Mercedes-Benz Faces Twin Pressures as Shares Languish Near Low and Job Pact Under Threat
20.06.2026 - 15:47:16 | boerse-global.de
The luxury carmaker is fighting a battle on two fronts. Mercedes-Benz shares ended Friday at €45.09, up a modest 1% on the session, but the stock remains pinned dangerously close to a new 52-week low of €43.99 set on June 18. That intraday trough has become a critical floor, while the broader picture shows a year-to-date wipeout of 26.87% — a loss that has left the equity trading roughly 18% below its 200-day moving average, textbook bear-market territory.
Adding to the pressure, Personnel Chief Britta Seeger has signalled that the company’s long-standing job guarantee, which runs until 2034, is now on the negotiating table. Mercedes-Benz is preparing for tough talks with labour representatives as it seeks deep cost reductions and a new “mentality” from its workforce. The push comes as competition from Chinese EV makers intensifies and the group pours billions into electrification and new platforms. Seeger’s comments underscore a growing urgency: without meaningful concessions on personnel expenses, the company’s margin targets look increasingly fragile in the current demand environment.
On the technical front, the RSI reading of 32.5 points to oversold conditions, yet a convincing buy signal has yet to emerge. The stock’s 50-day moving average stands at €49.98, a level that would need to be reclaimed before any durable recovery can be discussed. A break below €43.99 would open the door to further downside, traders caution.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Mercedes-Benz?
Operationally, the headwinds are plain. First-quarter revenues came in at €31.6 billion, with operating profit of €1.9 billion. The car division’s adjusted return on sales reached 4.1%, sitting within the company’s own target range, but global deliveries of just over 419,400 vehicles reflected the strain. Europe provided a bright spot, with EV sales surging 34%, yet the Chinese market remains a drag — a brutal price war there is undermining Mercedes-Benz’s premium strategy almost daily.
Sector sentiment took another hit last week after rival BMW issued a pessimistic outlook, deepening investor worries about a demand slowdown in Asia. Some relief came from reports that the EU is considering tariffs on Chinese plug-in hybrids, a move that could level the playing field for European manufacturers and gave the stock a modest lift on Friday.
The week ahead brings a clutch of important data points: the ACEA will publish European auto registrations on June 23, the Ifo business climate index for Germany is due the following day, and EU consumer confidence figures are also on the calendar. Any soft reading on sentiment could postpone big-ticket purchases, hitting premium brands hardest. On the corporate side, Mercedes-Benz management will address an investor conference in Baden-Baden on Tuesday, with second-quarter results scheduled for late July.
For now, the equity sits in a precarious spot — trapped between a waning job guarantee, relentless cost pressures, and a market that has punished the stock ruthlessly. The question is whether the company can negotiate a path that restores both financial flexibility and investor confidence before the next earnings reveal.
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