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.
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.” Axios
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.
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.
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.” Investing.com
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.
The Labor Department has set the release of the January CPI report for 8:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 13.
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.
