General Motors (GM) is a higher-dispersion industrial earnings name — recent quarters have run hotter than its decade average even though the typical move is still single-digit. Below is its earnings behaviour based on the last 16 reports (roughly the past 10 years), as of July 14, 2026.
GM earnings at a glance
GM’s decade-long average earnings move is about ±6.3%, but the last two years have run hotter at ±9.0% — a heating regime worth weighing against the live implied move. The 95th-percentile tail is about ±11.2%; October 2025’s +16.5% peak shows the upside can still overshoot.
Does GM beat its implied move?
The implied move is what the options market prices in before the report; the actual move is what happens. GM’s actual move has topped the implied move in about 62% of recent reports (10 of 16) — more often than not, despite modest headline averages.
2yr avg
How GM’s moves are distributed
The distribution is moderate with occasional spikes: four in five GM earnings moves stay under ±9.5%, but the 95th-percentile outlier reaches ±11.2% and recent quarters have clustered in the upper half of that range.
Recent GM earnings
To make it concrete: October 2025 peaked near +16.5% against an implied move near ±6.2% — a dramatic beat. January 2025 dropped about -11.3% vs ~±6.6% implied. Auto earnings can look calm on averages and still gap hard on guidance or EV headlines.
IV rush and IV crush on GM
Implied volatility builds into the report (the IV rush) and collapses afterward (the IV crush). With a ~62% beat rate, GM’s history tilts toward the actual move clearing what options priced in more often than not — but the heating two-year regime means comparing only to the decade average can understate recent dispersion.
What GM’s earnings data means for options
These figures are a reference point, not a signal. GM has cleared its implied move in roughly three of every five reports (~63%), recent moves have run hotter than the decade average, and the ±11.2% 95th-percentile figure marks a realistic worst case. Compare the live implied move against this history in the EarningsWatcher app — GM has an earnings simulator for structure testing.
- According to EarningsWatcher data, options price a ±7.0% move for GM's October 20, 2026 earnings report (as of October 10, 2026).
- GM has averaged a ±6.3% earnings-day move across its last 40 reports (10-year history, per EarningsWatcher).
- GM's actual earnings move exceeded the options-implied move in 62% of those reports.
Frequently asked questions
When is GM earnings date in July 2026?
General Motors reported Q2 2026 results on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, before the market open (BMO).
What is GM's implied move for earnings July 21, 2026?
Options priced a plus or minus 6.7% move into the July 21, 2026 report — below the plus or minus 9.0% two-year average and modestly above the plus or minus 6.2% decade average. The stock then moved up 5.7% at its intraday peak and finished up 4.9% at the close.
How much does GM move on earnings?
Over its last 16 earnings reports (as of July 2026), GM's average earnings-day peak move was about plus or minus 6.2%, with a median near plus or minus 5.5%. The last two years have averaged about plus or minus 9.0%. The 95th-percentile move is about plus or minus 11.2%.
Does GM usually beat its implied move?
More often than not. GM's actual move has topped its options-implied move in about 62% of recent reports (roughly 10 of 16). You still face elevated implied volatility going in and the IV crush afterward.