Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 3036
Why China’s Laopu Gold Just Hiked Prices by 20–30% — and Customers Keep Buying
Laopu Gold’s 20–30% price rise at the start of 2026 produced a buying frenzy rather than deterring customers, underscoring the brand’s transition from jeweller to luxury-asset maker. Strong resale demand and elevated gold prices have reinforced the perception of jewellery as an investable, appreciating good, but rising raw-material costs and intensifying competition threaten margins and the sustainability of the model.
Beijing’s 2026 Push to Raise Incomes: A Broad Plan to Turn Paychecks Into Consumption
Beijing has enshrined a new urban and rural residents’ income plan in the 2026 government work report, combining wage, social‑security and wealth‑income measures to lift household incomes and stimulate consumption. The move responds to weak external demand and aims to rebalance growth toward domestic consumption, but success depends on sustained, coordinated implementation and financial safeguards.
State-backed funds inject ¥6.46bn into CGN’s Yunnan renewables push, accelerating provincial green build-out
CGN’s Yunnan new‑energy arm has raised ¥64.6bn from five state‑linked institutional investors, marking one of the largest single strategic financings in Yunnan’s clean‑power sector. The deal underlines strong domestic institutional appetite for long‑term renewables assets while highlighting the need for concurrent transmission and market reforms to avoid curtailment and unlock full value.
Top Team Walks Out at Hailianxun After Bold Turbine Merger and a Near‑70% Profit Warning
Hailianxun experienced a sudden, multi‑executive resignation of its top management amid a near‑70% profit warning for 2025 and just weeks after completing a large share‑swap merger that shifted its business toward turbine manufacturing. The departures amplify governance and integration risks as the company transitions and faces investor scrutiny.
Once China’s Milk‑Tea Champion, Xiangpiaopiao Sees Profits Halved as Business Model Wobbles
Xiangpiaopiao, once the leading listed milk‑tea brand in China, reported a 2025 net profit decline of roughly 50–60% and an 11% drop in revenue, driven by weak sales of seasonal brewed products. The company is pursuing diversification—opening fresh tea shops and planning a factory in Thailand—but these moves carry execution risk and will likely require sustained investment before improving results.
China’s Economic Stewards Deliver a Reassuring, Targeted Playbook: Fiscal Push, Market Reform and a Firm RMB
At a high-profile economic press session, China’s top economic managers signalled a cautious but constructive approach: targeted fiscal-financial support, equity-market reform, steady financial opening and a firm stance on the currency. The package prioritises market confidence and structural adjustments over broad stimulus, leaving impact contingent on implementation and private-sector response.
Kao Pulls KATE’s Online Flagships from China as It Repositions Upmarket
Kao’s KATE will close its Tmall and Douyin flagship stores on 1 April 2026 as part of an online channel optimisation tied to the group’s wider premiumisation strategy. The move reflects mounting pressure on foreign mass-market cosmetics in China from local rivals and costly platform dynamics, even as Kao retains other China operations and aims to prioritise higher-margin brands.
Bitcoin Falls Below $70,000 as Crypto Markets Slip; Ether Slides Over 4% Too
Bitcoin slipped below $70,000 on March 6, falling about 4.04% in 24 hours, while Ether declined roughly 4.13% to $2,050.94. The move underscores persistent volatility in crypto markets and raises questions about leverage, liquidity and short‑term spillovers into broader financial markets.
China Signals Policy Easing as Markets Rally and Tech Firms Double Down on AI and Robotics
Beijing has signalled a more accommodative monetary stance for 2026 while markets rallied and major tech firms ramped hiring and automation pilots. Policymakers are combining demand stimulus with an aggressive push into AI and industrial robotics, even as operational risks in globalised supply chains persist.
China’s Economic Chiefs Signal Targeted Growth Push: Big Fiscal Envelope, Faster Credit and Market Reforms
China’s top economic officials announced a coordinated set of fiscal, monetary and market measures to stabilise growth, strengthen domestic demand and accelerate strategic sectors such as AI. The plan combines record fiscal spending and transfers, a fiscal–financial coordination tool to mobilise private capital, targeted infrastructure and service-sector investment, and capital-market reforms to improve equity financing and investor protections.
Beijing to Build ‘Cross‑Cycle’ Market‑Stabilisation Toolkit During 2026–30 Five‑Year Plan
China’s securities regulator said it will build a more institutionalised, ‘Chinese‑characteristics’ market‑stabilisation mechanism during the 2026–30 Five‑Year Plan, expanding cross‑cycle counter‑cyclical tools to shore up market resilience. The move combines promises of a stronger backstop with tighter issuance oversight, underscoring a regulatory environment where state intervention and market reform proceed in tandem.
Beijing’s Quiet Pivot: A Range-Based GDP Target and a Shift from Growth to Quality
China’s 2026 Government Work Report sets a GDP target range of 4.5–5.0 percent and signals a strategic shift from quantity to quality of growth. The plan pairs greater central fiscal leverage with targeted credit tools, expanded social spending and a push to cultivate a new generation of strategic industries.