Big privatization deals are never easy, as we’re seeing with signs that a buyout plan launched by the controlling shareholder of online game firm Shanda Games (Nasdaq: GAME) is rapidly unraveling. Shanda Games’ parent, Shanda Interactive, launched the plan back in January, as part of a broader wave of similar privatizations for undervalued US-listed Chinese companies. Shanda Interactive is saying the buyout is still alive, though other shareholders are clearly growing skeptical, based on Shanda Games latest stock price. Read Full Post…
Tag Archives: Carlyle
Private Equity In Focus With New Firm, Fosun Bank
An exciting trend is building momentum on China’s private equity scene, with a new generation of more entrepreneurial firms taking shape to compete on the global stage with traditional giants like Carlyle (Nasdaq: CG), KKR and TPG. One of the most active of those firms is the privately owned Fosun, which has become a regular headline maker due to its recent string of global acquisitions. Now the company is in the news once more, with word that it may soon become one of only a handful of companies in China to get a license to operate a private bank. In other private equity news, the highly anticipated launch of a major new player with strong ties to Shanghai’s financial community has finally come with the formal debut of China Minsheng Investment Corp (CMIC). Read Full Post…
Logistics Gets Boost With Dutch Investment
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…
News Digest: May 20, 2014
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 20. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- JD.com Acquires Russian E-commerce Platform – Source (English article)
- Carlyle Joins Consortium In Shanda Games (Nasdaq: GAME) Buyout (PRNewswire)
- Cheesecake Factory (Nasdaq: CAKE) In Agreement To Expand To Asia (Businesswire)
- New Private Equity Firm Zhongmin Formally Registers, Eyes Solar (Chinese article)
- Vipshop (NYSE: VIPS), Ctrip, Soufun Plan Small Loan Subsidiaries – Source (English article)
- Latest calendar for Q1 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
NY Fund, AsiaInfo Investments Raise Citic’s Global Profile
The growing field of big Chinese global investors has gained a new member, with word that a unit of Citic Group, one of the nation’s oldest conglomerates, is taking a stake in a major new fund being set up in New York. Word of that deal comes as Citic Capital wraps up another major deal, as it finally closes its long and difficult plan to buy out New York-listed telecoms software maker AsiaInfo-Linkage (Nasdaq: ASIA). Both deals underscore not only Citic’s own aspirations as a global investor, but also the broader rise of Chinese private equity firms on the world stage as they aim to compete with big western names like KKR and Carlyle. Read Full Post…
Outbound M&A Starts Strong In 2014
After logging another strong year in 2013, outbound acquisitions by Chinese firms are getting off to another strong start in the New Year with 3 major new deals in the headlines last week. These latest deals reflect a broad range of targets, both in terms of industries and company health, in a welcome relief from an old pattern that saw Chinese companies often chase sickly, troubled western firms. Read Full Post…
LightInTheBox, Mengniu In New Foreign Tie-Ups
Leading domestic dairy company Mengniu (HKEx: 2319) and e-commerce company LightInTheBox (NYSE: LITB) are in the headlines with new foreign tie-ups, including a joint venture for the former and a modest acquisition for the latter. I personally find the Mengniu development more interesting and significant, as it marks the latest move in the company’s drive to become China’s leading dairy products maker and positions it for an eventual global expansion. But investors were much more excited by the LightInTheBox move, which sparked a major rally for the firm’s languishing shares. Read Full Post…
News Digest: August 30, 2013
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 30. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Carlyle, Shanghai Yupei To Invest $200 Mln On China Logistics Warehouses (Businesswire)
- Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) Acquires Online Literature Site Xuan Guoke – Source (English article)
- ICBC (HKEx: 1398) Announces Interim Financial Results (HKEx announcement)
- China Auto Rental Leaning Toward Hong Kong IPO, Chairman Says (English article)
- Citic Securities (HKEx: 6030) Proposes Entry To Metals Trading (HKEx announcement)
- Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
Mengniu Drives Needed Dairy Consolidation
Mengniu’s (HKEx: 2319) new announcement of its third major tie-up in the last month marks the latest step in an important and necessary consolidation for a battered Chinese dairy sector that has been in turmoil for the last 5 years. This kind of retrenchment, which includes a healthy dose of participation by foreign firms, is exactly the kind of medicine that China needs to restore consumer confidence to its fragmented and often unruly food sectors. Read Full Post…
Lashou Seeks Partner, Focus De-Lists
Today I want to take a look at the latest developments from 2 companies that have both tried to play in the US stock markets, but ultimately found out that international investors can be a fickle group. In both cases, outdoor advertising specialist Focus Media and group buying specialist LaShou discovered that foreign equity markets can be quite lucrative and prestigious, especially for up-and-coming Chinese firms that can make successful IPOs. But both firms have also discovered those same markets can also be brutal places for Chinese companies that aren’t used to dealing with sophisticated institutional investors, hedge funds and short sellers that are active in those markets.
Focus Media Move Caps Tough Year For China 分众传媒为中国艰难的一年画上句号
This year will go down as one that most US-listed Chinese companies would like to forget, and now outdoor advertising specialist Focus Media (Nasdaq: FMCN) is giving a suitable send-off for 2012 with word that its plan to privatize and de-list is nearing completion. This latest development followed earlier word that one of the investors planning to provide $200 million to help fund Focus Media’s plan had backed out of the deal due to concerns about inadequate returns. (previous post) Now media are reporting that Focus has just signed the last agreement it will need to complete the deal, which will formally be carried out by a company called Giovanna Acquisition Ltd. (Chinese article)
