A snapshot of motorcycle and ATV industry share performance across key manufacturers and major global markets at the trading week closure on Friday 12 December. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
USA — ANOTHER FINE MESS
Wall Street stocks slipped, initially prompted by the US Federal Reserve cutting interest rates to a three-year low on the back of pressure from President Trump. And then the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite index dived by 1.4% as the weekend approached and Silicon Valley speculators pulled the plug on various high-risk artificial intelligence propositions after concerns about their viability had mounted.
The blue-chip S&P 500 also dropped, closing 0.3% down, while S&P’s Mid-Cap 400 also finished 1% adrift. On the Mid-Cap biker front line, Harley-Davidson shares abruptly declined as chief executive Artie Starrs unveiled more Milwaukee brand ambassador recruits to boost the company’s flagging reputation.
| Currency: dollar | Price | Week | Month |
| Harley-Davidson | 21.87 | -2.6% | -3.8% |
| Polaris Industries | 66.34 | -0.2% | -0.7% |
| Niu Technologies | 3.23 | -0.3% | +4% |
| LiveWire | 4.24 | -0.4% | +4.4% |
EUROPE — GERMANY CALLING
Frankfurt’s key Dax Xetra index rose by 2%, on the back of automotive industry stock surges driven by BMW and Volkswagen. News that the former’s long-serving management board chairman Oliver Zipse is to retire, making way for fresh blood, and VW sweeping aside commitments to the EV market in favour ICE continuation, energised eurozone markets. In Italy, meanwhile, scooter giant Piaggio Group shares struggled, and Milan’s FTSE MIB index only clung onto 0.2% positivity.
| Currency: euro | Price | Week | Month |
| BMW | 97.30 | +9.3% | +8.1% |
| Volkswagen | 108.20 | +8.7% | +5.2% |
| Pierer Mobility | 15.54 | -1.9% | -6.3% |
| Piaggio Group | 1.84 | -0.3% | +2% |
JAPAN — TORA, TORA, TORA?
Japan’s new prime minister Takaichi Sanae demonstrated that she could wear the trousers as well as a skirt. Japanese fighter aircraft joined Japanese-based US war planes to chase off Russian and Chinese aircraft over-flying her air space. Indigenous investors listed on Tokyo and Osaka’s Nikkei 225 market index studiously ignored such Samurai-rattling games. Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki share prices rose. Inexplicably, Suzuki stock was out of favour.
| Currency: yen | Price | Week | Month |
| Honda | 1600 | +1.8% | +2.1% |
| Yamaha | 1204 | +6.4% | +3% |
| Suzuki | 2306 | -5.5% | -2.2% |
| Kawasaki | 11705 | +18.4% | +11.4% |
INDIA — PUTIN PASSES THROUGH
Vladimir Putin flew into Delhi during early December, for a state banquet with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, and to advertise the Kremlin’s latest armaments availability. While Modi was buying weapons, Mumbai’s S&P BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 market indices failed to reflect the importance of this occasion, both registering modest 1% gains. Indian investors were keen on blossoming motorcycle manufacturer shares, however. One interesting snippet of information emerging was that more than 40% of Bajaj Auto sales now come from exports, presumably prior to its KTM acquisition.
| Currency: rupee | Price | Week | Month |
| Hero MotoCorp | 5955.50 | +2.2% | +3% |
| Bajaj Auto | 9015.50 | +5.8% | +1.4% |
| TVS Motor | 3657.10 | +12.6% | +6.2% |
| Eicher Motors | 7227.50 | +6.9% | +1.8% |
| Mahindra | 3679.60 | +7.7% | +4.3% |
CHINA — NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT
China’s key stock market indices — Shanghai’s SSE Composite and the Shanghai/Shenzhen blue-chip CSI 300 — continue to display inherent weakness. In the first week of December both closed on 0.3% losses. Among the ten listed Chinese motorcycle producers, seven of them suffered share price declines. The stand-out exception with a global reputation has to be CFMoto.
| Currency: yuan | Price | Week | Month |
| Qianjiang | 15.26 | -2.6% | -8.1% |
| Zongshen | 21.88 | -1.9% | -7% |
| Sundiro | 6.56 | +1.2% | +2.2% |
| CETC (Jialing) | 15.37 | -1.1% | -0.8% |
| Afari (Lifan) | 10.42 | -2.8% | -1.3% |
| Loncin | 16.17 | +1.8% | +4.1% |
| Linhai | 9.96 | -0.9% | +1.5% |
| Guangzhou Auto Group | 8.38 | -8.5% | +0.3% |
| CFMoto | 292.60 | +10.6% | +13.8% |
| Xinri E-Vehicle | 13.21 | -9.6% | +1.1% |