GM and Ford slip on the stock market: Morgan Stanley downgrades its advice due to Chinese competition

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By TP


General Motors (-5%) and Ford (-4%) skid on Wall Street after Morgan Stanley is lowered its recommendation and target pricedue to increased competition in China and the weakening of the American consumer. In the case of GMhave placed their advice in 'keep' from 'overweight', and the valuation in 42 dollarscompared to $47 per share previously. For Fordthe rating has gone from 'buy' to 'neutral'and the target price of $16 to $12 per shareThe entity's strategists highlight that the Asian giant's automotive industry Morgan Stanley is currently producing around 9 million more units than it consumes, putting pressure on global markets. In this regard, Morgan Stanley warns that this excess capacity is likely to find its way to other regions, intensifying competition for American automakers. «Even if these units do not end up directly on US shores, the 'fungibility' of the loss of share and profits «The pressure on the US market by major players is increasing here at home,» the analysts at the entity say. They also add that the reductions «are based on our expectation of further loss of market share by the end of the decadepricing/mix pressures, and risks from China, regulatory compliance and EV/VA/ROW/Others that may impact profitability, leading to lower normalized earnings and valuation.» The American consumer confidence It also exerts downward pressure after falling to 98.7 points in September from 105.6 in the previous month due to the concern about employment. This decline was the largest since August 2021 and «probably reflects the Consumers' concerns about the labour market and their reactions to the reduction in the number of hours workedslowing payroll growth and fewer job openings, even though the labor market remains healthy, with a low unemployment rate, few layoffs and high wages,» said Dana M. Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board. And the experts at Morgan Stanley are concerned that US dealer inventories are increasingwhich is putting pressure on new vehicle prices. «Vehicle affordability remains low. The typical car payment has increased by approximately 40% from pre-pandemic levels. Wages have increased by about 20% over the same period,» they conclude.