Bottom line: Wanda’s new e-commerce initiative looks overvalued following a recent investment, but could have the resources and expertise it needs to pose a serious challenge to Alibaba and JD.com.
Wanda raises money for e-commerce JV
Fresh from the successful listing of its core real estate arm, Wanda Group is pushing full-steam ahead into another major new initiative in e-commerce, aiming to challenge industry leaders Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) and JD.com (Nasdaq: JD). Wanda’s colorful and very wealthy founder Wang Jianlin was busy talking up his e-commerce initiative this week, announcing a major new funding and important new partner for the project. Wang has forged ahead in several new areas over the past year, including hotels, theme parks and movie theaters, as he attempts to build up an entertainment empire to rival global names like Disney (NYSE: DIS). Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on January 7. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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US Solar Tariff Review Hints At Halved Chinese Cells Rate (English article)
TCL (Shenzhen: 000100) Invests $100 Mln In Wanda’s E-commerce JV (English article)
Kuaidi Taxi App May Raise $800 Mln In New Funding Round (Chinese article)
Drugmaker Sues Tencent (HKEx: 700) Over Rumors Circulating On WeChat (Chinese article)
NDRC Approves Private Investment Plan For Sinopec (HKEx: 386) Retail Unit
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on January 6. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Tencent-backed (HKEx: 700) WeBank Gets The Ball Rolling With First Loan (English article)
Wanda E-Commerce Initiative To Go Online In Fourth Quarter (Chinese article)
Bottom line: Wanda will face a steep uphill climb in electronic payments following its purchase of 99Bill, while UnionPay will continue to grow rapidly overseas as more Chinese travelers and businesses go abroad.
Wanda buys control of 99Bill
Two big news bits from the electronic payments space are in the headlines as we round out 2014, led by news of a major new acquisition by property giant Wanda Group just days after a Hong Kong IPO for its core shopping mall unit. The other new revolves around industry giant UnionPay, which has feasted on outbound Chinese tourist and business spending to pass larger global rivals MasterCard (NYSE: MA) and Visa (NYSE: V) for issuing credit cards in nearby South Korea. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: Haitong’s new share offer is capitalizing on strong sentiment toward brokerages and could be used to fund an overseas purchase, while Wanda’s theme park foray looks too aggressive and is likely to run into problems.
Haitong raises $3.9 bln in share sale
Big fund-raising is in the headlines today as we head into the end of 2014, with real estate giant Dalian Wanda continuing to talk up its upcoming blockbuster IPO as Haitong Securities (HKEx: 6837; Shanghai: 600837) takes advantage of positive market sentiment to make a major new share float. Both plays come as Hong Kong and the US get set to officially wrap up a banner year for fund raising by Chinese companies, fueled by strong investor sentiment. Everyone is racing to finish their fund raising before December 31, since the first quarter of the year is typically a quiet period for such activity and there’s no guarantee this wave of positive sentiment will last into 2015. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: Upcoming Hong Kong IPOs for nuclear energy firm CGN Power and real estate developer are likely to do well, while a third listing for car maker BAIC could get a more lukewarm reception.
Dalian Wanda seeks approval for $6 bln HK IPO
New York has posted a banner year for Chinese IPOs, culminating with the record-breaking $25 billion listing for Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) in September. But Hong Kong is showing it still has plenty to offer too, with a flurry of major new listings coming in the final month of 2015. At least 3 major new offerings are bubbling around the headlines as we head into December, led by one for China’s largest nuclear plant builder, CGN Power Co. Meantime, Beijing-based auto maker BAIC and property giant Dalian Wanda are also revving up for what could well be 2 of the biggest listings for the year. Read Full Post…
There’s a bit of buzz in the travel space today, with word of major new initiatives in the hotel and airline sectors for global hotelier Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) and domestic real estate titan Wanda Group. The former will see Hilton roll out the welcome mat for one of its main low-cost brands in China, taking aim at names like Home Inns (Nasdaq: HMIN) and China Lodging Group (Nasdaq: HTHT). The latter move has Wanda’s talkative founder Wang Jianlin discussing a potential new airline launch, as his company also makes a big push into the travel and leisure sector. Read Full Post…
I’ve stopped using the term “love affair” to describe the romance between Hollywood and China over the last 2 years, as it no longer seems sufficient to describe the flood of tie-ups that have emerged since China became the world’s second largest box office. The Long March of new deals has now gained 2 more members, with word that US film giant Warner Bros (NYSE: TWX) is in a major new movie financing deal with Shanghai Media Group (SMG), China’s leading regional maker of filmed entertainment. In a separate headline, other reports are saying that real estate giant Wanda Group is also deepening its own involvement in movie industry finance, by filing to make a domestic IPO for its movie theater business. Read Full Post…
Wanda Group is already one of China’s leading commercial property owners, and now it’s taking aim at the fast-growing travel sector with word that it’s purchased a major travel agency in affluent Zhejiang province. There’s no financial detail on the deal, but the purchase should help to bolster Wanda’s position that has already made it China’s leading travel company just 2 years after its formation. The group could ultimately become one of China’s leading integrated travel and leisure companies if it eventually lists, providing an attractive alternative to the crowded field of publicly listed firms like online travel agent Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) and leading hotel operator Home Inns (Nasdaq: HMIN). Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 16. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Lenovo (HKEx: (992) To Set Up Internet-Focused Smart Device Firm In China (Businesswire)
Wanda Group Travel Unit Buys Zhejiang Everbright Travel Agency (Chinese article)
Integrated Circuit Investment Fund Set Up, Led By Tsinghua Unigroup (Chinese article)
TAL Education (NYSE: XRS) Leads $70 Mln Funding For US Minerva Project (PRNewswire)
Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) Targets 10 Pct Mobile Search Share By Year-End (English article)
Hong Kong may be disappointed about losing the world’s biggest Internet IPO with the imminent trading debut of Alibaba in New York, but it’s getting a nice consolation prize with word of a major new listing plan by top commercial property developer Wanda Group. The Wanda reports are getting much less coverage than they might normally due to Alibaba fever, which will see the Chinese e-commerce leader raise more than $20 billion when its shares start trading on Friday in New York. But at up to $6 billion, the IPO for Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties will still qualify as one of the world’s biggest offerings for 2014. Read Full Post…
