Stocktake: Tesla surges as craziness pays in the bubble

The carmaker, valued at ‘just’ $256 billion a few weeks ago, has topped $400 billion

In the fast lane: Tesla has experienced a tenfold share price increase in less than a year. Photograph: John Thys/AFP via Getty Images

Tue Sept 01 2020 - 05:15

What can you say about Tesla? Renowned short seller Jim Chanos once said the stock was "worthless" but last week, following a tenfold share price increase in less than a year, Tesla's market value topped $400 billion – more than the combined market value of GM, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Daimler, Ferrari, Honda, BMW, and Volkswagen, notes Compound Capital Advisors' Charlie Bilello.

Only two weeks earlier, Tesla was valued at "just" $256 billion, notes Bilello; adding on another $150 billion or so in market value means it has now leapfrogged giants such as Walmart, JPMorgan, Procter & Gamble, Mastercard, Nvidia, and Johnson & Johnson.

Crazy? Yes, but it’s been crazy for some time now. In a bubble, craziness pays.