In the more than 2 years since I started this blog, today marks the first time I’m writing about telecoms equipment and services provider UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI), which has just announced that a plan to privatize the company has derailed. The reason I point out this fact is that when I first started writing about Chinese tech firms a decade ago, UTStarcom was an investor darling, riding high on a low-end wireless technology. But investors quickly abandoned the company after it failed to find a new blockbuster product, and now it appears that even its potential rescuer has decided to give the company a pass. Read Full Post…
A small brouhaha has broken out in the Chinese media these last few days over what looks like perhaps the clumsy beginning of a takeover attempt involving Zoomlion (HKEx: 1157; Shenzhen: 000157) and Sany Heavy (Shanghai: 600031), China’s 2 top construction equipment makers. I’m not quite convinced that this was a real takeover attempt, as the numbers involved are quite small. But whatever happened, the instance was a reminder that Chinese firms are still quite clumsy at unsolicited M&A, especially the hostile type. Read Full Post…
Ex Cloudary exec detained on suspicion of espionage
An escalating clash between 2 of China’s top Internet names has taken an interesting twist, with word that a former Shanda executive has been detained just before the formal launch of his new online literature company backed by sector giant Tencent (HKEx: 700). Broadly speaking, I’m somewhat encouraged by this latest development, which shows that China may finally be preparing to crack down on perpetrators of economic crimes who in the past often faced little or no serious punishment for their offenses. At the same time, I do worry that this latest detention may have less to do with the law, and more to do with politics and guanxi. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 31. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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AIG (NYSE: AIG), PICC (HKEx: 2328) In Agency Distribution JV (Businesswire)
American Public Wary of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment – Report (Businesswire)
Shanda Deals Blow To Tencent’s (HKEx: 700) Online Literature Drive (Chinese article)
Toyota (Tokyo: 7203) To Make Batteries In China As Nation Warms To Hybrids (English article)
YingliGreen Energy (NYSE: YGE) Reports Q1 Results (PRNewswire)
More than a year after first announcing a potential buyout, telecoms software maker AsiaInfo-Linkage (Nasdaq: ASIA) has finally reached a deal with a group led by a unit of Chinese financial giant Citic that would see its shares de-listed. Investors were unimpressed by the final announcement, with AsiaInfo shares actually closing down by 0.7 percent at $11.60 after it announced a deal to sell itself for $12 per share to the group led by Citic Capital Partners which also includes Singapore’s Temasek sovereign wealth fund. (company announcement) Read Full Post…
A new media report is underscoring the importance of games for the future of China’s mobile app developers, who are desperately looking for ways to monetize the big sums of money they spend developing such applications. Social networking sites Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) Weibo, Tencent (HKEx: 700) and Renren (NYSE: RENN) are all good examples of companies that have quickly built up communities of tens and even hundreds of millions of users by developing popular desktop and mobile apps. But earning money from those huge communities has proven much more difficult, as all of these companies are quickly discovering. In that environment, games have emerged as one of the few things that users of these popular apps are actually willing to pay for. Read Full Post…
Internet companies Shanda Games (Nasdaq: GAME) and Renren (NYSE: RENN) are playing new games to try and boost their struggling prospects, with the former announcing a major executive appointment and the latter a major new product development campaign. In Shanda Games’ case, the move looks potentially interesting because it’s most likely coming from the parent company’s recently named new president who was brought in to make the group’s various parts work better together. (previous post) In Renren’s case, the move also looks like a potentially good one as the company chases its ultimate goal of becoming profitable. Read Full Post…
China’s rapidly weakening advertising market may be undermining Focus Media’s (Nasdaq: FMCN) ongoing privatization bid, with word that one of the companies underwriting the buyout may have backed out of the deal. The news, if true, underscores the fact that this kind of privatization is never easy, and that China’s wobbly economy may make future similar buyouts even more difficult. But at the end of the day, I do suspect this privatization bid will probably succeed since many offshore investors are still quite bullish on China. What’s more, Focus Media, despite a recent restructuring, is in the enviable position of being one of China’s leading outdoor advertising services firms.
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 27. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline. ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Renault (Paris: RENA) Plans China Car Venture With Dongfeng (HKEx: 489): Reports (English article)
Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) Strengthens China Commitment With 100th Beijing Store (Businesswire)
Shanda Sells Nut Shell to Mobile Internet Company (English article)
11 Group Buying Sites Close in October, Pace of Bankruptcies Slows (Chinese article)
Ming Yang (NYSE: MY) In Financing Framework Deal With Reliance, China Dev Bank (PRNewswire)
I had to smile this morning when I read the latest reports on Sohu (Nasdaq: SOHU), one of China’s oldest web firms, which I’m officially christening as “China’s biggest little Internet company” following word that it plans to make an IPO for its Sogou search engine. If readers note some sarcasm in my tone, it’s certainly there. But at the same time, I do have a certain level of fascination with this company, which seems determined to spin off as many of its units as possible into separate publicly listed companies.
In a theme that is rapidly gaining momentum, yet another US-listed Chinese firm has announced a new privatization bid to capitalize on valuations that have been pushed to rock-bottom levels amid a broader investor confidence crisis. The newest management-led buyout offer from 7 Days Group (NYSE: SVN), the smallest of China’s 3 publicly listed budget hotel operators, follows a string of similar moves that have seen other US-listed Chinese companies, including Shanda Interactive and Focus Media (Nasdaq: FMCN), make similar moves. So perhaps the more interesting question is: who are the most likely companies to launch similar privatization bids, as investors can clearly make some quick money if they can answer this question correctly.
China’s rapidly weakening advertising market may be undermining Focus Media’s (Nasdaq: FMCN) ongoing privatization bid, with word that one of the companies underwriting the buyout may have backed out of the deal. The news, if true, underscores the fact that this kind of privatization is never easy, and that China’s wobbly economy may make future similar buyouts even more difficult. But at the end of the day, I do suspect this privatization bid will probably succeed since many offshore investors are still quite bullish on China. What’s more, Focus Media, despite a recent restructuring, is in the enviable position of being one of China’s leading outdoor advertising services firms.
I had to smile this morning when I read the latest reports on Sohu (Nasdaq: SOHU), one of China’s oldest web firms, which I’m officially christening as “China’s biggest little Internet company” following word that it plans to make an IPO for its Sogou search engine. If readers note some sarcasm in my tone, it’s certainly there. But at the same time, I do have a certain level of fascination with this company, which seems determined to spin off as many of its units as possible into separate publicly listed companies.
In a theme that is rapidly gaining momentum, yet another US-listed Chinese firm has announced a new privatization bid to capitalize on valuations that have been pushed to rock-bottom levels amid a broader investor confidence crisis. The newest management-led buyout offer from 7 Days Group (NYSE: SVN), the smallest of China’s 3 publicly listed budget hotel operators, follows a string of similar moves that have seen other US-listed Chinese companies, including Shanda Interactive and Focus Media (Nasdaq: FMCN), make similar moves. So perhaps the more interesting question is: who are the most likely companies to launch similar privatization bids, as investors can clearly make some quick money if they can answer this question correctly.
