A snapshot of bike and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 4 November 2022. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — SAME OLD STORY
A mixture of wishful thinking and then disappointment over the US Federal Reserve’s direction and speed of application for anti-inflationary interest rate rises continued to afflict American investor sentiment — to the point of abject boredom.
Once again, markets swung wildly either side of a Fed announcement, which eventually added a fourth consecutive hike taking the recent total up to an increase of 3%. A firm promise of more to come also followed. The weekly consequence was a hammering of varying degrees for every leading indices.
The blue-chip S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average fell respectively by 3.4% and 1.4%. S&P’s MidCap 400 got off lightest, losing 1.2%. Silicone Valley techies were punished mightily again, as the NASDAQ Composite where they reside plunged by 5.6%.
HOGOMETER
Harley-Davidson did better than most, punctuated by a pair of losses. The first of these on Monday saw it fall by 0.5%. On Tuesday, the price recovered by 2.5% and then suffered a 1.3% retreat on Wednesday. Gains of 2.6% and 1.6% ensued on Thursday and Friday. Some analysts are now looking at a potential 50-buck mark in the near future.
Harley’s electrified alter ego LiveWire, on the other hand, didn’t achieve anything remotely resembling popularity. Monday’s singular gain of 2.9% proved to be an aberration. Losses of 2.2% on Tuesday, 7.3% on Wednesday, 0.7% on Thursday and 4.7% on Friday sealed its fate, blundering along the bottom of valuation since the company’s transformation into an NYSE listing in late September.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 45.35 | +4.9% | +26.6% |
| Polaris Industries | 103.55 | +1.7% | +6.8% |
| Textron | 68.52 | N/A | +11.8% |
| Ideanomics (Energica) | 0.27 | +3.8% | +3.8% |
| Niu Technologies | 3.13 | +15.9% | -11.1% |
| LiveWire | 7.06 | -11.7% | -25.3% |
EUROPE — CHUMS IN CHINA
Despite eurozone inflation officially reaching 10.7% in October and the recessionary spectre growing in menace, European markets enjoyed a rather good week, on the back of solid Q3 performances from the automotive firmament. In Germany, Frankfurt’s Xetra Dax stock index rose by 1.6%. Both VW Group and BMW had reported strong profits from mutually huge Chinese operations, overwhelming vehicle sales declines in Europe.
However, the contributions of their respective Ducati and BMW Motorrad biker sidelines weren’t anything to write home about. And shares in KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas parent Pierer Mobility flatlined. News that it had just bought a 25.1% stake in MV Agusta came too late to move market sentiment.
The Italians were smiling as well. The FTSE MIB index in Milan added a chunkier 3.3% and Piaggio consolidated its position on the back of strong quarterly results with another healthy share price advance.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 79.80 | +0.3% | +11.3% |
| Volkswagen | 174.00 | +2.9% | +2.4% |
| Pierer Mobility | 57.80 | N/A | -1.2% |
| Piaggio Group | 2.61 | +4.4% | +19.2% |
JAPAN — CARRY ON REGARDLESS
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 share index improved for a second consecutive week, rising by a firmer 1.1%, as hard-nosed business leaders ignored the Japanese government’s floundering attempts to manage the weak yen and just concentrated on banking export profits. As quarterly results revelations drew closer, share prices for indigenous motorcycle manufacturers continued to strengthen — usually a good omen.
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 3385 | +2% | +2.9% |
| Yamaha | 3085 | +2.5% | +8.5% |
| Suzuki | 5025 | +4.1% | +4.1% |
| Kawasaki | 2608 | +6.1% | +12.2% |
INDIA — BACK TO WORK
Indian business life began to revive from its post-Diwali festive hangover. Mumbai’s BSE Sensex 30 market index climbed by a weekly 1.1% gain as share trading volumes picked up. However, among the nation’s five major listed motorcycle manufacturers, only two prospered.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 2588.90 | -2.3% | -1.4% |
| Bajaj Auto | 3771.10 | +2.7% | +4.6% |
| TVS Motor | 1114.15 | -1.2% | +2.7% |
| Eicher Motors | 3666.90 | -2.1% | +4.8% |
| Mahindra | 1338.30 | +2% | +8% |
CHINA — ZERO OR HERO
Chinese markets rallied tremendously on the back of unsubstantiated rumours that the Beijing government was preparing to end its strict zero-Covid policy, allowing industrial enterprises to dodge further lockdowns. Even though China’s National Health Commission adamantly denied these rumours on Thursday morning, causing a brief sharp fall in Asian equities, investors suspended belief and market indices soared again on Friday.
Shanghai’s SSE Composite and the blue-chip CSI 300 respectively closed the week with muscular 5.3% and 6.4% gains. Listed motorcycle producers recovered with gusto, apart from one lonely loser.
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 23.08 | +20.9% | +2.6% |
| Zongshen | 6.66 | +2.6% | +11.7% |
| Sundiro | 2.41 | +0.8% | -0.8% |
| CETC (Jialing) | 14.65 | +7.2% | +14.9% |
| Lifan | 4.62 | +8.2% | -1.1% |
| Loncin | 5.41 | -6.1% | +19.9% |
| Linhai | 8.57 | +7.7% | +4% |
| Guangzhou Auto | 12.62 | +9.7% | -5.2% |
| CFMoto | 145.00 | +9% | +7.8% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 22.47 | +0.9% | +16.1% |
| Currency:Â HK dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Jianshe | 5.17 | +0.4% | -0.6% |