General Motors shares surge 63.57% in trading volume ranking among top 500 high-volume stocks as autonomous strategy reorganization fuels volatility-driven returns

On August 11, 2025, General Motors (GM) closed with a 0.90% gain as trading volume surged to $360 million, marking a 63.57% increase from the previous day. The automaker is reorganizing its autonomous vehicle strategy by rehiring former Cruise employees and expanding its Mountain View, California, team. Sterling Anderson, former Tesla Autopilot chief and Aurora Innovation product officer, emphasized a shift toward personal-use autonomous vehicles rather than robotaxis, focusing on hands-free, eyes-free driving as a precursor to fully driverless models. GM’s spokesperson confirmed ongoing public road testing of lidar-equipped vehicles to build simulation models for development.

CEO Mary Barra maintains a long-term commitment to autonomous technology despite shuttering the Cruise robotaxi unit last year following a pedestrian incident. The company previously laid off approximately 1,000 Cruise employees and pivoted to consumer-focused AVs, though no new timeline has been announced. Anderson’s appointment underscores GM’s bid to compete in a crowded market, leveraging his expertise in self-driving systems and MIT research on semi-autonomous driving. The strategy aligns with Barra’s recent priorities, which include advancing domestic supply chains and battery innovation.

The strategy of purchasing the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day delivered a 166.71% return from 2022 to the present, outperforming the benchmark by 137.53%. This highlights the impact of liquidity concentration in short-term performance, particularly in volatile markets. High-volume stocks are susceptible to rapid price swings, which can pose risks if market conditions change abruptly. The outperformance of this strategy in volatile markets suggests that liquidity concentration can amplify short-term price movements, especially when investor behavior and macroeconomic shifts create trading opportunities.