Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 749
Google’s Blowout Quarter Reinforces AI-Driven Demand for Optical Infrastructure — A Boost for China’s Communications Suppliers
Alphabet’s strong quarterly results — faster search growth, 48% cloud revenue expansion and improved cloud margins — confirm that generative AI is moving into scalable, profitable products. That momentum is driving massive investment in optical interconnects and datacentre infrastructure, benefiting specialised communications suppliers and reflected in strong returns for funds concentrated in optical‑equipment makers. The shift raises strategic supply‑chain and policy questions as co‑packaged optics and silicon photonics become central to AI scale‑up.
Meituan Acquires Dingdong Maicai for $717m, Accelerating Consolidation of China’s Fresh‑Grocery Market
Meituan will acquire Dingdong Maicai for US$717 million, bringing the fast‑delivery grocer into its fold while excluding Dingdong’s overseas business. The deal consolidates China’s competitive fresh‑grocery sector and gives Meituan scale and logistics density that could improve last‑mile economics.
China’s Housing Delivery Crisis Eases: 7.5m Previously Undelivered Homes Handed Over as Sector Shifts to Repair
China has largely resolved the acute ‘delivery difficulty’ that left millions of pre-sold homes unfinished, completing roughly 7.5 million handovers by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan. Coordinated central and local interventions, white-list financing and legal measures have reduced immediate systemic risk, allowing developers to shift focus to debt restructuring and balance-sheet repair.
Panic and Purchase: Shenzhen’s Bullion Benches Run Dry as Gold Prices Swing Wildly
A historic, short-lived collapse in global gold prices left Shenzhen’s Shuibei bullion market short of physical bars as holiday-driven retail demand surged and upstream suppliers hoarded inventory to avoid realising losses. Analysts say the shock was triggered by a sudden reassessment of U.S. monetary policy risk and was amplified by crowded long positions, but medium-term drivers for gold — central-bank buying and geopolitical uncertainty — remain intact.
Maotai's Rally Reignites Talk of a Baijiu Bottom — But Seasonal Bounce or Structural Turn?
Kweichow Moutai’s shares and wholesale prices have both climbed in early February, rekindling speculation that China’s premium baijiu sector may be emerging from a multiyear trough. The move is supported by stronger seasonal demand, Moutai’s digital sales channel and modestly improved policy sentiment, but significant structural headwinds and divergent analyst valuations counsel caution.
WeChat Cuts Off Ma Huateng’s Viral Push: Yuanbao’s Red‑Envelope Stunt Blocked for Disrupting Chats
WeChat has blocked Yuanbao’s direct red‑envelope links after users complained about aggressive, task‑based sharing that flooded chats and groups. Yuanbao quickly pivoted to a password‑based sharing model, but the move raised questions about internal alignment at Tencent and the limits of viral acquisition inside dominant platforms.
Falling Behind in Anhui’s Liquor Wars: How Jinzhongzi Became the Weak Link among the 'Four Huijiu Champions'
Jinzhongzi Wine, Fuyang’s only listed baijiu producer, reported another loss in 2025, extending a multi‑year decline driven by a shrinking national market, mounting competition and strategic missteps after China Resources became a major investor. Despite management changes and asset sales, the company has failed to rebuild margins or scale, leaving it far behind Anhui’s leading distillers.
China’s HBN Pushes Growth with Ads, Not R&D — But Can an IPO Fix That?
Hujia Technology’s HBN has risen rapidly in China’s mid-to-high-end skincare market but relies heavily on advertising to drive sales. The company shows high gross margins offset by low net margins because roughly half of revenues are spent on promotion, while R&D investment remains modest. The upcoming Hong Kong IPO will test whether capital can shift the brand from marketing-driven growth to sustained, product-led profitability.
After a Price Shock, Chinese Savers Flock to Gold — and Wealth Managers Hesitate
A sharp late-January gold sell-off has paradoxically spurred Chinese retail demand for gold-linked wealth products, but internal disputes between product teams and risk departments are slowing institutional adoption. The outcome hinges on product design, risk mitigation, and whether banks accept more volatile assets amid falling fixed-income yields.
Chinese Lithium Carbonate Futures Plunge Nearly 11%, Rattling Battery Supply Chain
China's main lithium carbonate futures contract hit the daily limit down, falling 10.99% to 132,320 yuan/ton, a move that depressed lithium‑battery stocks and underscores tensions between near‑term oversupply and long‑term demand from EVs and energy storage. The plunge highlights short‑term market fragility and could squeeze upstream producers while adding uncertainty for battery and carmakers.
China’s Battery Makers Sweep the Globe: Domestic Firms Now Supply Over 70% of EV Cells
In 2025 Chinese battery manufacturers supplied over 70% of global EV battery installations and dominated the energy-storage market, SNE Research reports. CATL and BYD led the pack, while other Chinese firms climbed into the global top ten as Korean and Japanese incumbents lost ground amid shifting demand and mounting losses.
Silver’s Sudden Freefall Rocks Markets as Gold Sheds Safe‑Haven Shine
Spot silver plunged about 15% to below $75/oz while gold fell roughly 3%, triggering sharp falls in Chinese precious‑metals equities and a silver LOF product that hit its fourth straight limit‑down. Officials and market veterans attribute the discordant moves to speculative short‑term flows and silver’s higher sensitivity to sentiment compared with gold. The episode underscores how leveraged, retail‑heavy positioning in a thin market can amplify price moves and create domestic market stress even when gold remains a macro hedge.