You’ve seen it. That jagged, climbing line on the general motors stock graph that lately looks less like a steady ascent and more like a rocket ship trying to decide if it has enough fuel to hit orbit. Honestly, if you’d told a room full of traders two years ago that GM would be hitting all-time highs in early 2026, they would’ve probably laughed you out of the building. Back then, the narrative was "Tesla wins, Detroit dies."
But the graph tells a very different story today.
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As of January 16, 2026, GM closed around $80.82. That’s a massive leap from the $35 range we saw at the start of 2024. Just a few days ago, on January 8, it even tapped an all-time closing high of **$85.13**. To understand why the general motors stock graph is defying the "legacy auto is doomed" trope, you have to look past the ticker and into some pretty aggressive—and frankly, risky—moves Mary Barra and her team have been making behind the scenes.
The $7 Billion Reset and Why the Market Loved It
Most companies see a multi-billion dollar write-down and the stock price craters. Not GM. On January 8, 2026, the company dropped a bombshell: a $7.1 billion charge to write down underperforming EV assets and restructure its struggling China operations.
In a weird way, the market exhaled.
It was basically an admission that the "EV-at-all-costs" strategy was a bit of a pipe dream. By taking the hit now, GM is essentially "cleaning the kitchen." They are walking away from battery production at two major plants and shifting "Factory Zero" back to "multi-energy" production. Translation: They’re going back to what makes them money—trucks and SUVs.
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- Q3 2025 Revenue: $48.6 billion.
- Share Buybacks: Over $16 billion announced since 2023.
- Dividends: A steady $0.15 per share quarterly.
Investors aren't buying the future of electric hummers anymore; they're buying the reality of gas-powered Silverados and Cadillacs that actually fund the bills.
The "X" Pattern Nobody Is Talking About
There is a specific phenomenon happening on the general motors stock graph that technical analysts are obsessing over right now. It’s not a standard chart pattern like a "head and shoulders." It’s an "X."
Here is how it works: On one side, you have the company’s total shares outstanding, which are plummeting because of massive buybacks. On the other side, you have the share price, which is rising. When you overlay these two lines, they form a giant "X."
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GM has shrunk its share count by about 15% in just the last year. When there are fewer shares to go around, each remaining share represents a bigger piece of the profit pie. Even if total company growth is just "okay," the stock price can still soar because the math is working in the investor's favor.
Why $80 Might Actually Be "Cheap"
It sounds crazy to call a stock at an all-time high "cheap," but look at the valuation. GM is trading at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of roughly 6.9 to 7.5.
Compare that to the broader market. The S&P 500 often sits in the 20s. Tesla is... well, Tesla is in another galaxy. Even though the general motors stock graph is at the top of its range, the company is still being priced like a boring old manufacturer that might go out of business next Tuesday.
The Hurdles: Tariffs and "Software" Dreams
It isn't all sunshine. The 2026 outlook has some jagged edges.
The "Trump Buys Bonds" era and shifting trade policies have introduced a lot of noise. Tariffs are a legitimate threat. GM estimates a potential $1.1 billion net effect from new trade policies. If parts from Mexico get more expensive, that high-margin truck profit starts to thin out.
Then there’s the software. GM claims they’ll hit $2 billion in annual recurring revenue from their "Ultifi" platform. They’re selling features-on-demand, like better trailering tech and biometrics. It sounds cool, but let’s be real: will people keep paying a monthly subscription for their car’s "brain" once the novelty wears off?
What to Watch Next on the Chart
If you’re staring at the general motors stock graph wondering if you missed the boat, keep an eye on the $78 support level. Many analysts, including those at Goldman Sachs who recently bumped their target to $98, see any dip toward $80 as a consolidation phase rather than a collapse.
The narrative has shifted from "Can they build EVs?" to "How much cash can they extract from gas engines while the world waits for EVs to get affordable?"
Actionable Steps for Investors
- Watch the Buyback Pace: If GM slows down their $6 billion repurchase program, the "X" pattern breaks, and the price support might soften.
- Monitor the $85 Resistance: Breaking and holding above $85 would signal a new "blue sky" breakout.
- Ignore the EV Noise: For the next 12 months, the stock will likely move based on Silverado sales and ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) margins, not how many Lyriqs they sold.
The 2026 automotive landscape is messy, but GM has proven that a well-timed pivot back to reality is exactly what the market wanted. By trimming the fat on the EV side and doubling down on what works, they've turned a legacy business into a momentum play.
Focus on the free cash flow—which hit an updated guidance of $10 billion to $11 billion for the full year 2025—and you'll see why that line on the graph keeps pointing up.