GM Stock Gets Some Relief From Insider Buying, But Retail Traders Aren’t Shaking Off Trump Jitters

Shares of General Motors climbed more than 3% on Friday afternoon, set to snap a three-day losing streak after a notable insider purchase. 

Director Alfred F. Kelly Jr. bought 12,000 GM common shares for $607,920 on Jan. 30, according to an SEC filing. This brings his total holdings to 17,323 shares, with 13,714 held directly and 3,609 controlled indirectly.

Despite the rebound, GM’s stock is still on track for a more than 4.5% weekly loss — the worst since early January. 

The slide comes amid regulatory uncertainty over former President Donald Trump’s proposal to impose tariffs next month of up to 25% on auto imports from Mexico and Canada, key supply chain hubs for GM and Ford.

GM shares tumbled nearly 9% on Tuesday after CEO Mary Barra’s comments about regulatory risks under a potential Trump administration overshadowed the company’s strong quarterly earnings and 2025 outlook.

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits turned ‘bearish’ from ‘neutral’ as message volume surged. 

GM sentiment and message volume Jan 31 as of 12:45 pm ET | source: Stocktwits

Some traders expressed concern over oil prices, a rollback of EV mandates, and potential cuts to ESG-related stimulus. 

 

Even though Barra reaffirmed GM’s commitment to its internal combustion and electric vehicle portfolios, she admitted that removing EV tax credits could impact the company’s 300,000-unit EV production target.

The uncertainty has even led some retail investors to shift preference toward new-age auto giants like Tesla and Rivian over legacy automakers, according to a recent Stocktwits poll.

Despite the headwinds, GM stock remains up more than 28% over the past 12 months.

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