A snapshot of motorcycle and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 17 January 2025. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — HAIL THE CHIEF
As Donald Trump’s ascension to the White House throne approached, Wall Street was on track for its best week since his election victory. But he didn’t get all the credit, though, because this rally was also driven by the US corporate earnings season kicking in to unveil some strong quarterly profit increases for major American investment banks.
Without exception, market indices surged. The blue-chip S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with respective 2.9% and 3.7% weekly gains. Tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite stocks rose by 2.4%. S&P’s MidCap 400 mainly representing manufacturers did best, rising by 4.5%.
MidCap powersports players regained some of their momentum. But noticeably Harley-Davidson, which had sunk below a 30-buck marker in the previous week, failed to pull itself out of that hole. Harley’s LiveWire electric spin-off also took a more severe hammering. Top biker performance came from NASDAQ-listed electric delivery scooter brand Niu.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 29.04 | +4.4% | -5.6% |
| Polaris Industries | 55.49 | +2.4% | -4.1% |
| Textron | 79.16 | +4.7% | +3% |
| Niu Technologies | 1.90 | +11.1% | +7.9% |
| LiveWire | 4.04 | -10.4% | -21.7% |
EUROPE — LOOKING FOR BRIGHTER HORIZONS
Improving UK and European inflation data, along with Middle East ceasefire prospects, apparently distracted investors across Europe from the looming Trump tariff menace, impressively boosting market indices. The key Xetra Dax in Frankfurt put on a muscular 3.4%, but was beaten by Milan’s FTSE MIB hitting a 3.5% weekly gain.
Biker-related automotives BMW and Volkswagen, along with Piaggio, are all now cruising towards their full-year financial results, which should start hitting the mat in late February and early March.
The ongoing KTM/Pierer insolvency saga went very quiet, as creditor banks squabbled among themselves behind closed doors and potential resolutions failed to materialise. Pierer Mobility’s emaciated share price bounced around in €16 territory for a second week on the trot, some considerable distance from the €50 each share would fetch 12 months ago.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 77.14 | +1.1% | -0.6% |
| Volkswagen | 95.55 | +3% | +5.4% |
| Pierer Mobility | 16.95 | +2.1% | +14.1% |
| Piaggio Group | 2.15 | +1.9% | +2.4% |
JAPAN — TRUMPED
Tokyo and Osaka’s key Nikkei 225 market index slumped for a third consecutive week, this time falling by 1.9%, as Trumponomic reality sunk into Japanese investors. The planned Japanese acquisition of US Steel was going to be laughed out of Washington. On a brighter local note, Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki are imminently due to release Q3 results. And Honda’s statement is bound to shed some light on its putative Nissan takeover. We await this with baited breath…
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 1460 | -4.5% | +18.7% |
| Yamaha | 1286 | -1% | -8% |
| Suzuki | 1743.5 | -1.4% | +0.3% |
| Kawasaki | 6868 | -2.6% | +5.3% |
INDIA — BAJAJ REVIEWING PROSPECTS?
Mumbai’s S&P BSE Sensex 30 and NSE Nifty 50 market indices continued their losing streak, this week falling in unison by 1%. Among indigenous motorcycle manufacturers, only TVS remained shiny side up by a narrow margin. Lack of investor interest in Bajaj Auto equities perhaps suggested that major KTM shareholder Rajiv Bajaj was reconsidering his €300m bail-out offer for the bust Austrian bike business.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 4098.00 | -0.6% | -5.6% |
| Bajaj Auto | 8581.40 | -2.1% | -2.3% |
| TVS Motor | 2301.25 | +0.8% | -3.8% |
| Eicher Motors | 5012.30 | -0.9% | +5.9% |
| Mahindra | 2917.35 | -5.7% | +0.4% |
CHINA — BELIEVABLE DATA?
Whenever it’s in doubt, the Beijing government rolls out some impressive new data highlighting previously unrecognised aspects of China’s economic recovery. Market indices — frequently fiddled by state-appointed statisticians — leap in loyal response, as they did in the past week. Shanghai’s SSE Composite climbed by 2.3% and the blue-chip CSI 300 added 2.1%. Gullible retail investors are promptly suckered to buy into a rising market and then lose their shirts when share prices fall.
The ten listed Chinese motorcycle manufacturers basked in such brief glory once more, every single one of them rising in value. Most rewarded again was CFMoto, with a monthly gain now reaching 29.5%, because it is ostensibly in the bidding for a fat slice of KTM parent Pierer Mobility, which apparently could mean acquiring majority ownership. There is no concrete evidence that such a bid is real.
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 18.69 | +9.8% | +8% |
| Zongshen | 22.22 | +5.9% | -13.9% |
| Sundiro | 3.45 | +3.6% | N/A |
| CETC (Jialing) | 12.68 | +3.9% | -13.3% |
| Lifan | 6.22 | +6.1% | -12.5% |
| Loncin | 9.21 | +7.8% | +9.3% |
| Linhai | 9.06 | +9.4% | -10.7% |
| Guangzhou Auto Group | 8.58 | +3.7% | -8.6% |
| CFMoto | 194.32 | +9.5% | +29.5% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 10.24 | +5.2% | -12.2% |