Dear clients,
Decline in Tesla Inc. accelerated on Tuesday, continuing their longest black streak since 2018. The announcement of a possible temporary shutdown of production in China due to new outbreaks of the disease raised doubts about the risks of demand.
Shares of Elon Musk’s company tumbled down 11% to $109.10, the seventh consecutive drop and the sharpest one-day drop since April.
The news of the Shanghai production cuts comes on the heels of a report that Tesla is offering American consumers a $7,500 discount to ship two of its highest-volume models before the end of the year, adding to fears of declining demand. For Tesla, whose value depends on its growth prospects, these concerns represent a significant risk.
The hope that Tesla will become a leading company in an EV-dominated future led to an impressive eightfold rally in the stock in 2020, earning its place in the S&P 500 and at one point making it the fifth most valuable stock of the group.
In this year however, the manufacturer lost about $720 billion in shareholder value. The crash is one of the biggest drivers behind the S&P 500’s decline in 2022 after Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc.
However, the overall analyst stance on Tesla remains bullish, with the highest share of buy or equivalent ratings since early 2015. In their opinion, despite stock performance, Tesla’s innovation curve is accelerating, in stark contrast to other big tech companies whose product updates seem stagnant at best.
