New York, Feb 6, 2026, 21:15 EST — Market closed
Carvana Co. jumped 5.21% Friday, wrapping up at $403.67. The stock swung between $390.29 and $412.86 through the session. 1
U.S. markets are shut for the weekend, putting the online used-car retailer on the brink of a hectic period. Here, interest rates and consumer credit might carry as much weight as whatever news the company generates.
Carvana made it into the S&P 500 back in December, but the stock’s been volatile after a short-seller report hit in late January. Gotham City Research, a firm that takes short positions, accused Carvana of inflating its earnings and highlighted connections with DriveTime. The company fired back, calling the report “inaccurate and intentionally misleading,” and insisted: “All of our related party transactions are accurately disclosed in our financial statements.” 2
U.S. stocks snapped back on Friday, the Dow finishing above 50,000 for its first time ever. Tech names set the pace. The S&P 500 added 1.97%, while the Nasdaq climbed 2.18%, according to Reuters. 3
Several auto retail and auction stocks pushed upward as well. CarMax picked up 3.74%, ACV Auctions advanced 4.54%, and Openlane tacked on 1.98%, according to MarketWatch data. 4
After the Gotham report hit last week, analysts pushed back, saying it misunderstood key aspects of Carvana’s auto-loan securitizations—those loan bundles pitched to investors. Rajat Gupta at JPMorgan called out “an incorrect representation of service income” and labeled parts a “significant misrepresentation of facts.” He also noted being “surprised by the magnitude of CVNA’s share price reaction.” 5
Investors now have their eyes on two things: Can Carvana keep pushing sales higher without sacrificing margin? And will management tackle the related-party issues that cropped up again late January?
Macro numbers might jolt the stock ahead of that. S&P Global Market Intelligence noted the U.S. jobs report is now pushed to Feb. 11, with CPI inflation pushed to Feb. 13, thanks to a federal government shutdown. 6
The Labor Department has set the release of the January CPI report for 8:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 13. 7
The setup isn’t one-sided. If inflation comes in hot, bond yields could rise and auto credit might get squeezed. On the flip side, any earnings miss or misstep—especially on those short-seller allegations—could tip momentum back to the bears.
Carvana will deliver its Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings after the bell on Feb. 18. Management plans to follow up with a conference call and webcast at 5:30 p.m. ET. 8
