Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 2054
Bilibili’s Profit Moment Tests the Limits of Monetising Youth Culture
Bilibili reported its first full-year adjusted profit in 2025, driven largely by a surge in advertising, especially AI-related ads. But the company faces a strategic dilemma: monetise the creator-driven community and risk eroding the emotional bonds that differentiate it, or protect community norms and limit short-term revenue growth.
Beijing Leads China’s Housing Stabilisation as February City Prices Improve
February data show China’s housing market beginning to stabilise: month‑on‑month price declines narrowed across 70 cities and Beijing posted month‑on‑month gains in both new and second‑hand prices. The uptick reflects targeted policy easing, reduced developer discounting, and a post‑holiday surge in buyer visits, but the improvement remains fragile and geographically uneven.
What China’s Jan–Feb ‘Scorecard’ Really Means for Growth and Policy
First Financial released a brief Jan–Feb national economic scorecard, an early read that investors and policymakers use to judge first‑quarter momentum after Lunar New Year distortions. The report’s signals on consumption, investment, exports and jobs will shape Beijing’s near‑term policy choices between targeted support and broader stimulus.
China’s Inflation Tick-Up: Lunar New Year Travel and Services Push CPI to Three-Year High
China’s CPI rose 1.3% year-on-year in February — the highest pace in three years — driven largely by a Lunar New Year-fuelled jump in services and a rebound in food prices. Core inflation was 1.3% for January–February, indicating strengthening underlying demand even as officials stress ample supply and manageable risks.
Gold’s Safe‑Haven Luster Fades as Iran Conflict Boosts Oil but Favors the Dollar
Spot gold briefly fell below $5,000 per ounce amid renewed U.S.–Iran tensions, rising oil prices and a stronger dollar. Markets are pricing in a higher‑for‑longer Fed, which has pushed yields up and constrained gold’s safe‑haven appeal despite geopolitical risk.
Bleached Chicken‑Feet Scandal Exposes Profit Pressure in China’s Billion‑Yuan Snack Market
CCTV’s consumer programme exposed several Chinese chicken‑feet producers for using banned hydrogen peroxide in processing, triggering platform delistings and consumer alarm. The episode highlights how high margins and fierce competition in a rapidly growing RMB349.6 billion snack segment are encouraging risky cost‑saving behaviour, and it will likely prompt tighter regulation, audits and market consolidation.
While Carmakers Fight Over Thin Margins, CATL Cashes In — Founder Zeng Takes Home CNY8.1bn as Battery Giant Posts Stellar Year
CATL posted CNY423.7bn in revenue and CNY72.2bn in net profit for 2025, driven by dominant battery volumes and global market share. The company paid CNY36.1bn in dividends, with founder Zeng Yuqun receiving about CNY8.1bn, highlighting a growing split between profitable upstream suppliers and low-margin automakers.
Anta’s Bet on Puma: Rescue Mission or Expensive Shortcut to Global Ambition?
Anta’s €1.5 billion purchase of a 29.06% stake in Puma comes as the German brand posts a €646 million loss and deep global sales declines. Anta’s play follows a proven turnaround approach but faces the twin tasks of restoring Puma’s technical credibility and protecting its fashion appeal while avoiding brand dilution. The deal offers Anta rapid access to global channels and sponsorship assets but carries integration risks and a hefty price tag that will test whether China’s largest sports group can translate influence into a lasting revival.
Ping An Good Doctor’s Fragile Revival: Profits Built on Cost Cuts and a Parental Lifeline
Ping An Good Doctor’s recent return to profitability has been driven largely by steep cost cuts and deep integration into parent Ping An’s ecosystem. Despite strong headline metrics, the business remains fragile: three-quarters of revenue flows from internal group channels, service offerings are commoditised, and public insurance still dominates China’s medical payments—undermining the platform’s ambition to become an HMO-like operator.
State‑TV ‘3·15’ Exposé Names Duofuduo Subsidiary in Bleached‑Chicken‑Feet Scandal, Raising Governance and Regulatory Risks
CCTV’s consumer‑rights programme named Henan Yifeng, a 54%‑owned subsidiary of listed chemical firm Duofuduo, in an exposé on hydrogen peroxide being used to bleach chicken feet. Duofuduo says Yifeng is properly licensed, accounts for under 1% of group revenue and has no business ties to the processors named, but the related‑party acquisition and state‑TV attention raise governance, reputational and regulatory risks.
Lenovo Puts RMB1.6bn on the Table to Force Xinrongmao’s IPO — A High‑Stakes Bet on China’s Fruit Supply Chain
Lenovo has invested about RMB1.617 billion to clear dissenting shareholders and force Xinrongmao, China’s largest high‑end fruit supplier, toward a Hong Kong IPO, attaching a strict 2027 listing deadline and a contingent buyback at a RMB5 billion valuation. The move reflects Lenovo’s need for a clean agricultural flagship after losses elsewhere, but it puts Xinrongmao under intense pressure to convince public markets it can turn heavy scale into durable profits.
Pepsi’s Sting Enters China as Energy Drink Wars Move to New Frontiers
PepsiCo has launched its Sting energy soda in China at a moment of structural change in the domestic energy drink market. The entry underscores intensified competition between entrenched domestic brands and international players, with distribution, price tiers and product positioning set to determine who wins the next phase of growth.