Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 2066
China’s EV Upstarts Face a March Reckoning as February Sales Show Early Winners — and Deepening Divergence
February deliveries underscored a widening split among China’s new‑energy vehicle startups: Leapmotor and Li Auto held relative strength while many peers experienced steep month‑on‑month declines. With financing incentives proliferating and a concentrated march of new model launches scheduled for March–April, product execution, ADAS scalability and cost control will determine who sustains growth as sector expansion slows in 2026.
Tungsten Quadruples as Funds Rally and Beijing Eases FX Rules — Markets Reprice Risk After Middle East Shock
Heightened Middle East conflict has pushed oil and precious metals higher and unsettled markets, while China’s central bank cut its forward FX reserve requirement to zero to lower hedging costs and stabilise the yuan. Domestic equities have rebounded sharply, commodity prices — notably tungsten — have spiked, and big flows into robotics and AI are reshaping investment priorities amid a wider debate over the timing of returns from new technology.
Beaten-Up AI and Chip Stocks as Commodities, Oil and Gold Rally on Geopolitical Risk and Price Narratives
China’s stock market opened lower as AI, solar and semiconductor sectors pulled back while oil, natural gas and precious metals rallied, driven by price-rise narratives and renewed Middle East geopolitical risk. Brokers say the market is being steered by a combination of supply constraints and narrative-led sentiment, lifting commodity-linked names even as technology shares give back earlier gains.
Chinese Fund House Faces Scrutiny After Manager’s Poor Returns and Alleged ‘Misattributed’ Marketing
Puyin Ansheng Fund Management is under scrutiny after its Strategy Select fund lost 12.52% while promotional materials lauded returns that mostly predated the tenure of the named manager, Yang Fulin. The case highlights potential breaches of China’s rules on truthful fund advertising and raises broader concerns about investor protection and marketing practices in the rapidly expanding retail fund market.
China Pushes Auto Demand with Provincial Trade‑In Schemes as New EV Makers Rack Up Deliveries and Xiaomi Unveils Supercar Concept
Provincial rollouts of China’s 2026 vehicle subsidy and trade‑in rules aim to stabilise car demand and accelerate fleet renewal, with Shenzhen offering significant purchase rebates for NEVs and small petrol cars. February delivery figures show strong volumes from several new EV makers and mixed results among incumbents, while Xiaomi’s Vision GT concept and ADAS usage data underscore the sector’s technological pivot and intensifying competition.
Bitcoin Climbs Past $67,000 as Markets Show Renewed Appetite for Risk
Bitcoin surpassed $67,000 on March 2, gaining 1.87% intraday, a sign of renewed buying interest that highlights the cryptocurrency’s sensitivity to institutional flows and macro conditions. The rise is significant for market sentiment but carries the usual caveats about heightened volatility around key price levels and potential regulatory scrutiny.
China’s EV Upstarts Hit a February Cool Patch — Winners Lean on Networks and Incentives as Xpeng Stumbles
February deliveries among China’s electric vehicle newcomers cooled under a long Lunar New Year break and softer demand, producing divergent results. Leapmotor, Li Auto and NIO returned to roughly 20,000 monthly deliveries while Xpeng’s volumes halved, underscoring a market shift from volume to networks, software and international expansion.
Baidu Goes All‑In on AI After ¥16.2bn Write‑Down and 76% Profit Collapse
Baidu’s 2025 results exposed the costs of an urgent pivot: revenue slipped and net profit collapsed 76%, driven largely by a ¥16.2bn write‑down of obsolete compute assets. The company is reallocating around AI — reporting a fast‑growing ¥40bn AI new business — but faces intense competition, uncertain unit economics and the challenge of replacing evaporating search‑ad revenue.
Greg Abel’s First Letter: Berkshire’s Hand-Off Is Smooth, but Insurance Woes and a $373bn Cash Pile Pose Questions
Greg Abel’s first annual shareholder letter as CEO emphasised continuity as Berkshire Hathaway reported a drop in GAAP net profit to $66.97bn in 2025, while operating earnings fell to $44.49bn but remained above the five‑year average. Insurance underwriting weakness and a $4.5bn impairment offset steady performance from rail and energy units, leaving a $373.3bn cash reserve that poses both an opportunity and a challenge for future capital allocation.
Coconut-Water Star Struggles to Diversify: IFBH’s Revenue Rises but Profits and New Brands Falter
IFBH posted revenue growth in fiscal 2025 but saw attributable profit plunge by about 31.7%, highlighting a gap between strong demand for its if coconut-water brand and the failure of new product lines. The company’s asset-light model and distributor issues have left its attempted diversification — notably the Innococo electrolyte brand — struggling, exposing execution and scaling risks.
Coconut-Drink Maker’s Sexist Stunts Keep Backfiring: How Yeshui Treats Fines as Free Publicity
Yeshui Group sparked a fresh backlash after factory banners bluntly sexualised female employees and linked breast size to coconut juice. The incident continues a pattern of provocative campaigns that have repeatedly drawn fines and online condemnation, highlighting the costs of shock-driven marketing in China’s increasingly scrutinised consumer environment.
China’s EV Upstarts Hit a Chilly February — Winners Hold Ground, XPeng Slumps as Market Shifts from Volume to Tech
February deliveries among China’s new EV makers showed divergence: Leapmotor, Li Auto and NIO returned to roughly 20,000‑unit monthly ranges, while XPeng’s sales halved year‑on‑year. The slowdown reflects a long Lunar New Year holiday and fading tax incentives, but also signals a strategic pivot across the sector toward charging networks, AI features and global expansion.