

Investor's Corner
Tesla shorts burned anew with TSLA's record $70B market cap and new all-time-high
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has dealt another painful blow to short-sellers on Wednesday, as the electric car maker hit a record market cap of $70 billion and shares hit new all-time-highs. TSLA has achieved these milestones as ardent bulls and even longtime bears from Wall Street begin acknowledging the company’s substantial lead in the electric vehicle space.
Tesla continued to show strength on Wednesday’s intraday, with the stock climbing over 2%. This ultimately pushed the electric car maker’s market cap to a record high of $70 billion, marking its place as the world’s 3rd-most valuable carmaker. TSLA shares also traded as high as $389.28, beating the company’s previous all-time high of $386.99, which was reached on June 19, 2017.
In a recent update, S3 Partners Managing Director of Predictive Analytics Ihor Dusaniwsky noted that there appears to be a squeeze going on today, though not at a scale that would qualify as Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s “short burn of the century.” “$TSLA shares shorted is -118k below 1/1/19 level – seems there has been a squeeze of 2019’s first half of the year short activity,” the S3 Partners Managing Director wrote.
While the stock’s current levels are likely not yet enough to trigger a full-on short squeeze, Dusaniwsky has previously stated that there would likely be a good amount of short covering in the $390 range since shorts would be down another -$1.5 billion in mark-to-market losses at those levels. With the ATH now breached and the stock seemingly on the verge of knocking on $390 per share, TSLA shares are now approaching the S3 Partners’ expected short squeeze range.
Tesla is enjoying some momentum as of late. In a recent appearance at CNBC‘s Squawk Box, TSLA bull Colin Rusch of Oppenheimer stated that the electric car maker has already made it through its most difficult days. When faced with the argument from Vanity Fair‘s Bethany McLean that Tesla’s futures may be in some way in danger due to Elon Musk’s capability to raise money and the company’s potential profitability issues, Rusch was quick to point out that such statements are no longer relevant to Tesla at this stage.
“I don’t think this is about Elon anymore. This is about what’s going on in the market with cars. Consumers are going towards premium and sustainable solutions. They’re willing to pay for that sustainability. They’ve got $5 billion of cash on the balance sheet, and they’re growing with a lot of operating leverage. I think your point was relevant a year and a half ago, maybe two years ago, and now it’s just not,” Rusch said.
Even when faced with the argument that more and more people were buying larger trucks and SUVs, Rusch was quick to correct the CNBC panel that such trends are true in the United States, but not necessarily the entire world. The analyst is correct on this point, as large vehicles that are extremely popular in the US such as the Ford F-150 are generally not preferred by consumers at all in large regions such as Europe. This is a reason why the Model 3, a sedan, continues to perform well on the market.
As of writing, Tesla stock is trading +2.67% at $389.11 per share.
Watch Colin Rusch’s of Oppenheimer engage CNBC‘s panel in the video below.
Investor's Corner
Tesla could save $2.5B by replacing 10% of staff with Optimus: Morgan Stanley
Jonas assigned each robot a net present value (NPV) of $200,000.

Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) near-term outlook may be clouded by political controversies and regulatory headwinds, but Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas sees a glimmer of opportunity for the electric vehicle maker.
In a new note, the Morgan Stanley analyst estimated that Tesla could save $2.5 billion by replacing just 10% of its workforce with its Optimus robots, assigning each robot a net present value (NPV) of $200,000.
Morgan Stanley highlights Optimus’ savings potential
Jonas highlighted the potential savings on Tesla’s workforce of 125,665 employees in his note, suggesting that the utilization of Optimus robots could significantly reduce labor costs. The analyst’s note arrived shortly after Tesla reported Q2 2025 deliveries of 384,122 vehicles, which came close to Morgan Stanley’s estimate and slightly under the consensus of 385,086.
“Tesla has 125,665 employees worldwide (year-end 2024). On our calculations, a 10% substitution to humanoid at approximately ($200k NPV/humanoid) could be worth approximately $2.5bn,” Jonas wrote, as noted by Street Insider.
Jonas also issued some caution on Tesla Energy, whose battery storage deployments were flat year over year at 9.6 GWh. Morgan Stanley had expected Tesla Energy to post battery storage deployments of 14 GWh in the second quarter.
Musk’s political ambitions
The backdrop to Jonas’ note included Elon Musk’s involvement in U.S. politics. The Tesla CEO recently floated the idea of launching a new political party, following a poll on X that showed support for the idea. Though a widely circulated FEC filing was labeled false by Musk, the CEO does seem intent on establishing a third political party in the United States.
Jonas cautioned that Musk’s political efforts could divert attention and resources from Tesla’s core operations, adding near-term pressure on TSLA stock. “We believe investors should be prepared for further devotion of resources (financial, time/attention) in the direction of Mr. Musk’s political priorities which may add further near-term pressure to TSLA shares,” Jonas stated.
Investor's Corner
Two Tesla bulls share differing insights on Elon Musk, the Board, and politics
Two noted Tesla bulls have shared differing views on the recent activities of CEO Elon Musk and the company’s leadership.

Two noted Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bulls have shared differing views on the recent activities of CEO Elon Musk and the company’s leadership.
While Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called on Tesla’s board to take concrete steps to ensure Musk remains focused on the EV maker, longtime Tesla supporter Cathie Wood of Ark Invest reaffirmed her confidence in the CEO and the company’s leadership.
Ives warns of distraction risk amid crucial growth phase
In a recent note, Ives stated that Tesla is at a critical point in its history, as the company is transitioning from an EV maker towards an entity that is more focused on autonomous driving and robotics. He then noted that the Board of Directors should “act now” and establish formal boundaries around Musk’s political activities, which could be a headwind on TSLA stock.
Ives laid out a three-point plan that he believes could ensure that the electric vehicle maker is led with proper leadership until the end of the decade. First off, the analyst noted that a new “incentive-driven pay package for Musk as CEO that increases his ownership of Tesla up to ~25% voting power” is necessary. He also stated that the Board should establish clear guidelines for how much time Musk must devote to Tesla operations in order to receive his compensation, and a dedicated oversight committee must be formed to monitor the CEO’s political activities.
Ives, however, highlighted that Tesla should move forward with Musk at its helm. “We urge the Board to act now and move the Tesla story forward with Musk as CEO,” he wrote, reiterating its Outperform rating on Tesla stock and $500 per share price target.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to Ives’ suggestions with a brief comment on X. “Shut up, Dan,” Musk wrote.
Cathie Wood reiterates trust in Musk and Tesla board
Meanwhile, Ark Investment Management founder Cathie Wood expressed little concern over Musk’s latest controversies. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Wood said, “We do trust the board and the board’s instincts here and we stay out of politics.” She also noted that Ark has navigated Musk-related headlines since it first invested in Tesla.
Wood also pointed to Musk’s recent move to oversee Tesla’s sales operations in the U.S. and Europe as evidence of his renewed focus in the electric vehicle maker. “When he puts his mind on something, he usually gets the job done,” she said. “So I think he’s much less distracted now than he was, let’s say, in the White House 24/7,” she said.
TSLA stock is down roughly 25% year-to-date but has gained about 19% over the past 12 months, as noted in a StocksTwits report.
Investor's Corner
Cantor Fitzgerald maintains Tesla (TSLA) ‘Overweight’ rating amid Q2 2025 deliveries
Cantor Fitzgerald is holding firm on its bullish stance for the electric vehicle maker.

Cantor Fitzgerald is holding firm on its bullish stance for Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), reiterating its “Overweight” rating and $355 price target amidst the company’s release of its Q2 2025 vehicle delivery and production report.
Tesla delivered 384,122 vehicles in Q2 2025, falling below last year’s Q2 figure of 443,956 units. Despite softer demand in some countries in Europe and ongoing controversies surrounding CEO Elon Musk, the firm maintained its view that Tesla is a long-term growth story in the EV sector.
Tesla’s Q2 results
Among the 384,122 vehicles that Tesla delivered in the second quarter, 373,728 were Model 3 and Model Y. The remaining 10,394 units were attributed to the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck. Production was largely flat year-over-year at 410,244 units.
In the energy division, Tesla deployed 9.6 GWh of energy storage in Q2, which was above last year’s 9.4 GWh. Overall, Tesla continues to hold a strong position with $95.7 billion in trailing twelve-month revenue and a 17.7% gross margin, as noted in a report from Investing.com.
Tesla’s stock is still volatile
Tesla’s market cap fell to $941 billion on Monday amid volatility that was likely caused in no small part by CEO Elon Musk’s political posts on X over the weekend. Musk has announced that he is forming the America Party to serve as a third option for voters in the United States, a decision that has earned the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Despite Musk’s controversial nature, some analysts remain bullish on TSLA stock. Apart from Cantor Fitzgerald, Canaccord Genuity also reiterated its “Buy” rating on Tesla shares, with the firm highlighting the company’s positive Q2 vehicle deliveries, which exceeded its expectations by 24,000 units. Cannacord also noted that Tesla remains strong in several markets despite its year-over-year decline in deliveries.
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla investors will be shocked by Jim Cramer’s latest assessment
-
Elon Musk2 days ago
xAI launches Grok 4 with new $300/month SuperGrok Heavy subscription
-
Elon Musk4 days ago
Elon Musk confirms Grok 4 launch on July 9 with livestream event
-
News1 week ago
Tesla Model 3 ranks as the safest new car in Europe for 2025, per Euro NCAP tests
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
A Tesla just delivered itself to a customer autonomously, Elon Musk confirms
-
Elon Musk1 week ago
xAI’s Memphis data center receives air permit despite community criticism
-
News2 weeks ago
Xiaomi CEO congratulates Tesla on first FSD delivery: “We have to continue learning!”
-
Investor's Corner2 weeks ago
Tesla gets $475 price target from Benchmark amid initial Robotaxi rollout