A snapshot of motorcycle and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 19 September 2025. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — WALL STREET SOARS ON INTEREST RATE CUT
New York stocks went crackers as the weekend approached, with all major market indices on record-breaking streaks, after the US Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate for the first time since last December. Analysts saw this move as the best of both worlds — still strong activity data and earnings outlook, but set against a weakening labour market prompting rate cuts. MidCap manufacturing stocks were typical of this — with Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle parent Polaris both actually losing value, while the tech sector packed with chipmakers was mightily buoyed.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 28.49 | -4.7% | +4.5% |
| Polaris Industries | 55.09 | -3.9% | -3,7% |
| Niu Technologies | 4.32 | +6.7% | -13.4% |
| LiveWire | 5.26 | +11.6% | 48.1% |
EUROPE — COPPING A SWIFT SUCK AT THE SAUCE BOTTLE
Equities indices on our side of the Atlantic also climbed on Friday after the Fed decision. The pan-Eurozone Stoxx Europe gained 0.8% and Frankfurt’s Xetra Dax jumped by 1.3%. But the effect was marginal for motorcycle-related European automotives. BMW and Volkswagen were both losers, and KTM parent Pierer pretty much flatlined, even though it had just announced an acceleration of production recovery at its Austrian HQ in Mattighofen. Italian scooter giant Piaggio probably got the best shine.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 83.26 | -0.7% | -7.6% |
| Volkswagen | 98.30 | -4.7% | -3.6% |
| Pierer Mobility | 15.90 | +0.3% | -9.2% |
| Piaggio Group | 2.06 | +2.5% | +5.1% |
JAPAN — POLITICAL NIGHTMARE
Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index slumped into 0.6% negativity as the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) descended into a bitter succession conflict. Large corporates are being distracted from sensible business. As one wit pointed out, it had taken exiting Ishiba Shigeru 15 years and several attempts to become Japan’s prime minister, and then taken him less than a year to lose the job. The queue of candidates features a pair of prospective champions, and leading the charge is a woman, Takaichi Sanae, a standard bearer for the LDP’s extreme right wing. This contest is due to get messy.
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 1631 | -1.2% | -0.4% |
| Yamaha | 1106 | -1.5% | +1.8% |
| Suzuki | 2132 | +2.3% | +19.5% |
| Kawasaki | 9457 | +2.6% | -6.3% |
INDIA — LOOKING FOR CLUES
Also suffering a distressed political and business background, the ruling Indian elite has yet to reach terms on how to handle the Donald Trump menace. Mumbai’s Bombay Stock Exchange S&P BSE Sensex 30 and the National Stock Exchange’s Nifty 50 indices struggled to gain pace in the past week, respectively rising by only 0.9% and 0.8%. Share price movements among India’s five indigenous motorcycle manufacturing giants were minor.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 5408.00 | +2% | +14.8% |
| Bajaj Auto | 8971.50 | -0.3% | +9.2% |
| TVS Motor | 3529.40 | +1.1% | +16.9% |
| Eicher Motors | 6973.50 | +1.4% | +20.9% |
| Mahindra | 3592.10 | +0.6% | +10% |
CHINA — YUAN THREAT TO THE DOLLAR
According to The Economist, debate among China’s leadership now apparently includes an epic opportunity. Trump’s erratic trade policy is potentially destabilising the US dollar, and foreign investors are piling into Chinese markets, keen to seek dollar alternatives with which to trade. Naturally, Beijing is increasingly pleased to facilitate further internationalisation of its domestic currency — the yuan. Could this be relative to increasing exports of China’s rapidly improving motorcycle output?
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 17.30 | -3.2% | +0.5% |
| Zongshen | 24.10 | -4.4% | -3.3% |
| Sundiro | 5.01 | -1.8% | +11.3% |
| CETC (Jialing) | 13.86 | -3.7% | -4.6% |
| Qianli (Lifan) | 11.49 | +1.9% | +13.1% |
| Loncin | 12.49 | +2.1% | -9.7% |
| Linhai | 10.70 | -2.2% | -6.6% |
| Guangzhou Auto Group | 7.75 | +0.3% | +2.6% |
| CFMoto | 269.41 | -5.5% | -5.8% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 12.27 | -3.2% | -4.1% |