Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 3073
China’s Zhipu AI Soars After GLM‑5 Open‑Source Push — But Profits Remain Distant
Zhipu AI’s shares surged after open‑sourcing its GLM‑5 foundation model and hiking prices for an AI coding subscription, boosting investor optimism about product traction. Yet the company continues to incur large losses driven by heavy R&D and compute costs, and is pursuing a mainland Shanghai listing to broaden its capital base.
Meituan Warns of Deep 2025 Loss After Price War and Big Push Abroad
Meituan expects a heavy net loss for 2025 after its core local commerce arm swung from large operating profit to an operating loss, driven by intensified domestic competition and increased overseas and ecosystem investment. The reversal has unsettled investors and highlights the tough trade‑off between defending market share and preserving profitability in China’s on‑demand services market.
China's 'Oriental Selection' Takes Copycat Shop to Court — A Test for Brand Protection in Livestream Commerce
Oriental Youxuan — the company behind the popular Oriental Selection livestream brand — has sued a Xi'an individual merchant called Zhenxuan Jubao for unfair competition. The Xi'an Xincheng People's Court issued service by public notice and scheduled an open hearing after the evidence phase, highlighting broader tensions over name imitation in China's livestream e‑commerce sector.
When Founders Step Aside: What Yu Donglai’s Second Retirement Reveals About China’s Corporate Transition
Yu Donglai, founder of Henan retailer Pangdonglai, has formalised his retirement after a prior symbolic exit failed to stick. He has relinquished executive power to a decision committee while retaining an advisory role; the move — backed by explicit age limits for executives — is a rare example of a founder stepping aside at a company high point, but maintaining the firm’s culture without his magnetic leadership remains a key uncertainty.
China’s 70‑City Housing Data: Monthly Drops Narrow but Year‑on‑Year Slump Deepens
January 2026 housing data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics show month‑on‑month price declines across first, second and third‑tier cities have narrowed, but year‑on‑year drops remain substantial, particularly in resale markets. Shanghai bucks the national trend with annual gains in new‑home prices, highlighting persistent city‑level divergence.
Leadership Shake-up at Ping An Good Doctor Wipes About HK$8.6bn Off Market Value as Shares Slip
Ping An Good Doctor's CEO and chairman Li Dou will step down effective 7 October 2025, prompting a modest share decline and extending a four-month sell-off that has erased roughly HK$8.65 billion in market value. The board appointed Guo Xiaotao as chairman and He Mingke as CEO; investors will look for a clear strategic reset to restore confidence.
A-shares Slip into Pullback as Chips and Defense Buck the Downturn
China's main stock indices fell in mid‑day trade as overall turnover shrank and more than 2,600 stocks declined, while defence and semiconductor sectors bucked the trend with outsized gains. The market's uneven performance reflects thin pre‑holiday liquidity and a policy tilt that keeps strategic tech and military suppliers buoyant despite broader risk‑off sentiment.
China’s Wallace Fast‑Food Chain Retreats from the Over‑The‑Counter Market as Debt, Safety Woes and Family Control Bite
Fujian Huashi Foods, operator of the Wallace fast‑food chain, has applied to terminate its NEEQ listing after years of rapid expansion left it with ballooning debt, declining margins and a spate of food‑safety complaints. The delisting may buy the company regulatory and compliance flexibility, but it also reduces transparency as the chain confronts the difficult task of shifting from scale‑at‑all‑costs to a quality‑focused model.
Brokers Urge Investors to Hold Through China’s 10‑Day Spring Break as A‑Shares Poised for Post‑Holiday Rally
As China’s A‑share market shuts for a 10‑day Spring Festival, brokerages largely advise investors to hold rather than exit to cash, citing a recurring pattern of pre‑holiday liquidity declines followed by a strong post‑holiday rebound. Historical data show small caps typically lead gains after the break, and brokers are recommending selective exposure to technology and other growth sectors while flagging macro and earnings risks.
Shanghai Drives a Split China Housing Market as Nationwide Prices Continue to Slip
January’s housing data show a market of two halves: Shanghai leads an isolated new‑home price recovery while most cities — particularly second‑ and third‑tier markets — continue to see year‑on‑year price declines. Resale prices are sliding more sharply, underlining ongoing stress for household wealth, developers and municipal revenues.
Shenzhen Moves to Crush Shadow Gold Trading: Crackdown Targets Pre‑set‑price, Leveraged and App‑Based Schemes
Shenzhen's financial regulator, with nine other municipal bodies, has banned a suite of off‑exchange gold trading practices — including pre‑set price reservations, leveraged and deferred trades and app‑based schemes — and ordered firms, individuals and payment providers to stop or regularise such activities. The directive cites multiple national laws and warns of criminal referrals for violations, signaling a broader clampdown on informal, technology‑enabled retail financial products.
Cash Walls and Condo Giveaways: How Chinese CEOs Are Turning Year‑End Bonuses into a Corporate Welfare Brand
Two high‑profile Chinese private firms have used extravagant year‑end giveaways and an institutionalised employee welfare network to bind staff loyalty and burnish reputations. The practices reflect a broader trend of private companies assuming social‑welfare roles amid competition for talent, with implications for inequality, corporate governance and regulatory scrutiny.