Tesla bounces for second day after steepest drop since 2020

Tesla shares rose for a second straight day in early trading Wednesday after the stock recorded its worst day since 2020 earlier in the week.

Shares were last up 8%, building on a 3.8% gain from Tuesday.

The electric vehicle stock plunged 15.4% on Monday for its worst session since September 2020 as investors sold popular technology shares and markets tumbled on rising recession fears and tariff uncertainty. The move pushed the Nasdaq to its worst day since 2022 and erased $750 billion in market value among the tech megacaps.

Tesla has tumbled in recent weeks, shedding more than 40% in market value since President Donald Trump took office. Shares rallied in the postelection Trump trade on bets that CEO Elon Musk’s close ties to the president would benefit the company.

Tariff concerns have added fuel to that fire as a potential trade war threatens two key supplier markets. That pushed the company to its longest weekly losing streak in its 15-year public market history.

Since Trump’s inauguration, Musk has become a key face of the new White House administration and close advisor of the president as he looks to reduce government spending, leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump said Tuesday he plans to buy a Tesla in support of Musk as Tesla locations around the country see protests and demonstrations.

Tesla has also dealt with brand erosion stemming from incendiary political rhetoric on Musk’s social media platform X. The platform suffered several outages on Monday. Meanwhile, Musk’s aerospace and defense company SpaceX is currently investigating two test flight explosions.

The company also faces a divided Wall Street, as bears point to rising EV competition, declining new vehicle deliveries and the effects of tariffs on the company’s near-term business. Bulls still have faith in Musk and his promise to unveil an affordable new model EV and start a driverless ride-hailing service later this year.

A recent investor survey found that 85% of respondents believed politics are hurting the company. Shares have lost more than a third in value since the start of the year.

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed reporting.