The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 4. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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US Finds Unfair Subsidies Of Solar Imports From China (English article)
Alibaba Unveils “Lazy Man” VNO Mobile Service (Chinese article)
A half year after a scathing short-seller attack decimated its stock, security software maker NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ) is still trying to convince the world that it’s a serious company by boosting its revenue guidance and announcing a strategic tie-up for one of its US subsidiaries. Unfortunately, investors didn’t seem too impressed by the 2 pieces of upbeat news, though NQ shares did stage a modest rally after the announcements. That rally was what initially attracted my attention — until I realized that the company’s shares are now trading even lower than they were after the original massive sell-off following the short-seller attack last November. Read Full Post…
China’s fast-growing logistics sector got 2 shots in the arm last week, first when leading e-commerce company Alibaba made a major new offshore investment and then when a major foreign fund formed a domestic warehousing joint venture. The pair of investments are part of a flurry of new developments being driven by e-commerce, which is fueling huge demand for behind-the-scenes services like order fulfillment and product deliveries. Read Full Post…
German luxury automaker BMW (Frankfurt: BMW) is in 2 sets of China headlines today, coming under a media attack for its high prices as it separately announced it will bring its electric vehicles (EVs) to the market. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I might try to link these 2 pieces of news and say that BMW knew the media attack was coming, and made its EV announcement to try and deflect the negative publicity. But I really doubt these 2 pieces of news are related. Instead the new attack from leading broadcaster CCTV reflects one of the biggest and more unique dangers that major multinationals like BMW face in China. The EV announcement represents the kinds of counteroffensives such companies must launch to maintain a positive image. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 31-June 3. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Dutch Pension Fund APG Invests Up To $650 mln In China Warehouse Firm (English article)
Web Cleanup Expands With Investigation Of 14 Mobile Game Firms (Chinese article)
China Telecom (HKEx: 728) 2014 4G Capex to Reach 40 Bln Yuan (English article)
E-commerce leader Alibaba is forming some interesting new tie-ups with major multinationals, including a new strategic partnership with Dutch electronics giant Philips (Amsterdam: PHG) and a pairing between its recently acquired AutoNavi (Nasdaq: AMAP) online mapping division and leading German automaker Volkswagen (Frankfurt: VOWG). I’ve previously said I’m not a big fan of Alibaba’s recent M&A binge, as it looks a bit lacking in focus and could lead to operational headaches as the company tries to integrate so many different businesses. But these latest non-acquisitive tie-ups with major global partners look like a smarter strategy for expanding its reach as it prepares for a multibillion-dollar New York IPO. Read Full Post…
A few news bits and data points are spotlighting the big potential in China’s healthcare market over the next few years for companies that can tap into an overhaul of the national medical system. While that news looks good for healthcare companies overall, the limited universe of publicly traded firms available to western investors looks a bit spottier due to individual company issues. Regulatory issues could also be a risk, as highlighted by a new price fixing ruling against US drug giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JJ). Still, there could be some interesting buying opportunities for the right companies. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 30. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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E-commerce leader Alibaba is back in the headlines with its purchase of a stake in a Singaporean parcel delivery company, continuing its hyperactive acquisition spree that seems increasingly lacking in focus. Meantime, another e-commerce tie-up that I wrote about earlier this week has formally happened, with word that a new series of e-commerce channels run by JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) has begun to appear on one of the top screens for users of Tencent’s (HKEx: 700) popular WeChat mobile messaging service. Read Full Post…
Big publicly-traded state-run enterprises have suddenly begun flooding the market with billions of dollars in new preferred shares, ever since Beijing’s recent roll-out of reforms allow such fund raising. The trend initially looked like a way to recapitalize the nation’s major banks, many of which are sitting on mountains of problematic infrastructure loans made during China’s massive economic stimulus plan during the global financial crisis. But the trend has just taken an interesting twist with word that a major construction company is planning its own massive preferred share issue to raise up to $4.8 billion. Read Full Post…
The tech world was buzzing this past week over the launch of yet another domestic smartphone brand, though I’ll admit I was a bit puzzled by all the microblog posts from a wide range of executives. It was only after I consulted one of my Chinese friends that I realized the launch of the inaugural smartphone from domestic newcomer Smartisan was far less about a new product, and more about Luo Yonghao, China’s most famous English teacher. Meantime, newly rich tech executive Chen Ou was sending out his own series of microblog posts aimed at detractors who credited his family connections with the success of his newly listed online cosmetics seller Jumei International (NYSE: JMEI).
