In Conclusion

Given the facts presented and strong industry consensus, NIO shows strong potential to be a « growth stock » with a two-year horizon. The company’s offering is attractive and its breadth of addressable consumer segments is likely to improve with the inclusion of a « mass-market » EV roster. The quest for the latter, however, will weigh down profitability for the next few years given the capital-intensive investments necessary in this industry but there’s no indication at present that that the company will fail in its endeavour. It bears noting that competition in its primary market – the People’s Republic of China – will be cut-throat, to say the least.

As highlighted in the article on the biotech sector, current times aren’t very conducive for ever-rising price trajectories in growth stocks. Thus, this stock would likely be quite attractive to those investors who are willing to wait a couple of years to see a substantial and sustained positive portfolio impact.

Currently, there are some indication that the stock is undergoing price discovery – albeit with a somewhat declining trajectory due to its « growth stock » status. For European investors, there are a number of leveraged/leveraged inverse exchange-traded products (ETPs) based on the company’s stock that capitalize on the current price discovery patterns. It bears noting, however, that investment into ETPs require both discipline and active management: inter-day price trajectories determine the payoff structure as well as the risk profile.