Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 2072
When Trust Is the Product: Why Sam’s Club Members in China Are Hesitating to Renew
Sam’s Club in China faces a credibility test as a series of product and delivery mishaps have turned routine membership renewals into a calculated choice for many customers. The incidents expose vulnerabilities in last-mile delivery, high-touch food processing and product curation, forcing members to weigh emotional cost against savings.
Chinese Errand App Pulls 'Proxy New‑Year Visit' After Outcry, Offers Triple Refunds and Charity Drive
UU Paotui removed a contested “proxy New‑Year visit” service after social‑media backlash, pledged triple refunds for unfulfilled orders and launched a charity campaign to mend its image. The incident underscores the cultural sensitivity and reputational risks Chinese platforms face when monetising intimate, ritualised services.
PBOC Sticks to ‘Moderate Ease’ as Liquidity Fuels Market Rally and a Memory-Price Surge
China’s central bank has reiterated a ‘moderately loose’ stance, with room to cut reserve requirements and interest rates, underpinning a surge in liquidity that is lifting markets and prompting renewed investment in sectors from memory chips to low‑altitude communications. The policy posture is encouraging private fund growth and corporate capital raising, but it also raises the prospect of speculative excess that regulators are already monitoring.
NIO’s Long Shot: Profitability This Year and a 5‑Million‑Unit Dream by 2035
NIO’s CEO Li Bin has set bold targets: achieve non‑GAAP profitability in 2026 and sustain 40–50% annual growth toward a 2035 ambition of 5 million vehicles. To reach these goals the company will sharpen R&D spending, expand its battery‑swap and retail footprint, and reorganise around customer‑centric business units to improve efficiency and resource allocation.
China’s Consumer Prices Tick Up as Factory Deflation Eases — But Underlying Dynamics Remain Mixed
January data show China’s headline CPI barely rose, held down by a strong base from last year’s Lunar New Year and falling food and energy prices. Core inflation and monthly PPI gains point to improving domestic demand and selective industrial recovery, but producer‑price weakness persists, leaving policymakers balancing support for growth with price stability.
China Stocks Open Lower as AI-Chip and Palm Oil Plays Lead a Broad Pullback
China’s main stock indexes opened lower on 11 February, dragged by declines in crude palm oil–linked stocks and semiconductor firms tied to AI compute and high‑bandwidth memory. The swing reflects a combination of profit‑taking, holiday‑thin liquidity and a reassessment of near‑term AI hardware deployment rather than a decisive change in long‑term demand trends.
U.S. Stocks Open Mildly Higher; Spotify Rockets 11% After Q4 Beat as Coca‑Cola Lags
U.S. markets opened modestly higher with the Nasdaq nearly flat and the Dow up about 0.26%. Spotify jumped 11% after beating fourth‑quarter expectations, while Coca‑Cola fell following a revenue shortfall, illustrating continued earnings‑driven divergence within markets.
CATL Raises RMB5 Billion in Low‑Cost Green Bonds to Fuel Battery R&D Push
CATL has issued RMB5 billion of green technology innovation bonds at a 1.7% coupon, with proceeds received in early February 2026. The low‑cost, 3+2 year funding reflects strong investor demand for green paper and will support the company's R&D and capacity expansion in next‑generation battery technologies.
Paramount Turns Up the Heat on WBD Deal — Offers Quarterly ‘Timing Fee’ and to Cover Netflix Break Fee
Paramount kept its $30-per-share bid for Warner Bros. Discovery but sweetened the offer with a 25-cent per‑share quarterly ‘‘timing fee’’ beginning in 2027 and pledged to cover Warner’s $2.8 billion break fee if the studio abandons its larger Netflix deal. The enhancements aim to position Paramount as a lower‑risk, fully financed buyer at a time when regulators are scrutinising Netflix’s $82.7 billion content-and-streaming proposal.
BYD Sues the U.S. Government, Challenging Trump-Era Tariffs and Seeking Rebates
BYD has sued the U.S. government, arguing that multiple tariffs put in place under the Trump administration are unlawful and seeking refunds for duties it paid. The case highlights the tensions between U.S. protectionist trade tools and the legal, commercial and geopolitical pushback from major Chinese exporters.
Alphabet Sells Rare 100‑Year Sterling Bond as Tech Giants Tap Debt Markets for AI Spending
Alphabet issued a rare £1 billion, 100‑year sterling bond that was nearly ten times oversubscribed as part of a broader, multi‑currency debt programme that included a $20 billion dollar deal. The financing push supports massive AI and cloud capital spending and forms part of a larger wave of tech corporate borrowing that may push 2026 issuance to record levels.
Paramount Turns Up the Heat on Warner Bros. Discovery with Quarterly 'Timing' Payments and a Netflix Breakup- Fee Offer
Paramount has amended its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery by adding a quarterly "timing fee" and offering to pay the $2.8 billion breakup fee if WBD’s deal with Netflix collapses, while keeping its $30 per‑share headline bid intact. The package is intended to provide cash certainty and a clearer regulatory route, but analysts caution it may not be enough to convince shareholders to abandon the larger Netflix proposal.