Solar group offers solution for US-China trade spat
Following a landmark compromise in July that averted a China-EU trade war over solar panels, a major US trade group is offering its own proposal to end a similar spat between the US and China. While I’m no expert on this matter, I do think this latest plan from the US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) looks quite interesting and promising, both for its content and also because the group has engaged many of the parties involved in both the US and China. Not surprisingly, at least one major voice has already spoken out against the plan, with SolarWorld expressing skepticism about the proposal. Read Full Post…
Several solar panel companies are in the headlines once again, led by an news that bankrupt former superstar Suntech (NYSE: STP) is nearing a reorganization that will cost its stockholders most of their money. While that may sound bad, I personally don’t have much sympathy for anyone who continued to hold Suntech stock after the company started experiencing major problems about a year ago. Meantime, the news is a bit more positive for rivals Yingli (NYSE: YGE) and Renesola (NYSE: SOL), which both reported narrowing losses as outlook for the sector continues to improve with stabilizing and even rising prices for solar panels. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 21. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China Mobile (HKEx: 941) On Cusp Of Deal To Sell iPhone By Year End (Chinese article)
Alibaba In Talks With HKEx On Ownership Structure Ahead Of IPO-Sources (English article)
ZTE (HKEx: 763) To Reorganize Handset Business (English article)
Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) Announces Q2 Results (PRNewswire)
Qihoo 360, Sogou Search Traffic Share Up 1 Percentage Pt In July (English article)
Suntech, Canadian Solar feel new heat in sector overhaul
The latest news from Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) and Suntech (NYSE: STP) is casting a shadow over a nascent recovery for the embattled solar sector, as each company struggles to fix its broken finances pummeled by a two-year downturn. Canadian Solar has announced a plan to raise up to $50 million through a stock sale, while domestic media are reporting that bidding for bankrupt Suntech is moving ahead quickly, indicating the end may be near as an independent company for this former solar high-flyer. All this shows that investors shouldn’t get too bullish on solar companies just yet, even as Canadian Solar says it is still on target to post a profit for all of 2013. Read Full Post…
I’m officially calling today “Solar Friday”, as we’re getting bombarded with a sudden flurry of news that shows the sector is rebounding and could also see its first major merger. In the former category, earnings updates from Yingli (NYSE: YGE) and Trina (NYSE: TSL) are showing steady improvement for the embattled panel-making sector, while a quarterly report from Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) is showing the sudden improvements may already be starting to plateau. In the latter category, Chinese media are reporting that both Yingli and Trina are also showing interest in investing in Suntech (NYSE: STP), the former solar panel pioneer that is now in bankruptcy reorganization. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 9. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Trina (NYSE: TSL), Yingli (NYSE: YGE) Among Bidders For Suntech – Source (Chinese article)
Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) Reports Q2 Results (PRNewswire)
Tencent’s (HKEx: 700) 51Buy Adds Delivery Tracking Feature to Mobile App (English article)
After months of heated rhetoric, the voice of reason is growing between Europe and China as they seek to end their dispute over Beijing’s state support for its solar panel sector. In the latest sign that a potential agreement to resolve the dispute could be near, Beijing has decided not to levy punitive tariffs against European polysilicon, the main ingredient used in making solar panels. (English article) Many had seen China’s launch of an anti-dumping investigation into European and US polycilicon imports last year as a retaliatory move for similar US and European investigations into Chinese solar panels. Read Full Post…
A mini flurry of news from embattled solar panel makers seems to have the same singular message, designed to tell investors that they can survive an industry crisis now entering its third year. Of course the companies that emerge when the crisis finally subsidies could be far different from the ones that went into the crisis, which seems to be the message from LDK (NYSE: LDK) in its latest announcement involving its slow takeover by a Chinese investor. At the other end of the spectrum, the message from Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) is a more upbeat, with the company forecasting a return to profit for all of 2013 as it rolls out a new business model. Finally in the middle there’s Trina (NYSE: TSL), which is simply trying to show investors it’s capable of repaying its debt. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 3. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China Investigates Danone, Nestle on Milk-Powder Pricing (English article)
Japanese Car Sales in China Decline for Fourth Quarter (English article)
Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) To Redeem Outstanding Notes Due 2013 (PRNewswire)
Spreadtrum (Nasdaq: SPRD) Board Selects Advisor On Tsinghua Offer (PRNewswire)
Qihoo (NYSE: QIHU) a Winner in China Mobile Wars, Citigroup Says (English article)
China is quickly learning how to play the game of tit-for-tat trade wars, with news that Beijing has launched a new anti-dumping probe against wines imported from the European Union. Anyone who has followed recent China-EU trade relations will know, of course, that announcement of this new probe by the Commerce Ministry comes the same day that the EU formally announced anti-dumping tariffs against imported Chinese solar panels. Read Full Post…
China’s struggling solar panel makers must are slowly transforming into de facto state-owned enterprises as they take increasing loans from Beijing, with Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) becoming the latest to take a handout from the policy lender China Development Bank (CDB). If Beijing is trying to convince Europe and the US that it’s not unfairly supporting its solar sector, then this certainly isn’t the way to do it. But that said, I doubt that Canadian Solar or many of its peers could get financing to maintain their operations from any true private sector banks right now, as the future remains unclear for most due to their precarious financial positions. Read Full Post…
