Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 3058
China Advances Local Bond Quotas: Guangdong Leads as Provinces Ready 2.4 Trillion Yuan for Early Issuance
Nineteen Chinese provinces have revealed advance allocations of next year’s local government borrowing limits totalling about 2.4 trillion yuan, with Guangdong receiving the largest share. The advance quotas — dominated by special-purpose bonds and often re-lent by provinces to cities and counties — are meant to speed infrastructure financing and stabilise investment, but they raise questions about transparency and contingent debt risks.
When Memory Becomes a Bottleneck: How the AI Chip Boom Is Driving Up Car Prices
A surge in DRAM and other memory prices sparked by AI demand and producers shifting capacity away from low‑margin chips has created acute shortages of car‑grade memory. The result is higher component costs for automakers, with some firms seeing DRAM expenses for a single vehicle nearly triple and potential upward pressure on EV prices unless supply rebalances or manufacturers absorb costs.
Wanda Sheds Shanghai Mall to State-Linked Buyer as Large-Scale Asset Sales Continue
Wanda has sold its Shanghai Zhuanqiao Wanda Plaza for 2.048 billion yuan to a Suzhou-based company ultimately controlled by a Zhejiang trust with state links, part of an ongoing programme that has seen over 80 Wanda Plazas change hands since 2023. The disposals form one prong of Wanda’s effort to shore up liquidity amid large debt maturities, even as state-related and institutional buyers signal confidence in the earnings power of mature shopping centres.
320,000 Down: China’s Smoke-and-Spirits Shops Shrink as Margins Vanish
A steep downturn in China’s dedicated tobacco-and-liquor shops has wiped out margins and closed roughly 320,000 outlets in 2025, reflecting shifts in consumer behaviour, channel strategies and pricing transparency. The result is a structural retail shakeout in which surviving businesses will need new models of service, niche focus or integration with digital channels to stay viable.
Out of Sight, Not Out of Trouble: Why China’s County Housing Markets Have Stopped Falling
While China’s major cities continue to see housing corrections, many county-level markets have stabilised. Steady local demand from civil servants, returning migrants and skilled workers, lower financialisation by local developers, and improved housing products underpin this resilience, making county homes more consumption-oriented than investment vehicles.
Modest Income Gains, Uneven Recovery: Beijing Pushes to Convert Rising Incomes into Stronger Household Spending
China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported a 5.0% rise in per‑capita disposable income to 43,377 yuan in 2025, with rural incomes growing faster than urban ones but a large urban‑rural gap persisting. Household consumption rose modestly, with services now nearly half of spending, while Beijing rolls out policy measures aimed at boosting incomes and converting saving into spending.
China’s Provinces Lower Revenue Targets as Fiscal Strains Force a Shift from Growth to Quality
More than half of China’s provinces have lowered or held flat their 2026 general public budget revenue targets, reflecting tighter fiscal conditions, weaker commodity prices and prudential planning ahead of the new five-year cycle. The reprioritisation from growth to fiscal ‘quality’ aims to create space for debt resolution and maintain essential spending, but it limits provinces’ capacity for large-scale stimulus.
BMW Trials Humanoid Robots in Leipzig as Factories Rewire for EV Age
BMW has started a European pilot at its Leipzig plant to test Hexagon’s AEON humanoid robot on assembly and EV battery production tasks. The company positions humanoid robots as a supplement to existing automation to reduce physical strain and potentially insource supplier tasks, while the rollout underscores a broader industry shift toward embodied AI in manufacturing.
China’s Smart-Massage Pioneer Posts Large Loss as Regulator Opens Two Probes Against Its Owner
Beiqingsong (688793), a Shenzhen maker of smart portable massage devices, reported a 2025 revenue decline to 771 million yuan and a net loss of 89.3 million yuan after falling gross profit and persistent fixed costs. The company’s founder and controlling shareholder, Ma Xuejun, has been the subject of two CSRC investigations within 41 days, and his recent share sale reduced the group's holding below 50%, heightening governance and market-risk concerns.
Aging Founder Sells as Profits Slide: Taoli Bread’s Family Empire Faces a Governance and Growth Test
Taoli Bread’s founder and family are planning another significant share sale—part of more than RMB 3.7 billion cashed out since listing—as the company reports four years of falling profits and shrinking revenues. Heavy historical dividends and concentrated family control raise governance and capital-allocation questions that may hinder the firm’s ability to reinvest and revive growth.
Chinese GPU Maker Sees Shipments Surge but Posts 2025 Loss of ¥781m
MuXi reported ¥1.644 billion in 2025 revenue, up 121% year‑on‑year, driven by a notable rise in GPU shipments, but still posted a ¥781 million net loss. The results signal strong market acceptance of the company's GPUs while underscoring the persistent profitability and cash‑burn challenges facing China’s emerging AI‑chip vendors.
AI Cap‑ex Concerns Hit Nasdaq; CoreWeave Plummets While Netflix Rallies After Exiting Warner Bros Bid
US markets opened lower as investors fretted over large capital expenditure plans at AI infrastructure providers, sending CoreWeave down over 13% and pressuring broader tech names. Duolingo tumbled on weak bookings guidance while Netflix rose after exiting the Warner Bros bidding contest, underscoring divergent fortunes across the tech and media landscape.