NEW YORK, January 11, 2026, 10:03 (EST) — Market closed.
- Tesla shares closed Friday 2.1% higher at $445.01, recovering from an earlier drop.
- High-valuation growth stocks are once again being driven by U.S. inflation figures and rate outlooks.
- Tesla’s Jan. 28 earnings report and updated guidance stand out as the next key catalyst for the company.
Tesla shares climbed 2.1% on Friday, closing at $445.01, as traders held back ahead of a busy week packed with inflation reports and new interest rate cues.
With U.S. markets closed on Sunday, Tesla stock is set to open Monday as a stand-in for two ongoing debates: the pace at which borrowing costs will come down, and how much investors are willing to pay now for a narrative centered on autonomy and robotics.
This matters because Tesla’s moves have been anything but subtle. Even a few basis points change in yields can upend the valuation of high-growth stocks, and Tesla remains priced as a business that must deliver beyond just cars.
On Friday, the stock kicked off at $435.89, dipped to $430.40, then surged up to $448.78, finally closing close to that peak.
Tesla’s rise coincided with the S&P 500 hitting a record peak, driven by gains in chipmakers and other AI-related stocks, Reuters reported. 1
The latest U.S. jobs report showed payrolls rising by just 50,000 in December, while the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4%. One economist described the pace as “stall speed.” 2
The next macro event to watch is Tuesday’s Consumer Price Index report, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET. A stronger-than-expected CPI reading tends to push Treasury yields higher and puts pressure on richly valued stocks, while a softer print usually eases yields and supports those shares. 3
Tesla faces fresh challenges in self-driving tech after CES in Las Vegas, where Nvidia and numerous automakers and suppliers unveiled new platforms and partnerships designed to cut costs and speed up deployment, Reuters reported. Infineon CEO Jochen Hanebeck remarked, “I don’t see, really now, a tsunami flowing towards Level 5” — referring to fully autonomous vehicles with no human backup. 4
Tesla announced it will release its fourth-quarter results after the market closes on Jan. 28, followed by a webcast at 5:30 p.m. ET. The company also reported 418,227 vehicle deliveries for the quarter, alongside a record 14.2 gigawatt-hours in quarterly energy storage deployments. For the full year 2025, Tesla’s deliveries reached 1,636,129. 5
The immediate issue: Tesla’s core auto sales are slowing even as investors fixate on what’s next. After 2025 deliveries dropped about 8.6%, Tesla lost its spot as the top global EV seller to China’s BYD, Reuters reported. The reasons: mounting competition and the expiration of U.S. tax credits squeezing demand. “It’s about Optimus, Robotaxi and physical AI,” trader Dennis Dick of Triple D Trading said. 6
Suppliers are signaling trouble as well. LG Energy Solution, which provides batteries to Tesla and other carmakers, warned of an operating loss in the fourth quarter, citing soft demand from EV manufacturers. General Motors announced it will take a $6 billion writedown on certain EV investments. 7
The setup works both ways. If inflation stays stubborn or hopes for rate cuts vanish, Tesla’s valuation could tumble sharply—no need to factor in margins or delivery numbers. On top of that, autonomy is costly, heavily regulated, and tough to expand beyond small-scale rollouts.
Tesla shares start trading again on Monday. Investors will focus on Tuesday’s CPI data and the Fed’s policy meeting scheduled for Jan. 27-28. Tesla is set to report earnings after the close on Jan. 28. 8
