Tag Archives: Uber

Uber in China latest financial, market & economic news and analysis by Doug Young, former Reuters Chief editor and expert about startup in China

News Digest: May 8, 2015

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 8. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) Names New CEO As Revenue Tops Views (English article)
  • 58.com (NYSE: WUBA) To Acquire Online Recruitment Site ChinaHR – Report (English article)
  • Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) Signs $250 Mln Loan With Minsheng Bank (PRNewswire)
  • Chinese Authorities Visit Uber’s Chengdu Office (English article)
  • Chinese Real Estate Site Aiwujiwu Closes $120 Mln Series D Funding (English article)
  • Latest calendar for Q1 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

News Digest: May 5, 2015

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 5. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • China Said To Probe Medical Device Firms On Bribe Suspicions (English article)
  • Uber’s Guangzhou Office Raided, Drivers’ Website Temporarily Shut (Chinese article)
  • Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) To Launch O2O E-commerce Platform Baidu Mall – Source (English article)
  • Video Site Baofeng Tech (Shenzhen: 300431) Rises 16-Fold In First 27 Trading Days (Chinese article)
  • Gree (Shenzhen: 000651) Starts Shipping Smartphones, Eyes 100,000 In First Round (Chinese article)
  • Latest calendar for Q1 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

News Digest: March 21-23, 2015

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on March 21-23. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Bacardi Challenges Baijiu With Tea-Based “Tang” Liquor Developed For China (Chinese article)
  • Yidao Welcomes Cooperation With Uber, Sees No Need For Merger (Chinese article)
  • Sohu’s (Nasdaq: SOHU) Sougou Eyes US IPO In 2nd Half 2015, Sees Value At $3 Bln (Chinese article)
  • Reuters (Toronto: TR) Websites Blocked In China (English article)
  • Youku Tudou (NYSE: YOKU) Hits 52-Week Low on Wider Q4 Loss, SEC Probe (English article)
  • Latest calendar for Q4 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

INTERNET: Baidu Steers Marriage Of Uber, Yidao

Bottom line: The Baidu-led union of Uber and Yidao in China looks like a smart move for all 3 parties, but could come under strain due to internal and external factors that could ultimately lead Baidu to buy out the venture.

Yidao, Uber to merge in China

China’s rapidly evolving paid car services realm is creating some strange marriages, bringing together e-commerce leader Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) and social networking giant Tencent (HKEx: 700) last month with a merger of their taxi app services. Now we’re getting word of another unusual marriage, this time as leading search engine Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) steers domestic heavyweight Yidao into a union with global giant Uber.

This latest deal would come just 3 months after Baidu made a large investment in Uber, reportedly worth $600 million, and would give Baidu a solid foothold in the fast-growing market for Internet-based car hiring services. China’s other 2 Internet majors, Tencent and Alibaba, already had major Internet hired car assets through their strategic stakes in industry leaders Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache, respectively, which surprised the industry when they announced a plan to merge last month. (previous post) Read Full Post…

News Digest: March 18, 2015

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on March 18. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Uber, Yidao To Merge Under Baidu-Led (Nasdaq: BIDU) Plan – Source (Chinese article)
  • Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) Post-IPO Lock-Up Period Ends, Releasing 340 Mln Shares (Chinese article)
  • Unicom Proposes Plan To Buy Back Up To 10 Pct Of Shares (HKEx announcement)
  • Phoenix Satellite TV Announces Full-Year 2014 Results (HKEx announcement)
  • Solar Power Installation To Hit 17.8 Gigawatts This Year, Ahead Of Forecasts (Chinese article)
  • Latest calendar for Q4 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

INTERNET: Taxi App Mega-Merger Hits Monopoly Speed Bump

Bottom line: China’s regulators are unlikely to veto the merger of taxi apps Didi and Kuaidi, and should encourage similar consolidation to allow for creation of Internet firms that can be globally competitive.

Yongche accuses Didi-Kuaidi of creating monopoly

Just a day after China’s leading 2 taxi apps announced their plan to merge, a series of observers are voicing concerns that the marriage would be anti-competitive and should be vetoed on antitrust grounds. The sudden debate about the merger of Kuaidi Dache and Didi Dache isn’t too surprising, since it would create a company that would control the vast majority of China’s market for taxi and private car services. But the regulator will need to decide whether such talk of monopoly is justified, since in many ways the newly merged company is still quite small and will also face strong competition from global rivals. Read Full Post…

GUEST POST: Why Uber’s Global Expansion Won’t Succeed, Especially In China

Bottom line: Uber will face a difficult time in its global expansion due to poor understanding of local markets and lack of control of its rental fleets.

By Lu Jin

Uber faces uphill road in China

In the last few days, while I was still pondering the big news about a $600 million investment by China’s leading search engine Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) in Uber (English article), the more powerful news broke that the car service provider had quadrupled its fares during the Sydney cafe hostage crisis this week in Australia. This kind of hasty and poorly conceived move convinced me once again that Uber’s global expansion will not succeed in many global markets, especially one like China. Read Full Post…

News Digest: December 18, 2014

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 18. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) To Buy Uber Stake In Challenge To Alibaba In China (English article)
  • Dalian Wanda Sets IPO Price At HK$48, Near Upper End Of Range (Chinese article)
  • Avon (NYSE: AVN) Ends Bribery Probe Tied to China With Guilty Plea, Fine (English article)
  • US Confirms Duties On Solar Goods From China, Taiwan (English article)
  • Unicom (HKEx: 762), China Telecom (HKEx: 728) To Expand LTE Trial Networks (Chinese article)

News Digest: December 17, 2014

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 17. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Geely (HKEx: 175) 2014 Profit Drops 50 Pct On Forex Loss In Russia (HKEx announcement)
  • Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) To Announce $600 Mln Investment In Uber – Source (Chinese article)
  • Insurer Delta Lloyd (Amsterdam: DLL) Sells Belgian Bank To China’s Anbang (English article)
  • Xiaomi Allowed To Resume Sales In India (Chinese article)
  • Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) Announces Strategic Partnership With Coolpad (HKEx: 2369) (PRNewswire)

News Digest: December 12, 2014

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 12. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Momo (Nasdaq: MOMO) Shares Shrug Off Allegations Against CEO In Debut (English article)
  • NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ) Announces Resignation Of Chairman, Co-CEO Lin (PRNewswire)
  • Xiaomi Accused Of Copying Air Purifier Design From Japanese Firm (Chinese article)
  • Sony’s (Tokyo: 6753) PlayStation To Make China Debut Next Month (English article)
  • Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Invests In Uber – Source (English article)