Short-sellers have staked more than £325m on Persimmon’s stock falling ahead of the housebuilder’s half-year results this week.

Hedge funds and other investors have borrowed up to 28% of the company’s shares, betting that the results will heap further gloom on Britain’s property sector.

Persimmon is one of three housebuilders among the top five most shorted stocks in the FTSE250 index, according to Data Explorers, which monitors stock lending. Bovis Homes has 26% of its shares on loan and Barratt Developments 22%.

Sunday Telegraph, The Times