Stock Market Today, Feb. 2: Nio Falls After January Deliveries Raise Concerns About Chinese EV Demand

Nio (NYSE:NIO), which designs and sells electric vehicles, closed Monday’s session at $4.52, down 3.83%. The stock moved lower after January delivery data showed strong year-over-year growth but revived concerns about Chinese EV demand and sustainability of recent momentum that investors are watching closely.
Trading volume reached 66 million shares, coming in about 40% above its three-month average of 47 million shares. Nio IPO'd in 2018 and has fallen 25% since going public.

How the markets moved today

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) added 0.54% to finish Monday at 6,976, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) rose 0.56% to close at 23,592. Within the automotive space, peers Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) closed at $421.81 (-2.00%) and Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) finished at $14.44 (-2.10%) as investors reassessed electric-vehicle demand.

What this means for investors

Before the market opened on Monday, Nio reported its January delivery numbers. With 27,182 vehicles delivered during the month, Nio posted year-over-year growth of 96%. However, it is the sequential comparison that sent the stock sinking during the trading day. That January delivery number represented a 44% decline from December, underscoring a wider concern with the Chinese electric vehicle market.

It’s also worth noting that one particular Nio model, its ES8 SUV, accounted for approximately 84% of sales, representing concentration risk in one model vehicle.

Nio’s results were not unique and other Chinese manufacturers posted similar results. BYD’s (SEHK:1211) sales were down 30% year over year and XPeng (NYSE:XPEV) deliveries decreased 34% from the prior year.

Jeff Santoro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends BYD Company. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.