The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 15. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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GAPPRFT to Restrict Branded Video Channels on Internet TV – Source (English article)
China’s CICC Said To Invite Investment Banks For Hong Kong IPO (English article)
Regulator To Discuss Unconditional Return Policy With 10 E-Commerce Firms (Chinese article)
ZTE (HKEx: 763) Raises Forecast for 6-Month Profit On Strong 4G Sales (Businesswire)
Vita Coco Coconut Water Sells 25 Pct Stake To Red Bull China (Businesswire)
E-commerce leader Alibaba is disclosing yet more information on itself and what investors can expect to get in its upcoming IPO, including a revised estimate of its valuation that puts it roughly on par with archrival Tencent (HKEx: 700). The company is also giving more details revealing just how little control investors will have over the company under a corporate structure that will put all management decisions in the hands of a small group of partners. Neither of these revelations is hugely surprising, and instead reflects just how closely everyone is watching an IPO that could be the largest technology offering of all time. Read Full Post…
When the history books are written, “cybersecurity” will go down as one of the key buzzwords for Sino-US relations in 2014, following a nonstop war of accusations between Beijing and Washington. In the latest twist to this story, leading broadcaster CCTV is warning Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) fans to beware of security risks posed by data tracking functions on their iPhones. The implication seems to be that Apple is working closely with government spies in Washington to secretly collect data on the whereabouts of iPhone users throughout China. It’s not really clear why anyone would want such information, but that doesn’t seem to be important to CCTV. Read Full Post…
The old saying “One man’s trash can be another man’s treasure” certainly seems pertinent for drug firm Luye Pharma (HKEx: 2186), which has found a receptive audience in Hong Kong for its newly listed shares. The company’s high valuation and strong trading debut contrast sharply with its performance during a previous life as a listed company in Singapore, where it was ignored by investors before privatizing in 2012.
Some analysts are saying Luye’s move could mark the start of a wave of similar re-listings for “China orphans” — Chinese firms that listed in New York or Singapore, only to see their shares languish due to lack of investor interest. But I would caution that Hong Kong investors are quite sophisticated and will still be looking for firms with strong growth potential — a quality that was lacking in many of the New York and Singapore-listed firms that privatized over the last 2 years. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 12-14. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Alibaba Estimates Own Market Value At $130 Bln (Chinese article)
China’s Hony Capital Snaps Up Pizza Express For $1.6 Bln (English article)
China’s 3 State-Owned Carriers Form Telecoms Tower Firm (English article)
China State TV Says Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone Creates Security Concern (English article)
Headphone Maker Beats Sues Chinese Counterfeiters For $135 Bln (English article)
Investors in China real estate service stocks have a short memory these days, reflecting the broader uncertainty in the country’s real estate market that could be on the edge of a major downturn. After a sharp sell-off earlier this week on concerns about a property bubble, shares of SouFun (NYSE: SFUN) have come bouncing back on news about equity tie-ups with 2 leading home agency companies. Shares of its 2 major listed peers, E-House (NYSE: EJ) and Leju (NYSE: LEJU), have also quickly bounced back from the brief sell-off as investors decided it might be premature to worry about a downturn. Read Full Post…
Two headlines are casting a spotlight on a love affair between China and Hollywood being fueled by a soaring Chinese box office that could one day surpass the US as the world’s largest. One of the news bits shows just how big the Chinese box office is becoming, with word that domestic ticket sales soared 25 percent in the first half of the year. The other headline highlights the growing number of partnerships that are springing up, with industry giant Shanghai Media Group (SMG) reportedly in a deal to buy Galloping Horse, a Beijing production house whose assets include the Hollywood Digital Domain special effects house. Read Full Post…
Customer loyalty poll highlights Xioami’s long march ahead
Cyberchatter over the past week was shining a spotlight on the huge task ahead for domestic Chinese smartphone makers, as they engage in cut-throat competition in their massive home market. A new survey posted by a top regional telecoms executive showed just how little loyalty Chinese customers feel towards most of the domestic brands, underscoring the fact that low prices are still their major attraction.
Meantime, fading e-commerce veteran Dangdang (NYSE: DANG) was also facing its own uphill battle, as its core online book business was reportedly on the cusp of being overtaken by much newer rival JD.com (Nasdaq: JD), China’s second largest player. True to his usual form, Dangdang’s talkative but short-sighted co-founder Li Guoqing was more focused on a new employee incentive plan than the looming negative milestone for a division that was once his company’s core business. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 11. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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A trio of cross-border news bits is highlighting the complexities in the China-US trade relationship, where accusations of cybersyping from both sides have raised tensions and threatened to derail business dealings in the sensitive high-tech space. All 3 news bits involve tech giant IBM (NYSE: IBM), which was one of the earliest and most active US tech firms to come to China, and thus stands to lose the most from recent tensions. Two of the headlines look relatively positive, including China’s approval of a multibillion-dollar M&A deal and IBM’s launch of a major new business initiative. The third looks more ominous, and has a top lender preparing to ditch its IBM servers in favor of homegrown products in a shift that looks highly political.
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 10. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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