Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 3098
Mega-Cap Slide Sends US Market Lower as Chip Stocks Diverge
US markets opened substantially lower as major technology giants fell more than 2%, dragging the Nasdaq down 1.59%. At the same time, semiconductor and storage names such as UMC surged after a production milestone, highlighting a sector rotation that is reshaping market leadership.
TCL to Take Operational Control of Sony’s TV Business in Move That Could Accelerate Industry Consolidation
TCL Electronics and Sony have agreed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture in which TCL would hold 51% and Sony 49% to run Sony’s home entertainment business, including BRAVIA-branded TVs. The deal, subject to a final agreement by March 2026 and operations beginning April 2027, would give TCL operational control of Sony’s TV unit and could accelerate consolidation in the global television market. The transaction pairs TCL’s rising manufacturing and panel capacity with Sony’s premium brand, promising scale and market-share gains but raising questions about brand stewardship, regulatory approval and competitive responses from other global players.
Chinese Banks Ride Commercial Space: Satellites Become a New Tool for Loan Monitoring and Disaster Resilience
China Merchants Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank have launched satellites into the Tianqi low‑Earth orbit constellation to bolster loan monitoring, improve disaster resilience and develop new data services. The launches underscore a trend of Chinese banks adopting commercial space assets to enhance risk controls, though regulatory, privacy and technical limits will shape adoption.
Gold Surges Past $4,700 as Geopolitics and ETF Flows Drive a New Bull Run — Can It Last?
Gold hit record highs above $4,700 on January 20, driven by geopolitical concerns and strong ETF inflows, with Chinese retail jewellery prices following suit. Strategists see a plausible longer-term bull case for gold but warn of short-term overbought readings and the potential for sharp corrections, especially in silver.
China’s Restaurant Industry Is Souring: Xibei’s Store Closures Expose Wider Structural Pain
Xibei’s closure of 102 stores has become a high‑profile symbol of wider distress in China’s restaurant sector. Structural pressures—rising food and labour costs, falling per‑capita dining spend and tougher social‑insurance rules—are squeezing margins, prompting widespread closures, weak IPOs and a wave of industry consolidation.
Beijing Draws Up Plan to Lift Household Incomes as Consumption Becomes China’s Growth Bedrock
China’s NDRC is preparing a package of measures to boost urban and rural household incomes and shore up consumption, pairing immediate demand support—such as trade‑in subsidies and job stabilisation—with investment, service‑sector expansion, and reforms to spur private participation. The moves respond to data showing consumption is now a leading driver of growth even as officials warn of a supply‑demand imbalance.
GAC Rejects Viral Claim That Gree Will Supply Half Its Auto Chips, Says Talks Ongoing
GAC has denied online claims that half of its automotive chips will be supplied by Gree, while confirming that a January meeting took place to discuss smart ecosystem cooperation. The clarification underscores the strategic interest of appliance makers in automotive power semiconductors and the risks posed by unverified market rumours.
How AI’s Appetite for Memory Is Turning Chip Windfalls Into an ‘AI Tax’ on Consumers
SK Hynix and Samsung are reallocating memory capacity to serve AI data centres, driving a surge in HBM and SSD demand that has pushed memory prices sharply higher. The result is higher costs and stealth downgrades for consumer devices, with ordinary buyers effectively shouldering the bill for large‑scale AI infrastructure build‑outs.
When Compute Meets Patients: How AI Is Rewiring Drug Discovery—and China and the US Are Betting Different Chips
AI is transforming drug discovery from an expensive exercise in trial-and-error into a data- and compute-driven engineering problem. The result is a pragmatic partnership between American algorithmic and compute strength and China’s unrivalled clinical scale, producing record licensing deals even as regulatory and scientific bottlenecks persist.
Beijing Rolls Out 500 Billion-Yuan Guarantee Scheme to Kick‑start Private Investment
China has unveiled a two‑year, 5,000‑billion‑yuan guarantee programme to boost private and SME investment by expanding government risk sharing, cutting guarantee fees and encouraging longer‑term lending. The targeted scheme aims to support equipment, digital and consumption‑related upgrades while limiting direct fiscal exposure through eligibility rules and performance incentives for local guarantee bodies.
Beijing Extends and Expands Loan Interest Subsidies to Boost Service Consumption Through 2026
China has extended a fiscal loan interest‑subsidy scheme for service businesses through the end of 2026, raising the 2026 per‑borrower subsidy cap to RMB 10 million and widening eligible sectors to include digital, green and retail. The move aims to mobilise bank lending and central fiscal resources to revive consumption while imposing stricter oversight and faster settlement procedures.
Selective Strength in Hong Kong: New-Consumption and Gold Outperform as Tech and Chips Cool Off
Hong Kong stocks ended slightly lower as investors rotated into new-consumption and gold stocks while AI and semiconductor names pulled back. The session highlighted a selective, sector-driven market with consumption and safe-haven themes gaining traction amid profit-taking in tech.