U.S.-traded shares of Chinese electric vehicle makers were among those hit by a dramatic sell-off Monday, as investors soured on non-state-run Chinese companies following a weekend of dramatic political developments in China.
Shares of Li Auto ended the day down 17%, Nio's closed nearly 16% lower, and Xpeng Motors' dropped 12% in trading in New York, while shares of larger BYD closed down over 8%. Other prominent Chinese companies including Alibaba and Tencent Music Entertainment suffered similarly dramatic declines.
The sell-off followed a weekend in which President Xi Jinping appeared poised for an unprecedented third term as China's leader after naming a series of loyalists to the Politburo standing committee, the inner circle of power in China's ruling Communist Party. Â Â
Under Xi's leadership, China's government has increased restrictions on speech and movement and tightened regulations on technology companies. Analysts see further constraints ahead, with Bernstein's Mark Schilsky writing in a Monday morning note that Chinese stocks are now "uninvestable."
Xpeng separately on Monday debuted a new version of its advanced driver-assist system, called XNGP. The new system, a direct rival to Tesla's Autopilot, allows for limited hands-free driving in some urban environments as well as on highways.