Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 749
Silver Collapses as Chinese Night Futures Turn Red: Metals, Tin and Copper Suffer Broad Sell-off
China’s night session saw a broad sell‑off in commodity futures, with silver plunging more than 13% and gold down around 2%. The move, mirrored by declines in base metals and weaker US futures, appears driven by sudden deleveraging and a shift to risk‑off sentiment, exposing vulnerabilities in leveraged onshore investment products.
Meituan’s $717m Bet on Dingdong Maicai: Consolidation of China’s Instant Grocery Wars
Meituan has acquired Dingdong Maicai’s China business for an initial $717 million, absorbing a network of over 1,000 front-line warehouses and more than seven million monthly users. The deal strengthens Meituan’s instant-grocery capabilities and reflects broader consolidation as high fulfilment costs and thin margins push standalone fresh-retail specialists into the arms of platform giants.
Executive Exodus and Mounting Losses Leave Regional Baijiu Maker TianYouDe on the Brink
TianYouDe, a regional Qinghai baijiu producer, faces a management exodus and a sharp earnings collapse, with 2025 net profit forecast to slump by up to 90% while inventory sits at five years' worth of sales. Operational inefficiency, failed overseas expansion and weak distributor confidence have left the company exposed as national brands encroach and consumer demand cools.
China’s ‘First Grain Stock’ Hit with Regulatory Rebuke After Subsidiary’s Fake Trades Inflate Revenue
Hunan regulators found that a Jinjian Rice Industry subsidiary used circular, empty trades from 2020–2022 to improperly inflate revenue by over RMB 586 million. The company was ordered to correct disclosures and four former executives received warning letters and were added to the securities‑market integrity file. Jinjian has since divested trading units and repositioned toward grain and oil processing to reduce trading exposure.
NIO Signals Profit Turnaround — U.S. Shares Jump After First Adjusted Quarterly Operating Profit Guidance
NIO told investors it expects its first-ever single‑quarter adjusted operating profit for Q4 2025, driving an 8.6% pre‑market rise in its U.S. shares. The company cites stronger sales, a richer product mix and cost controls as drivers, but the guidance is non‑GAAP and sustainability will hinge on continued margin discipline and demand amid fierce competition.
How a Reddit-Fuelled Silver Frenzy Became a Mass Liquidation — and a Payday for Banks
A retail‑led mania in silver, fuelled by Reddit and heavy inflows into SLV, sent prices sharply higher before a rapid 40% crash triggered by steep CME margin increases. Forced liquidations and a wide ETF discount handed large arbitrage profits to institutions with access to liquidity and authorised‑participant privileges, leaving many small investors wiped out. The rout highlights structural imbalances between leveraged retail traders and well‑capitalised institutions, and will likely spur regulatory and market‑structure scrutiny.
China’s ‘Boomerang’ Tickets: Young Travellers Turn Cheap Layovers into Mini‑Holidays
Chinese young travellers are exploiting interline pricing and expanded transfer services to buy "boomerang" tickets: cheap multi‑segment fares that include long layovers for sightseeing before returning home overland. The trend reflects price sensitivity, holiday‑stacking behaviours and spare capacity at regional airports, and has implications for airlines, hotels, OTAs and policy makers seeking to smooth travel demand.
Why Selling Spring Couplets Turned a TV-Host-Turned-Streamer Into a Target: The Politics of China’s Live‑commerce Shake‑up
A minor livestream sale of inexpensive spring couplets by popular host Dong Yuhui ignited disproportionate criticism framed as cultural and social harm. The episode exposes a deeper conflict between entrenched distribution interests and a rising class of livestream anchors whose factory‑to‑consumer model lowers prices and challenges incumbents' margins.
Moutai’s Comeback: How Direct Sales and Dynamic Pricing Re‑centred China’s Consumer Rally
Kweichow Moutai’s stock rallied after the company expanded direct sales of its flagship Feitian product and implemented more flexible pricing, pushing its market value to about ¥1.94 trillion and lifting consumer sectors. The move has sharpened investor perceptions of Moutai as a consumption bellwether, even as precious metals saw a sharp, leverage‑driven pullback.
China’s 2026 Outlook: Yao Yang Sees Stable U.S.-China Ties but Warns Housing Will Decide the Recovery
Economist Yao Yang predicts a period of relative stability in U.S.‑China relations in 2026, arguing that strategic retrenchment in Washington will reduce bilateral volatility. He warns, however, that China’s domestic recovery depends on housing prices and local government spending, and urges large, explicit central fiscal support to revive demand.
Mercedes Hands China the Keys: New S‑Class Debut Highlights Beijing as R&D Hub for Global Luxury Tech
Mercedes’s mid‑cycle S‑Class update — redesigning over 2,700 parts — makes China both the launch pad for new assisted‑driving and parking features and the lead developer of the rear‑seat entertainment system. The move reflects a strategic shift: China is increasingly an R&D and innovation hub whose locally developed technologies will be rolled out globally, while Mercedes pursues a flexible product mix across combustion and electric drivetrains.
China Opens Hainan to Duty‑Free In‑Island Shopping — But Limits and Controls Come First
China’s finance, customs and tax authorities have authorised a zero‑tariff scheme for qualifying imported goods bought by residents inside Hainan Free Trade Port, exempting customs duties, VAT and consumption tax within a positive list and an annual per‑person cap of RMB 10,000. The policy applies to Hainan residents and foreign residents with permits, requires purchases at designated duty‑free shops, forbids resale, and places anti‑smuggling responsibilities with the Hainan government.