Tesla publishes analyst forecasts suggesting sales set to fall
Tesla has taken the unusual step of publishing sales forecasts that suggest 2025 deliveries will be lower than expected and future years’ sales will be well below targets set by its chief executive, Elon Musk.The US electric vehicle maker published figures from analysts suggesting it will announce 423,000 deliveries during the fourth quarter of 2025, in a new “consensus” section on its investor website.That would represent a 16% decline from the final quarter of 2024.The estimates suggested that Tesla would deliver 1.64m cars in 2025 as a whole, down from 1.
79m in 2024,Deliveries are then estimated to rise to 1,75m in 2026 and 3m in 2029,Musk claimed at a shareholder meeting in November that the company was aiming to produce 4m cars a year by the end of 2027,Tesla’s shares are valued at $1.
4tn (£1.04tn), making it worth more than the next 30 carmakers combined despite its output being less than a fifth of that of Japan’s Toyota.Musk’s Tesla shares, as well as his stake in the rocket company SpaceX, have made him by far the world’s richest man, with a fortune estimated at $623bn, according to Bloomberg.However, much of Tesla’s valuation has been based on shareholder hopes that Musk will lead the carmaker to become the global leader in self-driving technology and robotics more generally.When it comes to actual sales, Tesla has endured a tough year in part thanks to distaste among some consumers for Musk’s embrace of rightwing politics.
In 2024, Musk was the biggest donor to the election campaign of Donald Trump and then launched an effort to cut government spending with the Department of Government Efficiency (or Doge).His alliance with the US president did not survive the summer, with Trump instead scrapping buyer subsidies worth $7,500 a vehicle and slashing supportive regulations for electric cars.The estimates published by Tesla this week are lower than other compilers have suggested.An average of forecasts by investment banks compiled by Bloomberg suggested that Tesla would deliver 440,907 vehicles in the fourth quarter.Investment banks often publish sales and profit forecasts for large companies in order to judge the prospects for share price movements.
“Missing” consensus forecasts often result in share price declines, and vice versa for a “beat”.The forecasts for later years are also far below Musk’s stated targets.In November, Musk said the carmaker was trying to increase production by 50% by the end of 2026, and to produce 4m cars by the end of 2027, according to a transcript compiled by AlphaSense, a data company.However, the forecasts suggest the carmaker will hit the 3m mark only in 2029.Tesla shareholders in November approved a $1tn compensation plan for Musk, in part on the basis of Tesla delivering 20m cars.
Of those cars, 10m will have to have active subscriptions for “full self-driving”, its autonomous software, in order for Musk to qualify for the payment.
UK law firms get ready for crackdown on money laundering
UK law firms are bracing themselves for a money-laundering crackdown as ministers race to improve the City’s reputation ahead of a fresh financial crime review.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been designated as the new anti-money laundering watchdog for the legal sector, in a move that experts warn could result in “sharper” penalties and ultimately reshape the industry.The decision to consolidate regulation, which at present is spread across nine separate supervisors, is part of the government’s wider efforts to combat the UK’s reputation as a hub for “dirty money”. The National Crime Agency estimates that £100bn is being laundered through or within the UK every single year, with the help of enabling entities such as law firms.The City’s poor reputation for money laundering came into focus in 2018, following an assessment by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Paris-based global crime watchdog
Oil prices record steepest annual fall since Covid pandemic
Oil markets have recorded their steepest annual fall since the Covid pandemic and could be on track to plummet further as oil producers continue to pump more crude than needed by the global economy.Oil prices slumped by almost 20% in 2025, marking the biggest annual loss since 2020 and the first time that the oil market has recorded three consecutive years of annual losses.The steady slide in prices has emerged despite ongoing conflict in some of the world’s most important energy-producing regions due to a “cartoonishly” oversupplied market, according to analysts.Crude fell below $60 a barrel for the first time in almost five years last month as political leaders began to inch towards a Russia-Ukraine peace deal which could increase the glut in the global market if western sanctions are lifted on Russian exports.The International Energy Agency expects supplies to outstrip demand for crude by about 3
Apple reportedly cuts production of Vision Pro headset after poor sales
Poor sales have reportedly forced Apple to cut production of the Vision Pro headset that it had hoped would herald a new era in “spatial computing”.The tech company also reduced marketing for Vision Pro by more than 95% last year, according to the market intelligence group Sensor Tower in figures first reported by the Financial Times.Apple continues to sell iPhones, iPads and laptops in the millions each quarter, but analysts say sales of Vision Pro headsets, which cost at least £3,199 ($3,499) each, have been sluggish.Apple has not released sales figures for the device, but the market research group International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates it will have sold only 45,000 in the last quarter of last year.IDC said Apple’s Chinese producer, Luxshare, had stopped production of the headset at the start of 2025, and Apple has not expanded direct sales beyond a select 13 countries
‘They sowed chaos to no avail’: the lasting legacy of Elon Musk’s Doge
The billionaire – who had no government experience – left various federal agencies in disarray while overseeing an ‘efficiency’ drive across WashingtonAs Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, splurged more than $250m on Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, the US president commissioned his new ally to oversee a sweeping “efficiency” drive across the federal government.The Tesla and SpaceX boss, who had no experience inside government, was tasked with eradicating waste and cutting spending as part of the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) – and was quick to stoke expectations.“I think we can do at least $2tn,” Musk declared of the potential savings during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City a week before Trump’s re-election.Following Trump’s return to office in January, these ambitious plans were swiftly on a collision course with reality. Tens of thousands of federal workers were fired, leaving agencies in disarray and triggering myriad legal challenges
Usman Khawaja announces retirement from international cricket after SCG Ashes Test
Usman Khawaja has announced his retirement from international cricket, saying the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney will be his last.The batter’s future in Test cricket has been one of the hottest topics of this summer’s Ashes series, he turned 39 last month.With Australia 3-1 up in the series headed into the final Test, Khawaja addressed the speculation on Friday at the SCG.“I’m here to announce today that I will be retiring from all international cricket after the SCG Test match,” he said.“God through cricket has given me far more than I could have imagined
PDC World Championship darts quarter-finals: Van Veen and Littler cruise into semis
Old acquaintance forgot, and never brought to mind. A new year, a new crowd and perhaps even a clean slate for the world champion, Luke Littler, who continued his largely untroubled progress towards back-to-back titles with an embarrassingly one-sided 5-0 win over Krzysztof Ratajski in Thursday night’s first quarter-final.AveragesHumphries 101.12Van Veen 105.41CheckoutsHumphries 11/32 (34
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