NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 07:05 ET — Market closed.
- Ford shares last closed down 0.83% at $13.12 on Dec. 31, the final U.S. session of 2025.
- Investors are watching Tesla’s Q4 delivery report and early-January economic data for signals on EV demand and consumer spending.
- Ford’s next scheduled company catalyst is its Feb. 10 quarterly results.
Ford Motor (F.N) shares closed down 0.83% at $13.12 on Wednesday, the last trading day before U.S. stock markets shut for New Year’s Day. The shares traded between $13.12 and $13.22, with about 26.3 million shares changing hands and a 52-week range of $8.44 to $13.99, according to Investing.com data.
Markets are dark on Thursday, leaving investors to reset positions into Friday’s first session of 2026. For automakers, the opening stretch of the year often sets the tone on two pressure points: consumer demand and pricing.
For Ford, a key near-term read-through comes from Tesla’s fourth-quarter delivery report on Friday. Deliveries — vehicles handed over to customers — are watched closely because they are one of the earliest hard datapoints on electric-vehicle demand and discounting.
Analysts expect Tesla’s deliveries to fall about 13% from a year earlier to about 432,810 vehicles, a Visible Alpha poll showed, after U.S. tax credits expired in September, Reuters reported. “The fall will be driven largely by sales in North America and Europe,” Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu wrote. Reuters
Ford has been pivoting spending toward trucks, hybrids and lower-cost electric models as it tries to lift margins and cut losses in its EV business. The company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and full-year results on Feb. 10, Ford said in a December update.
General Motors (GM.N) fell 1.23% to $81.32 on Wednesday and Tesla (TSLA.O) slid 1.04% to $449.72, underscoring a soft tone for autos in the final session of 2025, MarketWatch data showed.
With no U.S. trading on Thursday, attention turns to Friday’s data and headlines that can swing risk appetite, including factory-activity surveys and interest-rate expectations. Autos tend to react quickly when yields move because most new vehicles are financed.
S&P Global is due to publish final December readings for its U.S. manufacturing purchasing managers’ index, or PMI, on Jan. 2. The PMI is a survey-based gauge of business conditions; readings above 50 indicate expansion.
Ford also faces a political spotlight later this month: the Senate Commerce Committee has set a Jan. 14 hearing on vehicle affordability and invited Ford CEO Jim Farley to testify. The witness list includes the CEOs of GM and Stellantis and a senior Tesla executive, a committee notice showed.
Before Friday’s opening bell, traders will likely use Thursday’s holiday to recalibrate around the $13 level, a psychological marker that often attracts short-term buyers and sellers. Ford ended Wednesday just above that level, about 6% below its 52-week high.
A rebound in EV sentiment after Tesla’s delivery report could help lift Ford and other legacy automakers, but investors will also be watching for signs that discounting is returning in 2026. Pricing matters because incentives typically hit margins fast.
Ford’s Feb. 10 results are the next scheduled company event after the holiday break. Traders will be looking for clues on 2026 volume and pricing, the pace of cost cuts, and cash generation in Ford Pro and Ford Blue — its commercial and traditional combustion businesses.
