A snapshot of motorcycle and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 20 December 2024. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — TRUMP DISRUPTION GROWS
A battle between the US Federal Reserve and President-Elect Donald Trump is getting steadily sharper, spooking investors. Although the Fed has just cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, it also signalled a much slower pace of easing in the new year, to rein in still-troublesome inflation. Trump wasn’t amused by such reticence, because it inevitably undermined the Wall Street rally celebration since his election.
So, in the past week, US market indices firmly move onto the back foot. The blue-chip S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average respectively retreated by 2% and 2.3%, while NASDAQ’s tech-heavy Composite fell by 1.8%. Most pointedly, S&P’s MidCap 400 packed with consumer-facing manufacturers plunged by 4.7%. MidCap-listed biker stocks, headed up by Harley-Davidson, its LiveWire electric spin-off and Indian Motorcycle parent Polaris, all took a thorough hammering.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 30.75 | -5.6% | -7.3% |
| Polaris Industries | 57.86 | -8.3% | -14.8% |
| Textron | 76.85 | -5% | -8.5% |
| Niu Technologies | 1.76 | -4.3% | -4.9% |
| LiveWire | 5.16 | -10.1% | -21% |
EUROPE — WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE
Even though the European Central Bank had also cut its deposit rate, a similarly cooler Trump-fearing mood pervaded the eurozone too, with key market indices sinking. Frankfurt’s Xetra Dax dropped by 2.6% and the FTSE MIB in Milan closed 3.2% down. Leading automotive stocks with motorcycling links — BMW, Volkswagen and Piaggio — all turned negative.
In Austria, the Wiener Börse ATX was a loser as well, declining by 1.6%. But shares in cash-strapped Austrian bike manufacturer Pierer Mobility staged a remarkable recovery after a rumour emerged that minted US investment bank Citigroup might have skin in an urgent buy-out saviour game.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 77.58 | -3.7% | +14.3% |
| Volkswagen | 90.65 | -0.1% | +8.3% |
| Pierer Mobility | 14.85 | +29.1% | +44.2% |
| Piaggio Group | 2.10 | -2.8% | +1% |
JAPAN — TAKEOVER TOMFOOLERY
The Tokyo-Osaka Nikkei 225 market index turned smartly negative, falling by 1.9%, following news that mighty Honda had initiated talks about a takeover of troubled indigenous automotive opposition Nissan. Honda’s huge motorcycling presence wasn’t involved. The issues under discussion are uniting their respective EV production activities to take on the global Chinese EV invasion. Japanese investors, apparently unamused by any putative Honda intervention, knocked the company’s share price.
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 1229.5 | -4.9% | -9.8% |
| Yamaha | 1398 | +0.3% | +4.7% |
| Suzuki | 1737.5 | -3.2% | +6.1% |
| Kawasaki | 6524 | +1.8% | +3.9% |
INDIA — TRUST BUSTED
Dodgy multi-billionaire Gautam Adani’s ongoing legal woes in the US savaged Indian investor confidence. Mumbai’s S&P BSE Sensex 30 and the NSE Nifty 50 market indices respectively dived by 5% and 4.8%. The sell-off was widespread, impacting share prices for every leading motorcycle manufacturer in India.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 4339.95 | -5.1% | -9.5% |
| Bajaj Auto | 8787.25 | -2.6% | -7.3% |
| TVS Motor | 2391.65 | -5.2% | -0.9% |
| Eicher Motors | 4734.50 | -1.9% | -5% |
| Mahindra | 2906.35 | -5.7% | -3.3% |
CHINA — SELL, SELL, SELL
Beijing’s retail consumption drive, geared to boosting its internal economy, hasn’t exactly got off to a promising start. Market indices remained negative for yet another week. Shanghai’s SSE Composite closed 0.7% down and the blue-chip CSI 300 spanning big players on both Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges more or less flatlined, 0.1% in arrears. Just four of China’s ten listed motorcycle manufacturers made gains.
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 17.31 | +3.3% | +5.5% |
| Zongshen | 25.80 | -6.2% | -4.2% |
| Sundiro | 3.45 | -8.5% | -10.2% |
| CETC (Jialing) | 14.62 | +6.3% | +7.8% |
| Lifan | 7.11 | -7.7% | +1.4% |
| Loncin | 8.43 | +6.7% | +7.4% |
| Linhai | 10.15 | -3.4% | +9.7% |
| Guangzhou Auto Group | 9.39 | -3.9% | +8.8% |
| CFMoto | 150.00 | +1.9% | +4.8% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 11.66 | -4.4% | +8.7% |