The Tesla Hype Machine Never Rests

The Tesla Hype Machine Never Rests

The electric vehicle (EV) leader’s [TSLA] move to test fully driverless cars without safety monitors has buoyed its shares. Wedbush’s Dan Ives, a notorious Tesla bull, predicted rapid robotaxi expansion to over 30 US cities next year, Cybercab production from the spring and Tesla capturing ~70% of the autonomous market over the next decade, according to Sherwood News; Ives reiterated a $600 target, seeing a path to a $2tn–3tn valuation. CEO Elon Musk, meanwhile, looks to be getting back into politics, Axios reported.

Legacy Automaker Scraps EV Programme

At the other end of the scale, Ford [F] has wound back its EV ambition. “Rather than spending billions more on large EVs that now have no path to profitability, we are allocating that money into higher-returning areas,” said Andrew Frick, the head of petrol engine and electric businesses, announcing that the firm expects a $19.5bn charge as it scraps plans for its flagship F-150 electric pick-up and other large EVs, the Financial Timesdetailed.

BBC Stands Up to Trump Over Lawsuit

The BBC said it will defend a $5bn lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump over an edited version of his 6 January 2021 speech used in a Panorama documentary. President Trump alleges defamation and deceptive editing. While the BBCissued an apology last month, it rejected compensation demands and said there is no basis for a defamation claim. This is the latest in a series of claims President Trump has made against media outlets.

Will These AI Chip Stocks Still Thrive if the Bubble Bursts? 

There has been plenty of noise in the past few weeks suggesting that the AI trade may be unwinding. Notwithstanding this, the AI chip market is forecast to swell to $564.87bn by 2032 from $203.24bn in 2025, a compound annual growth rate of 15.7%, according to a MarketsandMarkets report released earlier this month. OPTO rounded up a few recent headlines from Nvidia [NVDA], Micron [MU] and Broadcom [AVGO] to try to work out what the outlook for the three stocks might be in 2026.

US Suspends Tech Deal with UK

The US has suspended a technology cooperation pact with the UK agreed during President Trump’s state visit, the Financial Times detailed. The “technology prosperity deal”, covering areas such as AI and quantum computing, has been paused as Washington pushes London for wider trade concessions. US officials are reportedly dissatisfied with the UK’s reluctance to address non-tariff barriers, particularly in food and industrial goods.

Wood’s ARK Vacuums Up Crypto Stocks

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest stepped up buying in crypto and AI-linked stocks, adding Bitmine Immersion Technologies [BMNR], Coinbase [COIN], Circle Internet Group [CRCL], Block [XYZ] and Bullish [BLSH] across its ETFs. Ark also bought 136,670 shares of AI cloud group CoreWeave [CRWV], extending purchases amid a sharp selloff that has pushed the stock more than 60% below its June peak.

Are EVs Still the Future?

EVs were once seen as the inevitable future of mobility. In 2025, that assumption was tested. EVs lost policy support and momentum in the US as the Trump administration rolled back EV incentives. Sales slowed sharply, legacy automakers pivoted toward hybrids and ICE models, and EV pure plays faced tougher economics. OPTO looks at three EV stocks which are finding ways to ride out the storm.