right now, it looks like a money pit. On the other are the unbelievers, a hard core legion of shorts who insist financial reality will eventually catch up with Musk and his company. The rift came to the fore recently when a Tesla manager urged factory workers to prove the "haters" wrong with the new Model 3 electric car. The haters have gained a slight upper-hand lately, at least in the equity and bond markets. Investors have placed more bets against Tesla than any other US stock, with short interest hovering around 25%, according to S3 Analytics. Bears were bolstered in March when Tesla shares sank 22%, their worst month since December 2010. An early April statement from the company saying it’s speeding up assembly lines to make more Model 3s fueled a partial rebound. Musk himself even enters the debate on occasio...
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