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☆ Masayoshi Son made $72 billion betting on Jack Ma's Alibaba. Now he wants to do it again with AI.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewMasayoshi Son owes much of his success to an incredibly prescient dot-com era bet on Alibaba. The SoftBank chief first invested $20 million in Jack Ma's ecommerce upstart in 2000, when it was just a year old. That faith was handsomely rewarded, with SoftBank realizing an incredible $72 billion gain on its investments in Alibaba over the course of 23 years. Arm and the Vision Funds collectively represent 70% of SoftBank’s net asset value, a key performance indicator that reflects the total value of its holdings. Arm, SoftBank's latest golden child, is on course to deliver, but there is still much work to be done to get the Vision Funds back on track.

Persons: —, Jack Ma's ecommerce, Ma, Son, Masayoshi Son's, Jack Ma, Alibaba, ChatGPT, Yoshimitsu Goto, SoftBank, Uber, Sam Altman, he'll Organizations: Service, Business, Future Publishing, Vision, Apple, Google, Nvidia, Samsung, Nasdaq, Funds Locations: Alibaba, China, British, London

3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Alibaba Cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. Two company sources told Reuters that Ma's move had generated a lot of discussion within the company, as did Jiang's post. Alibaba and the Jack Ma Foundation, the philanthropic organization that handles media queries for the billionaire, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In her internal note, Jiang also repeated comments from Ma's family office shared with the Alibaba-owned newspaper South China Morning Post on Friday that Ma remained "very positive" about Alibaba and that his family trust eventually did not sell a single share. The company has also been grappling with some upheaval in its top ranks, welcoming a new CEO, Eddie Wu, in September.

Persons: Dado, Jack Ma's, Jiang Fang, Jiang, Jack Ma, Ma, Alibaba, Eddie Wu, Daniel Zhang, Casey, Jenny Wang, Brenda Goh, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, Reuters, Jack Ma Foundation, China Morning, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: Rights SHANGHAI, BEIJING, Shanghai, Beijing

Carlyle, which started raising its sixth Asia-focused fund in mid-2022, has bagged less than $3 billion so far, two of the sources said. Investors in private equity companies, known as limited partners, typically reinvest after having booked returns from their previous investments. Private equity firms have made a total of $15.6 billion in exits in Asia, down 82% year-on-year, Dealogic data showed. Sources told Reuters last year Carlyle was aiming to raise $8.5 billion in the pan-Asia fund. Capital allocation to China had been bigger in Carlyle's previous Asia funds, different sources with knowledge of the matter have said.

Persons: Carlyle, Jack Ma's, Harvey Schwartz, Goldman Sachs, Patrick Siewert, Nina Gong, Herman Chang, Kane Wu, Sriram, Xie Yu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Miral Organizations: Carlyle, Investors, Reuters, Yes Bank, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, MUMBAI, Asia, East, Europe, China, U.S, India, South Korea, Carlyle's, Beijing, Hong Kong, Greater China, Carlyle's Hong Kong, Mumbai

☆ Jack Ma's family trust to sell 10 mln shares in China's Alibaba
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Chinese billionaire Jack Ma's family trust is set to sell 10 million American Depository Shares of Alibaba Group Holdings (9988.HK), for about $871 million, the ecommerce company said in regulatory filings. The sale will be done on Nov. 21 by JSP Investment and JC Properties, funds that are part of the family trust. Alibaba and the Jack Ma Foundation, the philanthropic organization that handles media queries for the billionaire, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S.-listed shares of Alibaba were down more than 3% in premarket trading ahead of its quarterly results. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jack Ma's, Jack Ma, Ma, Eddie Wu, Akash Sriram, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Alibaba Group Holdings, HK, JSP Investment, JC, Jack Ma Foundation, Thomson Locations: Ma . U.S, Alibaba, Bengaluru

☆ Alibaba CEO warns of being ‘displaced’ if the Chinese tech giant doesn’t keep up in AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Signage at the Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. booth at the Smart China Expo in Chongqing, China, on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. Alibaba needs to be "user first" and "AI-driven," new CEO Eddie Wu told employees on Tuesday, as he laid out the strategic priorities for the Chinese tech giant. As the world progresses, Alibaba needs to evolve even faster!," Wu said in a letter to employees that was seen by CNBC. However, in a surprise move, Zhang this week quit as CEO of the cloud business with Wu taking over in the interim. It comes months after Alibaba split its company into six different business groups, the biggest shakeup in its history.

Persons: Eddie Wu, Wu, Jack Ma's, Daniel Zhang, Zhang, Alibaba Organizations: Alibaba, Holding, Smart, CNBC Locations: Chongqing, China

The one unanimous conclusion they came to was that Beijing wants a greater state presence in these sectors. Kroeber says the crackdowns are about "defining what the state does, what the private sector does, and creating a more limited sandbox for the private sector to play in." That has left investors now picking the state over the private sector. The CCP's July Politburo meeting reinforced the message, with the top policymaking body pledging to put a floor under the property sector, help indebted local governments heal and boost consumer demand. Huang Yan, general manager of private fund manager Shanghai QiuYang Capital Co, said Beijing will crack down on any sector seen as increasing people's economic burden.

Persons: Aly, Jack, Arthur Kroeber, Kroeber, Zhang Kexing, Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong's, Thomas Masi, Masi, Xi, Nuno Fernandes, Fernandes, Huang Yan, Huang, Kumar Pandit, Pandit, Jason Xue, Ankur Banerjee, Vidya Ranganathan, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ant Group, CSI Medical Services, Beijing Tongrentang, HK, Poly, Beijing Gelei Asset Management, Communist Party's, Investors, Mao Zedong's Marxist, Boston, K Investment Management, Shanghai QiuYang, Somerset Capital, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights SHANGHAI, HONGKONG, Beijing, New York, London, Singapore

☆ Morgan Stanley still likes these Chinese stocks despite a country downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Morgan Stanley has decided to take a break, downgrading MSCI China to equal weight while recommending a few consumer and industrial names. The Politburo meeting signaled policy easing, but outstanding issues — of debt, property, jobs and geopolitics — need significant improvement for sustainable inflows, the Morgan Stanley analysts said. Morgan Stanley has so far only changed it once this year: a cut in July to 5%. And despite their downgrade of Chinese stocks, the analysts added two mainland-traded A shares to their focus list. In its latest report, Morgan Stanley analysts also turned overweight on India.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Laura Wang, Fran Chen, Wood, Warren Buffett, behemoth BlackRock, Biden, Liqian Ren, Ren, Hang Seng, Jack Ma's Alibaba, Morgan Stanley's, Morgan, WisdomTree's Ren doesn't, Ren doesn't, Michael Bloom Organizations: U.S, Chinese Communist Party, China ETF, WisdomTree Trust, Owned Enterprises ETF, Wall, JPMorgan, Baidu, State, Owned Enterprise Fund, Ping An Insurance Locations: China, . U.S, WisdomTree, WisdomTree Trust China, Morgan, Morgan Stanley's China, Hong Kong, India

☆ Ant Group valuation: Jack Ma's speech cost Chinese company about $230 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The company was co-founded by Jack Ma, as was e-commerce giant Alibaba Group (BABA). On Friday, Chinese financial regulators fined Ant and its subsidiaries a total of 7.1 billion yuan ($984 million) for breaking rules related to consumer protection and corporate governance. The fines mean the regulatory “overhang” over the Chinese internet sector has finally been removed, Jefferies analysts said Saturday. Chinese tech shares rallied Monday, with Alibaba rising 3.2% and Tencent gaining 0.7%. Friday’s fines mark the conclusion of the regulatory crackdown on Ant and could pave the way for the company to revive its long-anticipated IPO, according to analysts.

Persons: Jack Ma, Didi, Meituan, Ant, ”, Alibaba, Ma, ” Ma Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Ant, Alibaba, CNN, Jefferies, Saudi Aramco, Bund Financial Locations: Hong Kong, China, Shanghai, Saudi, Beijing

☆ Jack Ma's run-in with Beijing not only saw him disappearing for over 2 years, it also cost his companies over $850 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jack Ma's Alibaba and Ant Group collectively lost $850 billion in value since their peak in 2020. They came under pressure following Ma's criticism of Beijing, which spurred a regulatory crackdown. On Friday, Beijing announced a $985 million fine for Ant Group, signaling an end to the crackdown. In April, he was appointed an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong. Alibaba shares in Hong Kong were up 3.1% at 86.90 Hong Kong dollars apiece at midday, buoyed by news of the fine.

Persons: Jack Ma's Alibaba, Jack Ma, Ma, —, Ant — Organizations: Ant Group, Ant, Michelin, University of Hong, Hong Locations: Beijing, China's, Alibaba, China, Bangkok, Thai, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, University of Hong Kong, Japan, New York

Since 2015, Prime Day sales have risen to more than $7 billion and could top $8 billion this year. Now in its ninth year, Amazon's annual Prime Day has become a fact of American life — a quasi-holiday that retailers of all types pile into. Protestors in New York raising awareness of Amazon facilitating ICE surveillance efforts coinciding with Amazon Prime Day 2019. How Prime Day is goingLast year, Amazon drove more than $7 billion in sales through its Prime Day sales, according to Insider Intelligence. The number of Amazon Prime account holders has ballooned too, with nearly 175 million people using Amazon Prime in the US today — around two-thirds of the country's population — according to a report by Insider Intelligence.

Persons: Michael M, Jack Ma's Alibaba, Diego Piacentini, Jeff Bezos, Brad Stone, Bezos, Execs, Stone, Meagan Wulff Reibstein, Wulff, Kevin Hagen, Brian Olsavsky, Rafael Henrique, Scott Olson, Andrew Lipsman, Lipsman, — Organizations: Amazon Prime, Companies, Amazon, Intelligence, Insider Intelligence, Workers, Walmart, Getty, Target, Target Circle, Black, Prime Locations: China, Tokyo, London, Paris, Munich, Japan, Europe, New York

Taipei/London CNN —China’s top financial regulators have fined Ant Group — the fintech firm founded by billionaire Jack Ma — about 7.1 billion yuan ($994 million) for breaking rules related to consumer protection and corporate governance. “We will comply with the terms of the penalty in all earnestness and sincerity and continue to further enhance our compliance governance,” Ant Group said in a statement. Ant Group is an affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba, which was also founded by Ma. In April 2021, Alibaba was fined 18.2 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) — a record for China — for behaving like a monopoly. Separately, China’s financial regulators also announced a fine of nearly 3 billion yuan ($415 million) for Tenpay, Tencent’s (TCEHY) online payment platform, according to information posted on the PBOC website on Friday.

Persons: London CNN —, Jack Ma —, Alibaba, Guo Shuqing, Ma Organizations: London CNN, Ant, China Securities Regulatory Commission, People’s Bank of China, National Financial Regulatory Administration, Ma, Communist Party, China, People’s Bank of, Xinhua, Ant Group Locations: Taipei, London, China, People’s Bank of China

☆ Eddie Wu takes over as CEO of Alibaba in surprise leadership shuffle
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEddie Wu takes over as CEO of Alibaba in surprise leadership shuffleCNBC's Deirdre Bosa joins 'The Exchange' to discuss Alibaba's surprise leadership shakeup, Jack Ma's relationship with the new Alibaba executives, and the decision to split up the Alibaba Group.

Persons: Eddie Wu, Alibaba, Deirdre Bosa, shakeup, Jack Ma's Organizations: Alibaba

REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoSYDNEY/HONG KONG, May 8 (Reuters) - Alibaba's (9988.HK) logistics arm aims to raise up to $2 billion via a listing in Hong Kong likely early next year, sources with knowledge of the matter said, bolstering hopes for a capital markets revival in the Asian financial hub. Cainiao, which has started work on the IPO, is looking to raise between $1 billion and $2 billion in Hong Kong, according to three sources. IPO PROSPECTSDealmakers hope that Cainiao's potential IPO, expected to be followed by market debuts from some of the other Alibaba units in the near-term, could help revive sluggish fundraising activities in Hong Kong. About $1.5 billion has been raised from IPOs in Hong Kong so far this year, marginally above the $1.2 billion raised in the same period last year, according to Refinitiv data. ($1 = 6.9149 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Julie Zhu in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China investment consensus cracks as politics fuel fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It is unlikely to be resolved quickly even if the markets keep rallying and China economy keeps global growth ticking. Data paints a murky picture, but supports brokers' analysis that the bid from long-only money managers is absent. Allocation analysis from data firm EPFR shows a broad downtrend, especially to U.S.-domiciled China funds. EPFR figures show allocation to China funds outside the U.S. has increased for two years and mainland markets' recent performance has also been encouraging. "Our reservations about China's long-term investment prospects are based on our outlook for returns to capital."

Alibaba, one of the most valuable assets in SoftBank's portfolio, tumbled as much as 5.2% in Hong Kong and closed down about 2%. On Wednesday, the FT said forward sales based on filings at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed SoftBank's Alibaba stake would eventually fall to 3.8% from almost 15%. The Japanese group, led by billionaire founder Masayoshi Son, has sold about $7.2 billion worth of Alibaba shares this year through prepaid forward contracts, the newspaper said. "It is well within the realms of expectations that the proportion of Chinese shares among its total investment will shrink further." In New York, Alibaba's shares were up 3% as analysts noted that the stake sale was more due to SoftBank's circumstances.

TOKYO, April 13 (Reuters) - Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) has moved to sell almost all of its remaining shares in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK), , the Financial Times reported, sending the Chinese e-commerce major's stock tumbling. Alibaba, one of the most valuable assets in SoftBank's portfolio, tumbled as much as 5.2% in Hong Kong after the report before paring the loss to 2.8%. SoftBank has been seeking ways to monetise its stake in Alibaba, which the Japanese conglomerate bought into more than two decades ago with just $20 million spending. On Wednesday, the FT said forward sales based on filings at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed SoftBank's Alibaba stake would eventually fall to 3.8% from almost 15%. The Japanese group, led by billionaire founder Masayoshi Son, has sold about $7.2 billion worth of Alibaba shares this year through prepaid forward contracts, the newspaper said.

With that out of the way, Zhang is cleared to focus on Alibaba's massive corporate overhaul unveiled last month. Current shareholders will be left with a holding company led by Zhang, plus Alibaba's cash-cow Chinese commerce business. After all, Alibaba's U.S. shares are down over 60% in the past two years, while the S&P 500 has stayed largely flat. The sales will eventually reduce SoftBank's stake in Alibaba to 3.8%. In 2022, SoftBank booked a gain of $34 billion by cutting its stake in Alibaba to 14.6% from 23.7%.

☆ Slower China factory activity growth challenges economic recovery prospects
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China's economic activity picked up in the first two months of 2023 as consumption and infrastructure investment drove a recovery after the end of COVID-19 disruptions and retail sales swung back to growth. "However, amid rapidly worsening geopolitical tensions and financial concerns outside of China, this may not last long," they added in a note. While business and consumer sentiment is starting to pick up, the manufacturing sector remains under pressure amid sluggish global demand and stubbornly high costs. Any fallout from a recent crisis of confidence in the global banking sector could also affect demand for China's goods, adding to pressure on manufacturers. Factory activity was hit by slowing growth in production and customer demand, with the output and new orders sub-indexes showing declines from February's levels.

☆ After a more than $1 trillion rout, Beijing appears to be warming to Chinese tech giants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this article BABA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTwatch nowBeijing's regulatory crackdown on the Chinese tech sector began in late 2020, wiping off more than a combined $1 trillion from the country's biggest companies. There are now signs that the central government is softening its stance towards internet titans like Alibaba , in a move that could prove positive for Chinese tech stocks. Jean Chung | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesIn addition to warming to the domestic tech sector, China is also courting foreign business. To achieve that, it will need the help of private businesses — including the tech sector. Is China tech out of the woods yet?

HONG KONG, March 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - In the biblical parable of the prodigal son, a repentant wastrel returns home to a forgiving and beneficent father. In China, Alibaba (9988.HK) founder Jack Ma's homecoming and rehabilitation appears to be part of an official campaign to revive flagging private sector investment. However, if officials believe the mere sight of Ma in public will revive business confidence, that hope has a whiff of desperation. Ma the prodigal entrepreneur has returned, but perhaps not for long. Shares of Alibaba rallied as much as 4% in Hong Kong following the SCMP report before closing flat at HK$85.25 on March 27.

☆ Alibaba founder Jack Ma's return to China was 'well orchestrated,' says Stephen Roach
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAlibaba founder Jack Ma's return to China was 'well orchestrated,' says Stephen RoachStephen Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University, says it fits with the "government's campaign" to demonstrate that it is relaxing pressures on the private sector both internationally and domestically.

☆ Inside the private meeting at Jack Ma's apartment where he plotted to take on Silicon Valley with a trusted 'ragtag bunch' of early employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Brian A. Wong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In one apartment, Jack, Lucy Peng, and a few other leaders worked alongside the firm's engineers. Everyone's enthusiasm flowed from their strong identification with the company's mission and Jack's vision, and if it was part of our mission, all believed, it was certainly achievable. In fact, in time, I would grow to better understand and more deeply embrace Alibaba's mission, vision, and values and the way they motivated our people. That's what Savio Kwan, Alibaba's first COO, did, codifying Jack's ideas into our company mission, vision, and values. Their efforts would form the basis of Alibaba's core mission, vision, and values statement— the guiding force or beliefs for Alibaba's development then and now.

☆ After spending time in Japan and briefly appearing in Thailand, Jack Ma's now resurfaced in Hong Kong, where he's reportedly meeting with finance execs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

This time he's in Hong Kong, meeting financial executives. He has kept a low profile and evaded public view since he ran afoul of Chinese authorities in 2020. He has now resurfaced again, and was seen in Hong Kong, meeting with financial executives, per a Friday report by the Hong Kong Economic Times. The news of his resurfacing in Hong Kong comes just weeks after Ant Group said Ma would be giving up control of his company. The speech angered Chinese authorities, brought scrutiny to his company and eventually led to a wide regulatory crackdown on Chinese tech companies.

☆ Ant-linked firms' shares rise after news of Jack Ma ceding control; Alibaba jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Shares of listed Chinese companies that count Ant Group as a major shareholder rose on Monday after announcements that Ant founder Jack Ma is giving up control of the fintech giant following an overhaul. Ant indirectly owns stakes ranging from more than 20% to slightly more than 5% in those companies. Ant said over the weekend that founder Jack Ma will give up control of the company. China's domestic A-share market requires companies to wait three years after a change in control to list. read moreLi Nan, professor of Finance at Shanghai Jiaotong University, however said Ant's inherent problems remain after its change of control.

☆ Jack Ma's Alibaba climbs after the the billionaire gives up control of Ant Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The rally comes as billionaire Jack Ma gives up control of Ant Group, the fintech business empire he built decades prior. Ant saw its $37 billion IPO canceled at the last minute in November 2020. Alibaba confirmed on Saturday a previous report by the Wall Street Journal that said Ma would cede control of Ant. Last week, he resurfaced in Thailand hours before Ant Group announced in a statement he was giving up control of the company. Local media reported that Ma was at a restaurant with Soopakij Chearavanont, the chair of the Charoen Pokphand Group.

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