Tag Archives: Qunar

Qunar company news. Find out the latest breaking news for Qunar Cayman Islands Limited (QUNR).
Overview of an expert, doug Young.
Qunar, one of China’s largest online travel booking platforms, plans to expand its mobile business with a new $500 million investment

INTERNET: Baidu Sells Game Unit in Relentless March to AI

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Bottom line: Baidu’s sale of its mobile game unit represents a broader shedding of non-search assets as it moves into artificial intelligence, though it’s far from clear how AI will provide a future business model.

Baidu continues AI migration

Search giant Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) is in yet another headline today that reflects its latest attempt at transformation from its original search business to an artificial intelligence (AI) specialist. This time the development is relatively incremental, with word that Baidu has formally sold off its inconsequential mobile games division for an equally inconsequential sum of 1.2 billion yuan ($174 million).

This particular news comes just days after Baidu founder Robin Li issued a letter to all employees talking about the first official change to his company’s mission statement in its 17 year history. (English article) That move seemed a bit overly dramatic to me, and resembled Li’s similar talk about putting all his energy into mobile search a few years ago. It all seems to be part of Li’s broader personality, that leaves him itching to do something new every 2 or 3 years. Read Full Post…

INTERNET: Baidu’s AI Obsession Spawns New Silicon Valley Center

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Bottom line: Baidu’s opening of a new artificial intelligence lab in Silicon Valley is the latest move in its AI obsession, which is likely to end in failure and a quiet pullback in around two years due to mediocre execution.

Baidu in new Silicon Valley R&D lab

I’m officially dubbing Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) chief executive Robin Li the “two-year attention span man”, with word that the company is setting up a new Silicon Valley office in the rush to build up its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. If any one of China’s “big three” Internet chiefs deserves the title of “short attention span” man, it’s most definitely Robin Li. As far as I can remember, Li has been a “flavor of the moment” guy who fixates on the latest daily hot trend, most often to jettison the idea around 2 years later when it falls out of fashion. Read Full Post…

TRAVEL: Ctrip Revs up in Q4, Set to Soar?

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Bottom line: Ctrip’s profits could double or more this year following its successful digestion of Qunar, providing some upside to its stock.

Ctrip shares set to take off?

As earnings season for US-listed Chinese stocks hits full throttle, I thought I’d take a look at the latest results from Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP), which are sending mixed but generally positive signals. That’s because Ctrip is in the process of digesting former archrival Qunar (Nasdaq: QUNR), which was the industry’s second largest player but is also losing quite a bit of money.

Ctrip pulled off the coup of the century a couple of years ago when it forged a deal that gave it a controlling stake of Qunar, acquiring the shares from former majority shareholder Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU). I personally thought that deal should have received some regulatory scrutiny since it combined the top two players in the space. But the regulator apparently thought otherwise, or simply approved the deal if it was even asked. Read Full Post…

INTERNET: Baidu Tackles Profit-Challenged Nuomi, Takeout Dining

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Bottom line: Baidu could soon make big cuts at Nuomi and sell or spin off the unit by year end, while it will also put its takeout dining unit on a strict diet that forces it to show a clear path to profitability by year end.

Nuomi set for haircut in 2017?

After years of hemorrhaging money from its newer online-to-offline (O2O) businesses, leading search engine Baidu (Nasdaq: BIUD) may finally be saying enough is enough. That seems to be the message coming from new reports that say the company has launched a campaign to improve performance at its massive businesses that combine real-world services like watching movies and buying restaurant food with web-based ordering systems.

The reports point to Baidu’s Nuomi group buying site as a particular center where the clean-up campaign has begun, but I also suspect a similar move may be taking place at its equally massive and money-losing takeout dining service. That pair of new businesses are massive cash-burners at Baidu, alongside the company’s iQiyi online video service and its Qunar (Nasdaq: QUNR) online travel agent. Read Full Post…

TRAVEL: Ctrip Takes Aim at Airbnb with Tujia Tie-Up

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Bottom line: Homestay specialist Tujia could make a play to  merge with the China operations of Airbnb, following its major new tie-up with leading online travel sites Ctrip and Qunar. 

Ctrip ties with Tujia

Leading online travel agent Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) is back to doing what it knows best, neutralizing competition through formation of savvy alliances with its rivals. In this case the company is taking aim at the market for short-term stays at private homes, with its announcement of a major new tie-up with homegrown industry leader Tujia. That alliance is seeing Ctrip merge its own homestay business with Tujia, in what looks like a clear shot at global leader and sector pioneer Airbnb. Read Full Post…

China News Digest: October 21, 2016

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The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on October 21. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Announces Financial Results for First 3 Quarters (HKEx announcement)
  • Homestay Business of Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) and Qunar Acquired by Tujia (PRNewswire)
  • China iOS App Store Passes US in Sales to Become World’s Largest – Report (Chinese article)
  • Walmart (NYSE: WMT) Opens Flagship Store on JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) (Chinese article)
  • Giant Interactive to Buy Online Game Maker Playtika for 30.5 Bln Yuan (Chinese article)
  • Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

China News Digest: October 20, 2016

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The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on October 20. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • LeEco Launches in US With Phones, TVs and Paid Video Streaming Service (English article)
  • Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) Targets 5,000 Stores in Mainland China by 2021 (Businesswire)
  • Alibaba (NYSE: BABA), Suning in 1 Bln Yuan E-Commerce JV (Chinese article)
  • B2B Wine E-commerce Platform E Jiupi Wins $100 Mln Series C Funding (English article)
  • Qunar (Nasdaq: QUNR) Enters Into Definitive Agreement for Going Private (GlobeNewswire)
  • Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

China News Digest: October 18, 2016

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The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on October 18. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) Files Patent Suits Against Meizu in US, Germany, France (Chinese article)
  • US Approves NXP (Nasdaq: NXPI) to Sell Standard Products Business to China Buyer (GlobeNewswire)
  • Wanda Hires ex-Disney (NYSE: DIS) Exec to Lead Theme Park Drive – Source (English article)
  • Qunar (Nasdaq: QUNR) Resumes Relationship With Airlines After 3 Month Break (Chinese article)
  • Suntech Announces Withdrawal from EU Price Undertaking (PRNewswire)
  • Latest calendar for Q3 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

IPOs: Toncheng Goes Slow, ZTO Express Hits Doubters

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Bottom line: Tongcheng’s lack of hurry to make an IPO reflects confidence about its cash position due to new backing from Wanda, while ZTO’s high profitability looks unusual amid huge losses reported by most of its rivals.

Tongcheng in no hurry to IPO

A couple of IPO stories are in the headlines as the new week begins, led by word that online travel site Tongcheng  is in no hurry to make a listing, following its link-up last week with the cash-rich Wanda Group. At the same time, delivery company ZTO Express, which is in a bigger hurry to list, is raising some doubts among observers who say the fat profits announced in its IPO prospectus are at huge contrast with peers in China’s highly competitive parcel delivery sector. Read Full Post…

TRAVEL: Wanda Challenges Ctrip with Tongcheng Merger

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Bottom line: Tongcheng’s merger with Wanda’s travel unit could create a strong new rival to counter Ctrip, and could become even stronger through a potential future tie-up or merger with HNA-backed Tuniu.

Tongcheng merges with Wanda Travel

For more than a year Internet giant Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) has seemed almost invincible, buying up most of its major rivals one by one to consolidate its position as the nation’s leading travel agent. But the company may finally be coming up against a major rival in its bid to dominate the lucrative sector, with word that real estate and entertainment giant Wanda has bought up Tongcheng, one of Ctrip’s  last remaining  major rivals.

This particular tie-up is slightly unusual, as Ctrip previously invested around $200 million for a stake  that was reportedly as high as 30 percent in Tongcheng, according to media reports a couple of years ago. (previous post)  That would have valued Tongcheng at about $650 million, which is a fraction of the valuation of more than 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) that Tongcheng was worth, based on the latest investment by Wanda.  Read Full Post…

TRAVEL: Ctrip in $2.2 Bln Cash Raising, Offshore Buy in Sight?

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Bottom line: Ctrip’s massive new bond and share offer could raise up to $2.2 billion, and portends a major offshore acquisition in the next 6 months.

Ctrip in $2.2 bln cash raising plan

Online travel agent Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) has just announced a complex plan to raise up to $2.2 billion in cash, in one of the biggest fund-raising exercises I’ve seen by a Chinese Internet company. The huge sum, combined with Ctrip’s existing large cash reserves, raises the obvious question of what this fast-growing company might be planning to do with all that money. One obvious answer is that Ctrip is planning a major offshore acquisition, reflecting its new global aspirations after quietly eliminating most of its local competition to dominate the lucrative China market. Read Full Post…