Solar stocks, including Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH), First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR), and Array Technologies (NASDAQ: ARRY), experienced a remarkable rally on Tuesday. This surge was triggered by a positive U.S. inflation report for October, signaling a potential pause in the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes.
Rising interest rates have made it difficult for solar projects to secure finance and have led to a downturn in investor sentiment. The possibility of relief from rate hikes prompted investors to flock back to solar stocks, now available at discounted prices.
Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH), a microinverter provider, closed up about 17% at $91.39 on Tuesday following a challenging year where the stock had dropped around 65%.
First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), a leading manufacturer in the utility-scale market, experienced an 11.43% uptick to close at $$149.14. The bullish momentum pushed First Solar into positive territory for the year, boasting a roughly 2% year-to-date gain.
Residential-focused SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) recorded a notable uptrend, surging over 15% to $4.39. The stock is down 75% year-to-date.
Array Technologies (NASDAQ: ARRY), the solar tracker manufacturer, posted a gain of about 10% at $15.30. The stock has lost 20% of its value this year. The positive momentum comes after a recent setback when the company reported third-quarter sales that fell short of estimates.
Solar Stocks: Worst Performer in 2023
In a broader context, the Energy-Solar industry group, consisting of 24 stocks, saw a collective surge of around 10% as of midday Tuesday. However, this group has endured a challenging year, posting a cumulative loss of 42.5% in 2023, making it the worst performer among the 197 industry categories tracked by MarketSmith based on six-month price performance.
This unexpected surge comes amid a challenging earnings season for the solar industry. Multiple firms posted double-digit losses following their reports in recent weeks. Companies like Enphase Energy and SolarEdge (NASDAQ: SEDG) have warned of slowing demand, particularly in Europe.
The U.S. solar industry, however, remains optimistic, expecting to add a record 32 gigawatts of new capacity in 2023, reflecting a 52% increase from the past year, as reported in a September release by the Solar Energy Industries Association and research firm Wood Mackenzie.
Mary Lee is a freelance writer and journalist based in Toronto, Canada. She holds an M.S. degree in business and economic journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York and a certificate in digital marketing from the University of Toronto.
