Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 3030
OpenAI Courts Private‑Equity Partners to Fast‑Track Enterprise Push, Sparking a Race with Anthropic
OpenAI is negotiating a joint venture with major private‑equity firms — led by TPG, Advent, Bain and Brookfield — to deploy its enterprise AI across portfolio companies, with roughly $4 billion in investor commitments and a pre‑money valuation near $10 billion. Anthropic is pursuing a rival arrangement with other buyout houses on a smaller scale, intensifying competition ahead of both firms’ planned IPOs and accelerating institutional adoption of enterprise AI.
Oil Retreats, Markets Cheer — for Now: Geopolitics, Central Banks and Huang’s GTC Take Centre Stage
Oil prices fell on signs of U.S. tolerance for Iranian tanker transit and reports of a multinational escort plan, easing a recent risk premium and lifting global equity markets. Still, supply disruptions such as ADNOC’s production curtailments and a raft of central‑bank decisions this week keep the outlook uncertain, while Nvidia’s GTC speech and large corporate AI deals continue to support investor optimism.
China’s Property Sector Slumps Again as Sales and Funding Dry Up, Investment Pain Eases Only Slightly
China’s property investment fell 11.1% in January–February 2026 to 9.612 trillion yuan, with residential investment down 10.7%. Sales volumes and values posted sharper declines and developer funding—especially mortgages and pre‑sales—sank steeply, highlighting persistent demand weakness despite a modest narrowing in investment contraction.
Shanghai Cuts Commercial‑property Down‑payment Floor to 30% — A Targeted Move to Restart Transactions
Shanghai's central bank branch and financial regulator have set a new minimum down payment floor of 30% for commercial and mixed residential‑commercial property purchases from 16 March 2026. The measured easing aims to restart transactions while leaving banks discretion to manage credit risk, reflecting a careful balancing act between market support and financial stability.
AI Compute Deal Propels Tech Stocks — Nasdaq Leads as Meta Agrees $27bn Capacity Purchase
U.S. markets opened higher as technology stocks rallied after Meta agreed to buy about $27 billion of AI compute capacity from Nebius, boosting chip and memory shares. The deal and the start of Nvidia’s GTC conference underpin optimism about sustained data‑centre spending, even as macro risks could trigger intermittent corrections.
China’s Investment Keeps Limping Forward as Private and Foreign Outlays Stall
China’s January–February fixed-asset investment rose a modest 1.8% year-on-year to RMB 5.27 trillion, driven chiefly by state-led infrastructure, mining and utilities. Private and foreign investment contracted, and regional disparities persist, leaving growth dependent on continued public spending and policy efforts to revive business confidence.
China’s Economy Posts A “Good Start” to 2026 as High‑Tech Manufacturing and Exports Lead Recovery
January–February official data show China’s economy making a solid start to 2026, driven by strong gains in high‑technology manufacturing, robust export growth and a rebound in services and online consumption. The property sector remains a major drag, but infrastructure spending and private‑sector trade resilience are helping to stabilise overall activity.
China’s Early‑Year Retail Recovery Is Uneven: Online and Dining Lead, Brand Stores and Autos Lag
China’s January–February retail sales rose 2.8% year‑on‑year to ¥86,079 billion, with online retail and catering leading gains while brand specialty stores and autos lag. The data show an uneven consumption recovery concentrated in necessities, supermarkets and digital channels, posing both opportunities and limits for China’s domestic‑demand strategy.
China’s Factories Keep Chugging: Industrial Output Rises 6.3% as Electronics and Equipment Outpace Autos
China’s industrial output rose 6.3% year‑on‑year in January–February 2026, led by manufacturing and a strong performance in electronics and heavy equipment. The private sector expanded fastest, while automobile and new‑energy vehicle production fell sharply, highlighting uneven demand across industries.
China’s Crude Output Turns Up as Power Generation Accelerates, NBS Data Shows
China’s above‑scale industrial crude oil output returned to growth in January–February 2026, rising 1.9% year‑on‑year to 35.73 million tonnes, while refinery throughput and electricity generation accelerated. Coal production’s decline narrowed and natural gas output grew modestly, signalling energy supply stabilisation even as renewables’ growth rates cooled.
China Orders City‑Cluster Hydrogen Pilots — Aims to Double Fuel‑Cell Fleet to 100,000 by 2030
Beijing has launched competitive city‑cluster pilots to scale hydrogen across transport and industry, aiming to double fuel‑cell vehicle numbers and reach roughly 100,000 by 2030. The plan couples financial awards with strict performance review to drive down green hydrogen costs and demonstrate replicable commercial applications in heavy transport and industrial decarbonisation.
China’s Growth Board Rebounds as Memory Stocks Spark a Risk-On Rotation
China’s ChiNext index climbed 1.41% as storage‑chip and related technology stocks led a narrow market rally, while the Shanghai Composite dipped and turnover contracted. The move highlights investor interest in domestic memory supply‑chain plays amid longer‑term strategic and supply considerations, but the concentration of gains and lower volume point to elevated short‑term volatility risk.