A snapshot of motorcycle and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 16 August 2024. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — BACK IN BUSINESS
Wall Street stocks recovered rapidly, wiping out remaining losses from the acute sell-off in August’s first week as American recession jitters evaporated. Market indices all made firm gains, headed by a muscular 5.3% surge from the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite. Blue-chip S&P 500 action and the Dow Jones Industrial Average respectively closed 3.9% and 2.9% up. S&P’s MidCap 400 added 2.6%.
Among generally positive motorcycle-related shares, only Energica electric superbike parent Ideanomics blotted its NASDAQ copybook, sinking dramatically on both weekly and monthly movements. Investors easily shrugged off “woke” accusations against Harley-Davidson from far-right Trump supporters, the company’s stock rising above the 36-buck marker.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 36.51 | +3.1% | +5.8% |
| Polaris Industries | 82.74 | +3.6% | -3% |
| Textron | 87.94 | +3.3% | -2.6% |
| Ideanomics (Energica) | 0.27 | -18.2% | -42.2% |
| Niu Technologies | 1.83 | N/A | -9.4% |
| LiveWire | 6.67 | +2.8% | -15.2% |
EUROPE — RIDING HIGHER
A thoroughly positive mood swing in the US soon lifted European market indices too. Frankfurt’s Xetra Dax rose by 3.4%, the Borsa Italiana FTSE MIB in Milan put on 4% and Austria’s Weiner Börse ATX boasted a more modest 1.8% increase. However, motorcycling links were mixed. In Teutonic territory, BMW advanced but Volkswagen and KTM parent Pierer declined, the latter quite sharply. Further south, Piaggio prospered.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 81.74 | +2.6% | -8.4% |
| Volkswagen | 101.40 | -0.3% | -8.7% |
| Pierer Mobility | 26.20 | -5.4% | -14.9% |
| Piaggio Group | 2.54 | +1.2% | -6.3% |
JAPAN — HAPPY FACES
The Japanese followed US enthusiasm and the Nikkei 225 stock index on a Tokyo-Osaka axis went ballistic, leaping upwards by an extraordinary 8.7%. Some amply rewarded quarterly results from the likes of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki were typical market boosters. But news that Japan’s deeply unpopular prime minister Fumio Kishida had decided to fall on his sword was also widely applauded by investors.
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 1584 | +11.5% | -4.8% |
| Yamaha | 1293 | +10.5% | -16.3% |
| Suzuki | 1741.5 | +7.1% | -5% |
| Kawasaki | 5055 | +20.7% | -18.9% |
INDIA — OUTRAGED ANGST
Strong Q1 results from Norton parent TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto failed to energise investors. Mumbai’s S&P BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 indices struggled for traction, managing only respective weekly gains of 0.9% and 0.7%. Both bike market leader Hero and Royal Enfield parent Eicher suffered losses.
India’s entire medical profession going out on strike, over the government’s slow response to the rape and murder of a hospital doctor in her work place — by a security guard who was supposed to be protecting staff — was largely responsible for this febrile atmosphere.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 5128.10 | -1.5% | -5.5% |
| Bajaj Auto | 9888.15 | +1.3% | +5.3% |
| TVS Motor | 2600.25 | +0.7% | +8.1% |
| Eicher Motors | 4818.00 | -0.3% | -0.7% |
| Mahindra | 2840.45 | +3.3% | +3.3% |
CHINA — ECONOMIC STAGNATION
Shanghai’s SSE Composite and the blue-chip CSI 300 indices barely dragged themselves off the floor as a broad swathe of Chinese equities fell, after official data highlighted slowing loan growth to manufacturers eager to invest in export activity. Stock prices for China’s ten listed motorcycle producers declined without exception.
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 14.51 | -6.1% | -1.4% |
| Zongshen | 12.10 | -3.5% | +26.7% |
| Sundiro | 2.89 | -3.3% | -4.3% |
| CETC (Jialing) | 10.54 | -5.9% | -4.4% |
| Lifan | 4.00 | -4.3% | -7% |
| Loncin | 5.87 | -7.6% | -3.1% |
| Linhai | 6.89 | -9.3% | +8.2% |
| Guangzhou Auto | 7.50 | -1.3% | -5.8% |
| CFMoto | 127.63 | -10.2% | -13% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 8.96 | -4.1% | -1.5% |