A snapshot of motorcycle and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 22 November 2024. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — LOOKING FOR SIGNALS
Jitters over escalation of the war in Ukraine made for some initially nervous trading on Wall Street. But anticipation of the latest plump earnings reports from leading US tech giants and indicators of a big boost for Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies from the President-Elect’s chums soon sorted that out, so market indices finished consistently positive.
Both the blue-chip S&P 500 and tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite closed 1.7% up, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average put on 2%. S&P’s MidCap 400 beat them all with a 4.2% weekly surge. MidCap powersports players Harley-Davidson and Polaris, along with Harley’s LiveWire electric spin-off, all made useful gains.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 33.18 | +2.5% | +4.2% |
| Polaris Industries | 67.95 | +1.7% | -4.6% |
| Textron | 84.01 | -1.1% | +2% |
| Niu Technologies | 1.85 | -7.1% | -18.5% |
| LiveWire | 6.53 | +9.2% | +14.6% |
EUROPE — BEGGING FOR MERCY
Hammered by the prospect of US tariffs and a weakening eurozone domestic economy, European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde got up on her hind legs to bleat about a welter of trade threats looming over the EU — which did absolutely nothing for investor confidence. Key market indices inevitably turned negative in response. In Frankfurt, the Dax Xetra escaped with a modest 0.5% loss. But Milan’s FTSE MIB took a harder knock, 2.1% down, and Austria’s Wiener Börse closed 0.6% in arrears.
Most obvious menace came from imploding prospects for Germany’s automotive industry, assailed by a collapse in homespun EV sales and a wave of industrial unrest in the face of the factory closures which are bound to follow. Share prices for both BMW and Volkswagen have fallen by more than 10% in the past rolling month.
A sliver of hope was grasped by deeply troubled and virtually impecunious KTM parent Pierer Mobility, benefiting from a rebound in its stock value after liquidity support from some major shareholders.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 67.86 | -0.1% | -10.7% |
| Volkswagen | 83.70 | -3.5% | -13.8% |
| Pierer Mobility | 10.30 | +7.9% | -21.1% |
| Piaggio Group | 2.08 | -1.4% | -8.8% |
JAPAN — WATCHING FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
The Tokyo-Osaka Nikkei 225 market index continued to slide for a second consecutive week, this time down by a slimmer 0.9%, as fears of self-serving US mercantilism grew. However, Suzuki avoided this negative streak, presumably on the basis that the majority of its automotive activities centre on hugely profitable Maruti Suzuki micro-car production in India, and are therefore well-insulated from Trumpesque brutalities.
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 1362.5 | +0.8% | -10.4% |
| Yamaha | 1335.5 | -2.4% | +3% |
| Suzuki | 1638 | +2.6% | +10.5% |
| Kawasaki | 6282 | -2.2% | +8.5% |
INDIA — NORMAL SERVICE RESUMES
Mumbai market indices stumbled back into action, with S&P’s BSE Sensex 30 putting on 2% and the NSE Nifty 50 climbing by 1.6%. Among majority biker stocks, Royal Enfield parent Eicher stood out as a popular investment over the previous month, after revealing record half-year PTW sales. On the same basis, Mahindra did very well too. But its success (and subsequent investor attraction) wasn’t specific to motorcycles. Record SUV sales — of which the company is by far India’s largest manufacturer — were responsible.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 4794.10 | +4.1% | -3.6% |
| Bajaj Auto | 9481.65 | -0.1% | -7.1% |
| TVS Motor | 2414.25 | +0.8% | -1.5% |
| Eicher Motors | 4986.20 | +2.1% | +8.6% |
| Mahindra | 3012.95 | +7.3% | +10.7% |
CHINA — BIDDING TIME
Wary about what the New Year will bring once Donald Trump begins to wage war on the Chinese economy again. Shanghai’s SSE Composite and Shanghai-Shenzhen CSI 300 blue-chip market indices remained resolutely negative for yet another week, respectively falling by 1.9% and 2.6%. Nine out of China’s ten listed motorcycle manufacturers suffered declining share prices. This week’s exception was the other Honda JV affiliate, Sundiro replacing Guangzhou Auto.
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 16.40 | -6% | -11.3% |
| Zongshen | 26.92 | -14% | +7.9% |
| Sundiro | 3.84 | +3.8% | -12.1% |
| CETC (Jialing) | 13.56 | -6% | -9.7% |
| Lifan | 7.01 | -0.4% | +8.3% |
| Loncin | 7.85 | -3% | -4.7% |
| Linhai | 9.25 | -1.4% | -4.8% |
| Guangzhou Auto Group | 8.63 | -1.6% | +3.2% |
| CFMoto | 143.14 | -3.5% | -6.4% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 10.72 | -0.1% | -2.6% |