Tesla’s stock price surged by 7.6% following remarks made by President Donald Trump threatening to boycott and attack those who oppose Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk. On the New York Stock Exchange on March 12th, Tesla shares closed at $248.09, marking a 7.59% increase from the previous day. During the day, the stock even hit a peak of $251.84, a rise of 9.22%. This sharp increase followed a 3.79% rebound the day before after Trump announced on his TruthSocial platform that he would personally purchase a Tesla vehicle.
The rally in Tesla’s stock came as inflation concerns eased, following a slowdown in the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), and the tech-heavy Nasdaq index rebounded by 1.2%. However, the surge in Tesla’s stock was seen as being particularly influenced by President Trump’s recent “Tesla Save” event. The event involved Trump parking five Tesla cars at the White House, where he announced that he would buy one of them. He also took a ride in the Model S sedan and praised the vehicle, calling it “beautiful” and “great.”
When questioned about those attacking Tesla stores, Trump responded that those involved should be classified as “domestic terrorists” and stated, “We will stop them,” emphasizing that these actions were harming a great American company. He went on to threaten those targeting Tesla, saying, “If you do anything to Tesla, you’re going to be in hell.” Financial media outlet Barron’s reported that the stock price jumped after what appeared to be a form of advertisement for Tesla, orchestrated by Trump and Musk during their White House interaction.
However, despite the recent rally, Tesla’s stock had experienced a significant drop prior to this, mainly due to Musk’s involvement in federal agency downsizing and layoffs during his tenure with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Tesla’s stock had fallen 15.4% on March 10th, reaching $222.15, marking a 53.7% drop from its high of $479.86 on December 17th, 2024. As of the latest rise, the stock has recovered to a level just before Trump’s election, offering renewed hope to Tesla investors.
Looking ahead, Tesla’s performance in the first quarter, particularly its vehicle sales, will likely have a significant impact on the stock price. Barron’s noted that the upcoming announcement of first-quarter sales, set for April 2nd, could either sustain the current upward momentum or bring disappointment. Wall Street analysts have lowered their expectations for Tesla’s first-quarter delivery volume. Guggenheim reduced its estimate from 405,000 to 358,000 units, setting a target stock price of $170, while UBS also lowered its estimate by 16% to 367,000 units. In contrast, the average estimate for Tesla’s first-quarter deliveries is about 420,000 units, reflecting an 8.5% increase from the same period last year.
While some analysts, like Barron’s, predict that any sales decline could be a huge disappointment for investors, others, such as CFRA analyst Garrett Nelson, point out that Tesla’s stock has historically been volatile, with major selloffs often presenting profitable buying opportunities for investors.