Tesla Motors stock has had a wild month. The stock did, well, poorly.
Coming into the final day of the month, Tesla stock was down less than 5% for October.
It feels impossible to believe. There have been plenty of outsize stock moves. Tesla shares dropped almost 9% after its Oct. 10 Robotaxi Day in Hollywood, Calif. failed to meet lofty expectations. And shares jumped about 22% after the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter numbers on Oct. 23.
All that drama just to run in place.
Tesla shares have traded for more than 170 months. The average move, up or down, for any month is about 18%. Shares have moved less than 2%, up or down, only 20 times. Months like this happen a little more than 10% of the time.
Few investors would have bet that a month with an investor event and earnings would yield almost no change. Tesla stock, however, has a way of doing the unexpected.
Shares finished October with a whimper. Tesla stock dropped 4.6% to $249.7. There were a few reasons for the drop.
For starters, the market was lousy. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.9% and 0.9%, respectively. Inflation data came in as expected, but it was helped by lower energy prices. Microsoft shares also dropped 6% after it reported quarterly earnings.
Then there is Li Auto. It reported better-than-expected third-quarter results, but price competition in China continues. Shares dropped 13.6%.
And Uber shares fell 9.3%. Uber and Tesla typically aren't connected, however, both are pursuing self-driving taxis. Uber stock got a jolt after Tesla Robotaxi Day. Uber's share performance is, at least, worth looking at for Tesla investors.
Uber's drop wasn't related to autonomous cars. It was earnings. Uber reported solid third-quarter numbers, but growth guidance for the fourth quarter came in a little below consensus expectations.
Through Thursday trading, Tesla stock was up about 1% year to date.
That isn't much of a move either. There has been plenty of volatility though. Shares were up about 80% from an intraday 52-week low reached in April. Shares were down about 9% from an intraday 52-week high reached just after third-quarter earnings were reported.
Looking ahead, shares are trying to break above resistance of about $265 a share. Resistance is a term technical stock market analysts use to describe levels where investors have taken profits in the past.
Getting through resistance can mean a breakout with more gains ahead. Tesla stock closed at $269.19 a share this past Friday, after earnings. Technical analysts would like to see another close above resistance to believe the breakout was real.
That's why investors should pay close attention to the $265 level on the final day of the week.