NEW YORK, December 28, 2025, 18:14 ET — Market closed
- Tesla shares fell 2.1% in the latest session, ending Friday at $475.19.
- Thin year-end trading left big momentum names exposed to swings, even as U.S. indexes hovered near record levels. 1
- Traders are watching Tuesday’s Fed minutes and the next round of Tesla delivery and earnings updates. 2
Tesla shares closed down 2.1% on Friday at $475.19, heading into the final stretch of the year with U.S. stock markets shut on Sunday.
The stock’s dip came in a light-volume, post-Christmas session that left Wall Street’s main indexes little changed, while consumer discretionary — the sector that houses Tesla — lagged. 1
That matters now because thin year-end liquidity can amplify moves, and Tesla sits at the center of investor debate over how much value to assign to autonomous driving. 1
Regulators and investors have been revisiting emergency-readiness for robotaxis — driverless ride-hailing services — after a San Francisco power outage earlier this month snarled Alphabet’s Waymo fleet at intersections when traffic lights went dark. 3
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Utilities Commission said they were looking into the incident, while Waymo said it is implementing fleet-wide updates to refine its response during power outages. 3
“Momentum is certainly on the side of the bulls,” said Paul Nolte, senior wealth adviser and market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management, describing the broader market’s late-year tone. 2
Tesla has its own safety headlines in the background. U.S. auto safety regulators opened a defect investigation into 2022 Model 3 sedans over concerns emergency door release controls may not be easily accessible or clearly identifiable in an emergency. 4
The probe covers about 179,071 vehicles and followed a petition alleging the mechanical release is hidden, unlabeled and difficult to locate, regulators said. 4
Tesla vehicles rely primarily on electronic door latches opened by buttons rather than traditional mechanical handles, with a manual release intended for emergencies or power failures, regulators said. 4
On Friday, Tesla traded between $473.82 and $488.90 after opening at $485.41, with about 58.8 million shares changing hands.
Macro watchers are also circling Tuesday’s release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s Dec. 9–10 meeting — the detailed account of policymakers’ rate debate — for clues on the path of interest rates. 2
The Fed has cut rates by 75 basis points over its last three meetings of 2025 to a 3.50%–3.75% range, and investors have been focused on when further cuts may come. 2
Before the next session, traders will be watching whether year-end portfolio repositioning extends the seasonal “Santa Claus rally” window that spans the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new one. 1
Tesla-specific attention turns to quarterly vehicle deliveries, which the company releases separately from earnings; it last reported third-quarter deliveries on Oct. 2. 5
For results, Wall Street Horizon lists Tesla’s next earnings date as an unconfirmed Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, after market close. 6
On the chart, traders are watching Friday’s low around $474 as near-term technical support — a level where buyers have recently stepped in — while the recent high near $489 is the next resistance, where selling has tended to emerge.
