Tesla soared at the end of last week, rising .5.5% on Friday to end the week in the green, and breaking the longest losing streak it has seen in two years.
Shares rose off news out of China that the China Passenger Car Association was reporting Tesla delivered 75,842 China-made vehicles in April. While that was 14.7% less than in March, it was a massive increase year over year, given the paltry 1,512 vehicles which were delivered in April of 2022 due to the Covid lockdowns, and disruptions in supply chains which were shuttering production lines.
Tesla shares had been in a rocky patch following a disappointing earnings report in March, as investors fretted over margin pressures which were the result of a series of price cuts implemented in the first quarter and the start of the second quarter.
Last week, the company began to reverse those price cuts, raising the prices of the Model Y and the Model 3 in the US, China, Canada, and Japan by small amounts. On Friday, the company went farther, enacting much larger price hikes on their more expensive Models X and S, raising the price by 19,000 yuan, or $2,751. Analysts say the company is raising the prices of its luxury models higher, to separate them more from the entry-level offerings in the mainland.
With Friday’s bounce, the stock ended last week up 3.5%, which prevented the company from enduring its fifth straight week of losses. Had the company marked its fifth straight week of losses, it would have been the longest losing streak since March of 2021.
Tesla’s shares are also benefitting from broader movement in the market, which is undergoing a risk-on rally after the April jobs report came in better than expected. On Friday the Nasdaq was up well over 2% at the close, while the S&P 500 closed up 1.85%.
Tesla closed on Tuesday down almost 1% off Friday’s close.