New York, February 13, 2026, 08:05 EST — Premarket
- Tesla shares slipped again in premarket, extending the previous session’s steep decline.
- Tencent Cloud’s partnership in China will bring WeChat-connected features to vehicles through a software update.
- U.S. inflation numbers are on deck, and traders are on edge—they’re watching for anything that could shake up expectations for rate cuts and alter the mood on risk.
Tesla shares slipped another 0.7% to $414.07 ahead of the open Friday, deepening a retreat that saw the stock lose 2.7% on Thursday.
Tesla’s moves are closely tied to shifting interest-rate bets—something that high-valuation growth names feel acutely. Investors, still reeling from a sharp AI-driven selloff, faced U.S. indexes tracking toward their ugliest week since November. The market’s focus was squarely on January’s Consumer Price Index, set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET, a major inflation check. “The central question for equity investors is whether today’s surge in capex can translate into durable earnings growth,” Bob Savage, head of markets macro strategy at BNY, wrote in a note. Reuters
Tesla’s drawing attention with a fresh angle. Tencent Cloud announced it’s teaming up with Tesla to roll out in-car WeChat features for drivers in China—think live location sharing and service tips tied to where you’re headed. Model 3 and Model Y owners in China will get the upgrade wirelessly via an over-the-air update, according to Tencent Cloud.
Tesla (TSLA) came out of the gate at $430.30 on Thursday, ran up as high as $436.23, but the mood didn’t hold — shares dropped back to a session low of $414.00 and ended up closing at $417.07. Trading volume hit roughly 61.7 million shares, Yahoo Finance data shows.
Tesla shares kept dropping, even as Tigress Research rolled out a new Buy call with a $550 target, according to Barron’s. The note highlighted how investors are zeroing in on Tesla’s moves in software and robotics.
The mood across markets wasn’t any brighter. The S&P 500 lost 1.6% Thursday, with the Nasdaq sliding 2%. Investors bailed on tech and affiliated stocks, spooked by concerns over the rapid pace of AI shaking up certain sectors, according to an Associated Press market recap.
Tesla slid lower in after-hours, too, with MarketWatch reporting a $414.63 print—off 0.59%. The stock had wrapped regular trading at $417.07.
Tesla’s software and autonomy story still comes with a catch: investors are hungry for fatter margins here, but regulators remain a hurdle. The company plans to restrict access to its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system — which still needs the driver’s full attention — making it subscription-only after Feb. 14. And last year, U.S. safety officials launched a probe into vehicles using FSD, Reuters said.
If CPI beats forecasts, bond yields might jump, tightening financial conditions—typically bad news for rate-sensitive megacaps. For Tesla, delays in China software launches or weak demand for paid add-ons would only deepen investor doubts.
