Business News
Latest business news and updates
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China’s February PMI Signals Holiday Lull and Uneven Recovery: Big Firms and High‑Tech Hold Up While SMEs Slip
February’s PMI data show a modest slowdown in China’s economic activity: manufacturing PMI slipped to 49.0% while non‑manufacturing activity edged up to 49.5%, leaving the composite index at 49.5%. Large and high‑tech firms are expanding, but small and medium enterprises and parts of the services sector remain weak, highlighting an uneven recovery amplified by the Lunar New Year holiday.
How China's Fund Managers Are Rewiring Marketing for the Age of Generative AI
Generative AI is upending how mutual funds communicate with investors by favouring model-generated answers over link-based search. Chinese asset managers are building Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) stacks—combining structured knowledge graphs, real‑time data feeds and compliance gates—to ensure official investment logic is the first source LLMs draw from.
China’s Factory Activity Slips in February as Late Lunar New Year Clouds Recovery
China’s manufacturing PMI slipped to 49.0 in February, with seasonally driven holiday shutdowns and subdued demand pulling down production and new orders. Analysts expect a March rebound as factories restart and support measures take effect, but persistent weakness could increase the likelihood of monetary easing.
China’s EV Makers Sell Longer Loans, Not Cheaper Cars: Seven‑Year Finance Rides to the Rescue
Chinese automakers have adopted seven‑year low‑interest loan packages to sustain EV sales as regulators curb below‑cost discounts and purchase tax incentives are scaled back. The offers lower monthly payments but raise total borrowing costs, shift ownership and resale risks onto buyers, and increase exposure for non‑bank financiers.
Asia Stocks Slide as Korea's KOSPI Trips Circuit Breaker; Investors Flock to Gold and Silver
Asian markets fell sharply, led by an 8% drop in South Korea's KOSPI that triggered a 20-minute trading halt. Safe-haven buying pushed spot gold and silver higher, while domestic Chinese gold-jewellery prices retreated markedly. The moves highlight renewed risk aversion and raise the prospect of policy responses to stabilise markets.
China’s Bulk‑Snack Shakeout: Small Chains Must Sell, Partner or Double‑Down as Two Giants Dominate
China’s bulk‑snack retail sector has consolidated rapidly: two national groups now control most of the market, squeezing regional chains. Faced with thin margins and capital requirements for scale, mid‑sized brands are increasingly pursuing strategic partnerships or M&A to survive, while leaders push into full‑category discount supermarkets.
Wang Jianlin Sells Again: State Builders Replace Insurers as Major Buyers of Wanda Malls
Dalian Wanda has continued selling shopping malls into 2026, with recent disposals including Shanghai’s Zhuangqiao plaza. A notable shift has emerged: China State Construction bureaus are increasingly taking ownership — often of projects they originally built — in what appears to be an asset‑for‑debt settlement, complicating Wanda’s plan to pivot to a lighter, management‑centric model.
When Efficiency Becomes a Rationale: Block’s AI-Driven Layoffs and the New Corporate Playbook
Block’s sudden axing of nearly 40% of its workforce is a clear example of companies embracing AI to restructure operations even when financially healthy. The decision crystallises a wider tension: investors reward efficiency gains, but rapid automation threatens consumption, customer trust and jobs, prompting urgent questions about policy and corporate responsibility.
Once a Fast-Growing Skewer Chain, Fengmao Faces Mass Closures After Ambitious Rebrand
Fengmao, a once-fast-growing Chinese skewer chain, has seen multiple store closures since December 2025 and employee reports of months-long unpaid wages in early 2026 after a controversial 2022 rebrand. The move from late-night street skewers to a pricier “meal-grade” positioning misaligned with consumer demand and regional tastes, exposing weaknesses in its standardized expansion model.
Judicial Auction Sells Nearly 6% of Pediatric Drug Firm as Creditors Move In
ST Huluwa, a Chinese paediatric drug manufacturer, saw 23.9 million shares (about 5.97% of equity) sold at a judicial auction after a major-shareholder pledge triggered creditor action. Buyers included private funds and individuals; Huluwa Investment remains the largest shareholder but its stake fell to 35.79%. The sale highlights acute liquidity, governance and regulatory problems at the company and the broader risks that share pledges pose in China’s markets.
Roborock’s Revenue Surge Masks Pain: Sales Up, Profits Down and Market Value Slashed
Roborock posted a 55.9% revenue increase for 2025 but saw net profit drop by 31.2% after margin pressure, higher sales expenses and losses from new product lines. Intensifying competition from DJI and appliance giants, combined with insider share sales and investor exits, has knocked the company’s market value down by roughly RMB 60–65 billion from its 2021 peak.
AMD Shares Slip Further as Chip Sector Wobbles, Decline Widens to 5%
AMD shares fell about 5% on March 3 amid a wider pullback in semiconductor stocks, even as some brokers maintain bullish price targets. The move underscores investor sensitivity to AI‑hardware demand, macro risks and sector rotation, leaving AMD vulnerable to near‑term volatility until clearer demand signals emerge.