Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 2071
AI Compute Chain Sparks Rally in PCB and Packaging Suppliers as Chinese Market Closes Mixed
China’s stock market closed mixed as targeted rallies in AI compute hardware — particularly PCB and chip-packaging suppliers — lifted a narrow group of stocks while most others fell. The surge reflects investor bets on near-term demand from AI server builds and related capacity expansion, but the market breadth and retail-driven volatility warrant caution.
Trip.com posts strong 2025 results as co‑founders quit and a regulator probe lingers
Trip.com Group posted 2025 net revenue growth of about 17% and a near‑doubling of attributable profit, buoyed by a large one‑off gain from selling its MakeMyTrip stake. Two co‑founders resigned and the company is under investigation by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, creating governance and regulatory uncertainty despite solid underlying travel demand.
Merz’s Beijing Visit Yields Potential Windfall for Airbus — and a Test of Sino‑European Economic Pitch
During a two‑day visit to Beijing, German chancellor Friedrich Merz said China plans to buy up to 120 Airbus aircraft, underscoring the commercial payoff of high‑level diplomacy. The potential order reinforces Airbus’s foothold in China, complicates the competitive landscape with Boeing ahead of a U.S. presidential visit, and spotlights ongoing Sino‑German dialogue on trade imbalances and export controls.
China’s Robo-Van Boom: Billions Invested, Tens of Thousands Delivered — But Road Rules and “Long‑Tail” Scenarios Loom Large
China’s uncrewed delivery sector has entered a rapid commercial phase: leading firms have raised close to CNY10 billion since 2025 and reported cumulative L4 deliveries above 10,000, driven by steep hardware cost declines and supportive policy. Yet technical ‘long‑tail’ scenarios, fragmented standards and scarce local road rights remain major barriers to nationwide scale.
Offshore Renminbi Strengthens Beyond 6.84 as Post‑Holiday Rally Continues
The offshore renminbi strengthened to 6.83605 on February 26 as market sentiment, a softer dollar and heavy exporter FX settlements bolstered the currency. Analysts expect continued near‑term strength but caution that policy guidance and seasonal flows could moderate the one‑sided appreciation through 2026.
Secondary Sale Implies $550bn ByteDance Valuation — A Signal of Appetite, Not Confirmation
A reported secondary sale by investor General Atlantic implies a roughly $550 billion valuation for ByteDance, situating the company between Tencent and Alibaba in scale. The figure, unconfirmed by ByteDance, offers a market signal about private demand but should be treated cautiously given regulatory and geopolitical risks.
Skyworth to Operate Panasonic TVs in Europe and North America — A Milestone in the Global TV Shake‑up
Skyworth will operate Panasonic‑branded TV sales and distribution in Europe and North America while Panasonic retains control in Japan. The deal, alongside TCL’s tie‑up with Sony, signals a structural shift in the global TV industry toward Chinese firms operating Western channels and Japanese firms focusing on high‑end tech and domestic markets.
Chinese Second‑hand Housing Market Shows Signs of Stabilising as Owners Stop Selling at a Loss
Since early 2026, China’s second‑hand housing market has shown signs of stabilisation as listings fall and price declines narrow nationwide. Lower mortgage costs and improved rental yields have reduced owners’ incentive to sell at a loss, but the recovery is uneven and depends on spring market behaviour and broader economic conditions.
AI Infrastructure Rally Lifts Shenzhen Midday as Market Breadth Weakens
Midday trading in China saw a divergent market: Shenzhen’s index recovered to a modest gain driven by a concentrated rally in compute‑hardware and related industrial stocks, while broader market breadth weakened with most stocks in decline. Rising turnover and strong moves in PCB, CPO and liquid‑cooling server names reflect investor bets on AI and datacentre demand, even as lithium batteries and cinema chains cooled off.
Li Ka‑shing Group Sells UK Power Networks to Engie for HK$110.8bn, Recycling Capital for New Bets
Three Cheung Kong group companies have sold their combined 100% stake in UK Power Networks to Engie for HK$110.75 billion, generating significant accounting gains and cash for future investment. The move reflects asset recycling by Hong Kong utilities investors and gives Engie a stronger foothold in UK electricity distribution as the sector prepares for major decarbonisation investment.
Yuan’s Post‑Holiday Rally Reaches 2023 Highs — Beijing Signals Vigilance as Policy Shifts
The yuan has rallied sharply since the Lunar New Year, pushing to its strongest levels versus the dollar since April 2023 as onshore and offshore rates break 6.87. Analysts attribute the move to improving Sino‑US ties, dollar weakness amid U.S. political turbulence, and accelerated export settlements, while the PBOC has signalled a readiness to use the exchange rate as an automatic stabiliser and to step in if moves become disorderly.
China’s Record Spring Festival: 596 Million Trips, RMB 803 Billion Spent — Where the Money Went
China’s nine‑day Spring Festival generated a record 596 million domestic trips and about RMB 8.03 trillion in tourism spending, with Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu the biggest beneficiaries. Southern provinces led growth in 2026, and higher per‑visitor spending — driven by overnight stays and experiential travel — lifted receipts faster than headcounts in most places.