A Tesla Model X electric car is seen at Brussels Motor Show, Belgium, Jan. 9, 2020.FRANCOIS LENOIR/Reuters
Tesla Inc blew past $500 billion in market value on Tuesday as investors snapped up its shares in the run-up to its debut in the S&P 500, extending a meteoric rally that has seen it surge over 500% this year.
The California electric carmaker’s stock rose nearly 5%, putting its market capitalization at $519 billion.
Tesla is Wall Street’s seventh most valuable company, just behind Berkshire Hathaway , and its shares have rallied over 30% since Nov. 16, when it was announced Tesla would join the S&P 500 benchmark.
Index funds that replicate the S&P 500 will have to buy more than $50 billion worth of Tesla’s stock ahead of its inclusion to the index on Dec. 21. Additionally, Goldman Sachs estimated last week that actively managed mutual funds could buy another $8 billion of Tesla shares after it is added.
The recent rally has also boosted Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s net worth by $7.2 billion to $127.9 billion, helping him go past Bill Gates to become the world’s second-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Musk, who was ranked 35th in January, has added $100.3 billion to his net worth so far this year, according to the index.
Tesla has become by far the world’s most valuable automaker, despite production that is a fraction of Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen or General Motors Co.
Shares of other electric vehicle (EV) makers have also rallied in recent months as President-elect Joe Biden made boosting EVs a top priority during his campaign.
Chinese electric carmaker Nio Inc fell 4.9% on Tuesday, trimming its gain in November to 72%.
“One of the core underpinnings of the Biden platform will be around pushing clean energy and zero-emissions vehicles with hopes of accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles and public charging outlets by 2030,” Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a research note.
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