New York, February 13, 2026, 08:05 EST — Premarket
- Tesla shares were lower in premarket trading after a sharp drop the prior session.
- A Tencent Cloud tie-up in China is set to add WeChat-linked in-car features via a software update.
- Traders are bracing for U.S. inflation data that could reset rate-cut bets and risk appetite.
Tesla shares fell 0.7% to $414.07 in premarket trading on Friday, extending a pullback after the stock slid 2.7% a day earlier. (Barron’s)
The timing matters because Tesla, like other high-valuation growth stocks, tends to swing with shifts in interest-rate expectations. Investors were also digesting an AI-led selloff that left U.S. indexes headed for their worst week since November, with markets waiting for January’s Consumer Price Index — a key inflation gauge — due at 8:30 a.m. ET. “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 has its own thread in the mix. Tencent Cloud said it has partnered with Tesla to add in-car features in China tied to WeChat, including instant transfer of location data and service suggestions based on destination. The upgrade will be delivered through an over-the-air update — software sent to cars wirelessly — for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China, Tencent Cloud said. (Reuters)
Thursday’s tape was messy. Tesla opened at $430.30, touched an intraday high of $436.23, then reversed to close at $417.07 after hitting a low of $414.00, with about 61.7 million shares traded, according to Yahoo Finance data. (Yahoo Finance)
A fresh bull call didn’t stop the slide. Tigress Research issued a new Buy rating and set a $550 price target, Barron’s reported, pointing to investor focus on Tesla’s push into software and robotics. (Barron’s)
The broader backdrop has not helped. The S&P 500 fell 1.6% on Thursday and the Nasdaq dropped 2%, as investors sold tech and related names on worries about how fast AI could upend parts of the market, an Associated Press market recap showed. (AP News)
Tesla’s weakness also bled into extended trading. MarketWatch showed the stock at $414.63 in after-hours on Thursday, down 0.59%, after closing at $417.07. (MarketWatch)
The “but” for Tesla is familiar: software and autonomy are where investors want higher margins, but regulators are watching closely. Tesla has said its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system — a driver-assistance feature that still requires an attentive driver — will be available only via monthly subscription after Feb. 14, and the U.S. safety regulator last year opened an investigation into vehicles equipped with the system, Reuters reported. (Reuters)
A hotter-than-expected CPI print could push bond yields up and tighten financial conditions, a setup that has tended to punish rate-sensitive megacaps. For Tesla, any stumble in China software rollouts, or slower-than-hoped uptake of paid features, would add another layer of doubt.
