Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 749
From Spectacle to Squeeze: China’s Humanoid-robot Rental Market Shifts from Gold Rush to Price War
China’s humanoid-robot rental market has shifted from an initial post-Gala gold rush to a deep price correction driven by brand proliferation and platform competition. Operators are refocusing on logistics, after-sales and service models while the 2026 Spring Festival Gala looms as a decisive test of which makers can combine reliability and customisability.
Coastal Giants Still Spend Most as Inland Provinces Drive China’s 2025 Retail Surge
In 2025 Jiangsu, Guangdong and Shandong were China’s largest retail markets, each topping four trillion yuan in social retail sales, while inland provinces Shaanxi, Hebei and Henan posted the fastest growth. The patterns reflect structural differences in population, urbanisation and targeted subsidy policies, with implications for China’s domestic demand strategy and foreign firms seeking Chinese market opportunities.
CK Hutchison Launches ICC Arbitration After Panama Court Moves to Void Port Concessions
CK Hutchison said it will pursue ICC arbitration after Panama’s Supreme Court and government actions that the company says breach the legal framework for two port concessions run by its 90%-owned subsidiary, Panama Ports Company. The move highlights legal, operational and geopolitical risks for foreign investors and could have wider implications for shipping through the Panama Canal.
Nearly 5 Million New Investors Flood A‑shares in January as Liquidity Hits Record Highs
January 2026 saw 4.92 million new A‑share accounts opened — the most in any month of 2025 and the fifth‑highest monthly total on record — coinciding with record turnover and positive index performance. While the surge and strong liquidity support a medium‑term ‘‘slow bull’’ case, seasonal funding pressures and margin rule changes created a late‑month pullback that highlights ongoing volatility risks.
China’s Economic Powerhouses Lower 2026 Growth Targets, Pointing to a Softer National Aim
Major Chinese provinces have trimmed their 2026 GDP growth targets, with six of the top ten lowering their goals and Guangdong setting its target below 5% for the first time since 2000. Analysts see the moves as a realistic response to structural limits, debt adjustment and a policy tilt toward quality over quantity, raising the likelihood of a national target in the 4.5–5% range.
Off-Season Rebound: China’s Big-City Second‑Hand Housing Market Warms Ahead of Spring
Second‑hand home sales in China’s four first‑tier cities have warmed in January despite the traditional off‑season, led by Beijing and Shanghai where transactions rose while listings fell. The rebound is concentrated in core districts and school‑district properties and reflects a mix of policy support, reduced asking inventories and recovering buyer confidence, though price recovery remains uneven and fragile.
After a Whiplash Week for Precious Metals, Is the Gold Rally Still Intact?
A dramatic January swing saw gold spike to near $5,600 then fall almost 9% in a single day before rebounding, exposing the fragility of a momentum‑driven rally. Analysts say the sell‑off was driven by profit‑taking, margin hikes and a reaction to a hawkish Fed nominee, but many argue the underlying structural case for metals — central‑bank buying and questions about the dollar — remains intact.
China’s “Gilded” Snacks: Why Mall‑Boutique Nuts Have Triggered a Consumer Backlash
High‑end Chinese snack brands have moved traditional roasted seeds and nuts from street stalls into glossy mall stores, prompting sticker‑shock and online backlash as prices climb into the hundreds of yuan per jin. The premium push is driven by mall costs, higher‑grade raw materials and craft processes, but it collides with entrenched consumer expectations and a category that lacks coffee‑style habitual demand.
China Pushes EVs and Rural Consumption While Tightening Auto Data Controls — What It Means for Global Auto Markets
China’s central government has made rural consumption and NEV adoption a policy priority while issuing stricter rules on automotive data leaving the country. Complementary municipal support in Shanghai and robust private financing in autonomy and supply-chain contracts signal expanding demand and deepening domestic capabilities, even as data governance raises compliance costs for foreign firms.
Insiders Cash Out as Pickled‑Cabbage Champion Sees Profits Slide by About 70%
Zhu Laoliu’s controlling family and two executives sold about RMB 47.41 million of shares after the company reported multi‑year revenue and profit declines. Net profit fell from RMB 64.04m in 2022 to RMB 18.40m in 2024 and margins have eroded sharply, prompting investor concern and signalling challenges for the pickled‑vegetable maker on the Beijing Stock Exchange.
China’s Mulinsen Posts First Annual Loss Since Listing as It Buys Upstream LED Chipmaker
Mulinsen (木林森) warned of its first annual loss since going public in 2015, forecasting a 2025 net loss of 11–15 billion yuan. The company is simultaneously buying a controlling stake in Purui Optoelectronics to secure LED chip and packaging capabilities, a long-term strategic bet that won’t offset near-term financial pain.
China’s Xintianxia Seeks Hong Kong IPO Despite Weak Margins and Questionable Market Claims
Xintianxia, a Chinese fabless designer of NOR and SLC NAND Flash, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO despite falling revenues, low gross margins relative to peers and past regulatory warnings over disclosure. The company’s profitability lags larger rivals largely because of a product mix tilted to lower-capacity, lower-margin parts and a decision to report market share only among Fabless peers, which may give a distorted view of its competitive position.