General Motors dropped fresh news Thursday evening that should catch every trader’s attention: a staggering $7.1 billion in fourth-quarter charges, with $6 billion directly tied to its struggling electric vehicle operations. The timing of this announcement couldn’t be worse from a technical perspective.
Looking at GM’s weekly chart, the stock recently spiked to $85, testing a multi-year ascending resistance trendline that’s rejected price advances repeatedly since 2017. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen GM bump its head against this overhead barrier—red arrows mark multiple failed attempts in 2018 and throughout 2020-2021. Each time, sellers showed up with force.
The recent rejection at $85 looks textbook. Price currently sits at $83.36 pre-market, but the damage from this fundamental bombshell could accelerate what the technicals were already suggesting: a move back toward the $66 level.
The EV write-down stems from weakening demand after federal tax credits expired in September, forcing GM to slash production capacity and settle expensive contracts with suppliers who had prepared for much higher volumes. Most striking is the $4.2 billion cash component—real money walking out the door in supplier settlements and contract cancellations. GM warns additional charges are coming in 2026, though management expects them to be smaller.
From a technical standpoint, that ascending resistance trendline has proven reliable for years. When overhead resistance meets fundamental headwinds of this magnitude, the path of least resistance typically points lower. The $66 target represents a logical destination based on prior support levels and the chart’s structure.
For traders watching GM, this setup combines technical rejection with deteriorating fundamentals—a combination that often produces sustained moves. The question isn’t whether pressure exists, but how quickly it manifests in price action.
Source: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/gms-71-billion-ev-write-down-meets-multi-year-resistance-target-66-in-focus-202601112251
