As U.S. auto sales fall to their lowest level in two years and auto loan delinquencies continue to rise, Carter Worth of Cornerstone Macro is ringing the alarm on the beaten-down auto stocks.
"[The] Consumer Discretionary [sector] has been underperforming [the overall market] for the last year, and autos within the Consumer Discretionary are a real mess," Worth said Friday on CNBC's "Options Action." He added that the autos are the single worst area to be invested
Amid all of the concerns, domestic automakers General Motors and Ford have been taking a hit this year, sinking three and six percent respectively.
"We have essentially moved back to the 2000 peak, and now we've started to roll [lower], and that's not a good setup," Worth explained.
From a technical standpoint, looking at a chart of the NASDAQ Global Auto Index, Worth warned that "as the index has gone up … relative performance [to the ] is poor. As we've gone higher, you've actually been making new five-year relative lows to the market. It's really bad."
One automaker that has Worth especially concerned is General Motors, as Worth predicts the stock could soon trade below its long-term trend line. "I think you get a break here … I'm looking for a move to these lows at $30," Worth said. That is more than a 10 percent move below current levels. "Sell [it]," he added.
General Motors is set to report earnings before the market open on Friday. Analysts polled by FactSet are anticipating earnings of $1.46 per share on $40.6 billion in revenue.
Shares of GM were trading at the $33.75 range during Monday's session.
