A snapshot of motorcycle and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 3 January 2025. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — LURKING MENACE
Although US blue-chip equities finished 2024 on an amazing high, with annual gains of more more than 20% overall, the start of New Year trading was remarkably cautious. Party pooper was a growing realisation that Donald Trump’s aggressive import tariff sabre-rattling could easily ignite America’s still untamed inflationary cycle once more, as soon as he ascended to full-on Presidential power.
So the first two working days of 2005 on Wall Street saw market indices struggle. Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped, respectively retreating by 0.5% and 0.6% across these sessions. NASDAQ’s tech-heavy Composite fell further, 0.8% down. Only S&P’s MidCap 400 stayed positive, 0.4% up, in generally tentative price movements.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 30.01 | -0.9% | -9.1% |
| Polaris Industries | 57.86 | +0.7% | -9.1% |
| Textron | 75.73 | -1.9% | -8.4% |
| Niu Technologies | 1.77 | -6.3% | -6.8% |
| LiveWire | 4.95 | +8.6% | -8.3% |
EUROPE — NEW YEAR AWAKENING
Surprisingly, European stock exchanges reopened for a single session on 30 December, before investors fell face-down in a vat of glüwein on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Approximately normal service, with acute hangovers, was then resumed for the week’s final two sessions.
Of course, that didn’t translate to much in the way of trading activity, as evidenced by lacklustre market indices. In Frankfurt, the Dax Xetra declined by 0.2% and the share prices of biker-related automotives BMW and VW also fell. Conversely, the Borsa Italiana’s FTSE MIB rose by 0.2%. But indigenous scooter giant Piaggio suffered a slight slump in value.
In Austria, the Wiener Börse ATX put on 0.6% and BDN’s prediction that Rajiv Bajaj — billionaire supremo of Bajaj Auto in India and bankrupt KTM parent Pierer’s largest minority shareholder — would emerge as the company’s most credible saviour gathered some momentum. Pierer’s share price grew again in acknowledgement. Watch this space.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 76.42 | -2.5% | -1.1% |
| Volkswagen | 88.60 | -3% | +2.9% |
| Pierer Mobility | 21.30 | +4.9% | +91.9% |
| Piaggio Group | 2.14 | -0.9% | +2.4% |
JAPAN — AND FINALLY, A HOLIDAY
Although the Japanese business community studiously ignored Christmas as usual, the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges opened for a single session on 30 December and then shut for the rest of the week to celebrate New Year’s arrival. Their Nikkei 225 market index registered a 1% decline from very minor trading.
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 1535 | +0.3% | +19.3% |
| Yamaha | 1404.5 | -1% | +7% |
| Suzuki | 1790 | -0.2% | +9.2% |
| Kawasaki | 7280 | -1.9% | +16.6% |
INDIA — CARRY ON REGARDLESS
While Mumbai’s Bombay and National Stock Exchanges had shut for Christmas Day, it was trading as usual henceforth, without any break whatsoever for New Year celebrations. Their respective S&P BSE Sensex 30 and the NSE Nifty 50 market indices rose by 0.7% and 0.8%. Among India’s five major motorcycle manufacturers, Royal Enfield parent Eicher stood out as investors’ stock of choice by an impressive margin.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 4243.10 | +0.1% | -8.3% |
| Bajaj Auto | 8965.70 | +0.4% | -1.5% |
| TVS Motor | 2482.95 | +2.6% | -1.4% |
| Eicher Motors | 5310.75 | +8.9% | +8.9% |
| Mahindra | 3190.55 | +4.6% | +3.8% |
CHINA — SURELY SOME MISTAKE?
New Year’s Day was actually a public holiday throughout China — which apparently proved to be an unlucky move. Over the remaining four-day working week, Shanghai’s SSE Composite and the Shanghai-Shenzhen CSI stock market indices respectively plunged by 5.6% and 5.2%. Without exception, the ten listed Chinese motorcycle manufacturers suffered declining share prices.
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 18.24 | -1% | +7.6% |
| Zongshen | 21.43 | -18.1% | -21.2% |
| Sundiro | 3.44 | -4.2% | -8.8% |
| CETC (Jialing) | 12.71 | -8% | -8.7% |
| Lifan | 6.41 | -11.7% | -13% |
| Loncin | 8.27 | -3.3% | +6.2% |
| Linhai | 8.17 | -11% | -15.6% |
| Guangzhou Auto Group | 8.54 | -9.5% | -11.8% |
| CFMoto | 151.05 | -1.9% | -1.5% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 9.75 | -10.6% | -4.1% |