A snapshot of bike and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 13 May 2022. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — BEARS BEAT THE BULLS
Equities on Wall Street slumped to their longest trail of weekly losses since the 2008 financial crisis, driven by inflationary fears and an economic slowdown across all western markets. Latest negative news showed US consumer price inflation remained at an annualised rate above 8% in April. A bear market, occasionally interrupted by brief spikes of optimism, seems here to stay.
US indices inevitably highlighted this gloom, the blue-chip S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average registered respective 2.4% and 2.1% negativity over the past week. S&P’s MidCap 400 closed 2% down.
HOGOMETER
Harley-Davidson’s woes were a typical of such a febrile mood. Its share price plunged by 4.5% on Monday, staged a 1.4% recovery on Tuesday and then fell again by 3.6% on Wednesday. Another 1.1% decline on Thursday dragged the price to a weekly low point of $35.43. Friday’s 5.8% “buy the dip” surge wasn’t enough to get out of red ink.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 37.49 | -2.2% | -1.9% |
| Polaris Industries | 111.36 | +6.3% | +3.8% |
| Textron | 63.36 | -7.6% | -7.7% |
| Ideanomics (Energica) | 0.62 | -3.2% | -30.3% |
After the previous week’s hammering, European sentiment staged an almost miraculous recovery. The Xetra Dax index in Frankfurt climbed to close 2.6% up and Italy’s FTSE MIB in Milan added 2.4%. EUROPE — NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE
However, Teutonic automotive shares with biker connections were still on the back foot, owing to currently insoluble supply-chain issues and Europe’s Ukraine-associated energy crisis. Further south, Piaggio bucked this trend, recovering most of its losses incurred during the first week of May.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 77.66 | -1.8% | +1.9% |
| Volkswagen | 191.70 | -4.5% | -8.5% |
| Pierer Mobility | 72.80 | -3.6% | -10.5% |
| Piaggio Group | 2.35 | +4% | -2.9% |
JAPAN — BEANS COUNTED
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 turned sharply negative, finishing 2.1% down. Full-year corporate reports released during the week from Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki failed to achieve investor admiration and their response helped to pull the index lower. A better Q1 statement from Yamaha was duly rewarded, though.
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 3320 | -4.3% | +0.8% |
| Yamaha | 2800 | +0.5% | +7% |
| Suzuki | 3772 | -5.7% | -3% |
| Kawasaki | 2366 | -1.3% | +0.8% |
INDIA — FIDDLING WHILE MUMBAI BURNS
India’s heat wave was unabated. Inadequate coal supplies for power stations, which are struggling to meet air-con demand, continued to cause electricity outages. The government banned grain exports, because high temperatures are killing unharvested cereals crops, so the potential for famine looms.
Mumbai investors ran for cover, wiping 3.7% off the BSE Sensex 30 stock index by close of play on Friday. But among major motorcycle manufacturers, only market leader Hero MotoCorp took a serious spanking.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 2449.15 | -4.5% | +7.7% |
| Bajaj Auto | 3642.10 | +4.1% | -1.5% |
| TVS Motor | 634.65 | +0.9% | -2.4% |
| Eicher Motors | 2432.65 | +3% | -2.4% |
| Mahindra | 889.50 | -0.5% | +2.7% |
CHINA — BOUNCE BACK
Chinese investor confidence was boosted by factories and container ports in the Shanghai area reopening as the city’s Covid outbreak subsides. In a rare move, the government has also allowed its yuan currency to weaken, to encourage export recovery.
In response Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and the blue-chip CSI 300 rose respectively by 2.8% and 2%. Eight of China’s eleven listed bike producers benefited from rising share prices.
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 10.80 | +5.1% | -2.5% |
| Zongshen | 5.78 | +4.9% | -5.2% |
| Sundiro | 1.96 | -5.3% | -6.2% |
| CETC (Jialing) | 9.68 | +6.6% | -17.2% |
| Lifan | 4.20 | +8.8% | +0.5% |
| Loncin | 4.55 | +7.1% | +10.7% |
| Linhai | 7.42 | +2.6% | -9.1% |
| Guangzhou Auto | 13.57 | +10.4% | +13.9% |
| CFMoto | 124.00 | -2% | +35.7% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 13.44 | +9.8% | +8.1% |
| Currency: HK dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Jianshe | 4.45 | -9% | -13.9% |