The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on October 12. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════
Yum (NYSE: YUM) Details Transformation Plans after China Separation (Businesswire)
SF Express Backdoor Listing Plan Approved by China Securities Regulator (Chinese article)
NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES) Breaks into Smart Device Market (English article)
Solar Panel Maker LDK Bankruptcy Approved; Creditors Take Huge Losses (English article)
Shanyang (Shanghai: 600146) Buys US Apparel Brand Oneworld Star for $280 Mln (Businesswire)
Bottom line: NetEase could abandon a newly announced New York IPO plan for its media arm if it can find a suitable buyer, while a previously announced New York listing plan by ZTO Express could be revived before year-end.
NetEase news unit makes filing for NY IPO
What’s shaping up as a quiet year for Chinese IPOs in New York has just gotten a small boost, with word that online gaming giant NetEase (NYSE: NTES) has made an initial filing to list its respected but financially-challenged news portal business. Meantime, rumors are building for what’s likely to be one of next year’s biggest offerings from Ant Financial, the financial services affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba(NYSE: BABA) and owner of the Alipay e-payments service. But in this case, Ant is shooting down the latest buzz that specific plans are in place for a Hong Kong IPO next year. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on October 8-10. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════
Lenovo (HKEx: 992) in Talks to Take Over Fujitsu’s PC Business: Source (English article)
NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES) Media Arm Submits Draft Registration to SEC for US IPO (PRNewswire)
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) Doubles Stake in JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) Moving Further Into China (English article)
It’s Official: LeEco (Shenzhen: 300104) Will Break US Boundaries on October 19 (English article)
Hollywood’s Digital Domain Takes Citic and SoftBank China as Strategic Investors (Businesswire)
Bottom line: Giant Interactive is banking on Playtika to jump-start its stalled growth, while NetEase’s extension of a major licensing deal will further consolidate its position as China’s second largest online game firm.
NetEase extends Blizzard agreement
A couple of gaming stories are making headlines as we head towards the long Chinese national day holiday, with NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES) and Giant Interactive both inking major deals that should help cement their place as 2 of China’s top players. The first deal has NetEase extending its long-running licensing deal with top global game designer Blizzard Entertainment (Nasdaq: ATVI) for some of its most popular titles, including the World of Warcraft series. The second has Giant buying Israeli social game maker Playtika, in a deal that was previously reported to be worth around $4.4 billion. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on September 28. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════
Lenovo (HKEx: 992) Cuts 1,000, Including More than Half of Motorola Staff (Chinese article)
Blizzard, NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES) Renew Operation Agreement in China (PRNewswire)
Paid Q&A Service Fenda Reappears After 47 Day Pause, Only Offers Medical Advice (Chinese article)
Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX), Master Kong in Tie-Up for Drinks from 10 Yuan (Chinese article)
Xiaomi Guns for Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) With Latest Premium Smartphone (English article)
Bottom line: NetEase’s move into cloud computing and closure of its forum service are part of an overhaul positioning it for future growth, and could propel it into China’s top 3 Internet companies in the next 5 years.
NetEase launches cloud service
China’s lowest-key Internet giant NetEase is making some more new adjustments, extending reports last week that it was planning to spin off or sell its old but stagnating web portal business. One of the new moves includes word that the company has shuttered its equally slow-growth web forum business. The other has the company launching a new cloud service, with plans to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the business over the next few years. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: Pokemon Go could launch in China as soon as the end of this year, but is likely to get a tepid reception due to its late arrival and fading buzz in other countries.
After months of silence in the world’s largest mobile market, Pokemon Go, the wildly popular mobile game that debuted this summer in most of the world, may be finally coming to China soon. That’s the word coming from new media reports, which are citing the CEO of Niantic, the San Francisco-based developer of the popular title that takes mobile gaming to a new level by adding global positioning (GPS) technology. But the bigger question is whether Pokemon Go will get much attention from Chinese gamers, since it seems to be well past its prime after making global headlines over the summer. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on September 21. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════
Postal Savings Bank of China Set to Price Hong Kong IPO Near Low End (English article)
New Disclosure Shows Tencent (HKEx: 700) Owns 45 Pct of Search Engine Sogou (Chinese article)
Bottom line: NetEase is likely to complete a spin-off of its news division, possibly through a sale to Sina, while Postal Savings Bank’s massive IPO will meet with tepid reception due to limited growth prospects.
NetEase plans portal spin-off
Two significant but very different IPOs are in the headlines as we get set for the Mid-Autumn holiday break, one from China’s vibrant private sector and the other from a big state-run behemoth. In the former category is NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES), one of China’s oldest Internet companies, which is reportedly mulling an IPO for its news portal, one of its original businesses with a history dating back to the 1990s. In the other news, China Postal Savings Bank has reportedly placed most of the shares for its massive $8 billion listing with a group of 6 cornerstone investors. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on September 14. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════
China Postal Savings Bank $8.1 Bln IPO Mostly Covered by Cornerstone Investors (English article)
LeEco (Shenzhen: 300104) Launches Smartphones in Russia (Chinese article)
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Huawei Join in Cybersecurity Message (English article)
NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES) Plans to Spin Off News Unit for IPO or Sell for $300 Mln (Chinese article)
Second-Hand Car Site Guazi Raises $250 Mln, to Spend 1 Bln Yuan on Ads (Chinese article)
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on August 19. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════
Momo (Nasdaq: MOMO) Announces Withdrawal of Privatization Offer (GlobeNewswire)
Lei Jun Resigns as YY (Nasdaq: YY) Chairman to Focus on Xiaomi Revival (Chinese article)
