(Bloomberg) -- It’s been a painful week for traders betting against Nissan Motor Co., Asia’s most shorted automaker, as its shares soared more than 30% in two days after merger talks with stronger rival Honda Motor Co. emerged.

Short interest in Nissan as a percentage of its free float stood at 22% on Tuesday, a day before the news on the deal sent the stock jumping by the most in at least five decades, according to data from S&P Global. Honda is weighing several options, according to Executive Vice President Shinji Aoyama, which include a merger, a capital tie-up and even the formation of a holding company.

Nissan had been an easy target to sell due to the lack of expectations for any bold measures to improve its earnings, said Tsuguya Onozuka, chief executive officer of Orior Asset Management Inc. The stock will likely move higher if the merger is realized, but short selling could increase again depending on the negotiations, he said.

Short interest in Nissan surged to record highs this year as the shares of the troubled company sank on a huge profit slump, triggered by weak sales in the US and China. Short sellers borrow shares and sell them, hoping to profit by buying them back later at a lower price. Nissan is still down about 25% this year, even after the recent rally.

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