DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Will China's comeback stock rally last? Wall Street weighs in and shares stock picks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

China stocks have staged such a strong rally after a protracted slump for the past few years that they're beating even the S & P 500 so far this year. The MSCI China index, which includes the mainland A-shares, Hong Kong-listed shares and U.S.-listed China names, has jumped around 9%, while the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF is up around 13%. Most analysts said whether the rally can be sustained will largely depend on China policy. How to play China Though most were bullish on China stocks, they would be selective in stock-picking. They include: SPDR S & P China ETF iShares MSCI China A ETF Global X MSCI China Consumer Disc ETF iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

Persons: Bernstein, it's, —, Goldman Sachs, Kevin Liu, CICC, Nomura's, Goldman, Kweichow, Ping, Morningstar, Michael Bloom Organizations: U.S, CSI China, Investors, CICC Research, CNBC, BYD, SAIC, Changan Automobile, Energy, Anhui, Cement, JPMorgan, Kuaishou, Ping An Insurance, China Merchants Bank, Hong, China, iShares, China Consumer Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ Singapore convicts first suspect in record money laundering case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Clement Tan | In Clemtan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Porsche 911 Targa vehicle seized by police at a residence of Su Jiafeng, one of the suspects in the S$2.8 billion money-laundering case, in Singapore, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Singapore on Tuesday sentenced the first person to plead guilty in the Southeast Asia island-state's biggest money laundering scandal to a 13-month imprisonment. Public prosecutors went ahead with two counts of money laundering after an agreement to consider the remaining nine charges for sentencing. The Singapore police said it has seized around 6 million Singapore dollars ($4.44 million) worth of assets from Su. The value of all assets seized to date now exceeds more than 3 billion Singapore dollars, according to court documents.

Persons: Su Jiafeng, Su Wenqiang, Mercedes, Dior, Su Organizations: Cambodian, Public, Singapore, CNBC, United Overseas Bank Locations: Singapore, Southeast Asia, Philippines

☆ Chinese stocks are 'a risk worth taking,' asset manager says — naming 2 he likes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

There may be a lot of caution with investing in Chinese stocks — but asset manager Jason Hsu sees opportunities to play the market. "Chinese stocks are trading at the cheapest they've ever been. The Chinese economy and stock market have been dogged by declining foreign investments and a prolonged property market slump. Hsu suggests that investors allocate around 7% to 8% of their portfolio to Chinese stocks. 'A great growth story' When it comes to the Chinese market, Hsu views state-owned food and beverage company Kweichow Moutai as good short-term play.

Persons: Jason Hsu, Hsu, Moutai, Warren Buffett, Tesla, BYD Organizations: Rayliant Global Advisors, CNBC Pro, Shanghai, Shanghai Stock Exchange, FTSE, China Consumer, Toyota, U.S, Ferrari, Hong Kong Locations: China, Japan, FTSE China, U.S, Europe, Hong Kong and New York

☆ In China’s battle of the lattes, Luckin Coffee keeps beating Starbucks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Luckin, which already calls itself China’s biggest coffee chain, says it had surpassed Starbucks in mainland China by number of outlets in 2019. By the end of 2023, Luckin had 16,218 stores in China, nearly double its 2022 count of more than 8,200. Starbucks’ outlets in China are entirely company-owned. The number of branded coffee shops in China jumped 58% in the past twelve months, reaching 49,691 outlets, according to a December report by World Coffee Portal. Making a comebackBy 2019, the company had outnumbered Starbucks stores in China, with more than 4,500 outlets, according to the company.

Persons: Luckin, ”, Jinyi Guo Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Nasdaq, Starbucks, CNN, International Coffee Organization, Daxue Consulting, Visual China, Centurium, US Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Xiamen, United States, Beijing, New York, American

☆ China vs. India? Where one Asia investment manager is buying in a world of uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

India stocks have run up so high that China looks relatively attractive, said Abrdn's Xin-Yao Ng, Singapore-based investment manager of Asian equities. Until the Chinese economy rebounds, his strategy is to pick stocks. Chinese stocks have dropped over the last several months, with the Shanghai Composite trading near lows not seen since the early months of the pandemic in 2020. All this follows a year in which mounting concerns about China's economy and lack of stimulus have kept investors on the sidelines. But for China's economy overall, a slew of concerns from geopolitics to an aging population remain.

Persons: Abrdn's Xin, Yao Ng, Abrdn's Ng, Ng, Li Qiang, he's, Abrdn, We've Organizations: Shanghai, Equity Fund, Eye, Nike Locations: India, China, Singapore, Davos, Mindray

☆ Five-foot Toy Story 3 bear draws the crowds at Costco’s first store in ‘China’s Silicon Valley’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Costco unveiled its new 44,500-square-meter store in the city often dubbed China’s “Silicon Valley” on Friday, drawing large crowds in search of bargains and imported products. People line up outside the Costco store in Shenzhen, China, during its launch on January 12, 2024. Social media was awash with images of people taking home the giant version of the bear, measuring five feet tall. Lots-o-Huggin' Bear was among the more popular products on offer at the Costco store in Shenzhen during its launch on January 12, 2024. In China, Costco faces intense competition from online shopping platforms, such as Taobao and Pinduoduo, in a market where consumers are accustomed to online retail.

Persons: Costco’s, ” Kim Lin, Lin, ”, Olin Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Costco, CNN, Social, Sam’s, Walmart Locations: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China, Shanghai

☆ Where China’s consumers are spending. Jefferies' top sector picks for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Analysts generally say that for consumers in China today, daily essentials, rather than discretionary goods, are in. Top picks Both are on Jefferies' top picks list for the China consumer in 2024. In addition to being a staple at business dinners in China, Moutai has tried to branch out with co-branding in chocolate, ice cream and coffee. But the company said it expected the Chinese market to "to return to mid single-digit growth" in coming periods. The firm analyzed 80 publicly-listed consumer companies with a majority of revenue from mainland China.

Persons: China haven't, Jefferies, they'd, Alibaba, Moutai, Gamble, It's, North America —, Andy, McKinsey's Daniel Zipser, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: OC, C, Nestle, PepsiCo, Procter, Foods, China, Pacific Sun Advisors, McKinsey Locations: China, Shanghai, Hong Kong, U.S, Wednesday's, Shenzhen, Friday's, China —, North America, Asia

Data released on Thursday showing a drop in consumer prices to their lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the doubts in China's economic rebound after some months of indicators showing growth stabilising. China's big online shopping platforms did not release final sales figures for 2022, when analysts said COVID-19 restrictions inhibited spending and consumer confidence. Some indicators point to a slowdown in Singles Day sales. Data provider Syntun estimated e-commerce platforms sold 311 billion yuan of products from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, a 7.1% decrease year-on-year. For Tan Jiapeng, a 35-year-old office worker in Beijing, his only Singles Day purchase so far has been a Descente winter jacket, an "essential purchase" for the winter.

Persons: Florence Lo, Jason Yu, Kantar, COVID, Bain, Jacob Cooke, Nomura, Tan Jiapeng, Tan, Casey Hall, Sophie Yu, Marius Zaharia Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, PDD Holdings, Company, Technologies, Thomson Locations: Rights BEIJING, China, Beijing

☆ China’s Moutai Wants to Satisfy All Your Cravings
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Jacky Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/chinas-moutai-wants-to-satisfy-all-your-cravings-3abe2a9c

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ China's AI applications are coming — where it matters for monetization
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Around the same time, Tencent announced it is integrating its AI model into advertising content creation, and its own Zoom-like video conferencing app. It's also not clear how powerful China's AI applications currently are, beyond demos and select business partnerships. "Overall we see generally Chinese language model[s] still lag behind the most advanced ChatGPT version 4," CLSA's Tony Zhang said in a phone interview in the last week. Now with Beijing's green light, public-facing AI applications such as Baidu's Ernie bot can be widely used in China. Generative AI and large language model-related revenue contributed to 20% of SenseTime' s revenue in the first half of 2023, Nomura analysts said, citing company management.

Persons: Nomura, Tencent, Coffee, Luckin, Joey Wat, It's, Tony Zhang, –, Ernie, Oliver Wyman's David Xie Organizations: Baidu, KFC Locations: Beijing, China, Taobao, TikTok

☆ How Luckin Coffee overtook Starbucks as the largest coffee chain in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

SHENZHEN, CHINA - 2020/10/05: Chinese coffee shop chain Luckin Coffee logo seen at a store. Founded in 2017, Luckin Coffee burst onto the Chinese coffee scene to challenge Starbucks through affordable coffee options and mobile ordering. China is Starbucks' second-largest market after the U.S. Luckin Coffee grew to 10,829 stores in China at the end of June, surpassing Starbucks as the largest coffee chain brand in the country following what one analyst calls an "aggressive" expansion. Meanwhile, Starbucks' stores worldwide are company-owned and the American coffee chain does not franchise operations, according to its website. The Chinese coffee chain said that it sold 5.42 million Moutai alcohol-infused lattes on the first day of its launch.

Persons: Alex Tai, Li, Rahul Maheshwari, Luckin, Vivian Leung, Zhang Peng, Price, it's, Jianggan Li, Leung, Kweichow Moutai, Moutai, Shawn Yang, Yang, latte Organizations: Getty, Starbucks, U.S, Luckin, Momentum, Coffee, CNBC, Lightrocket, Brand Finance, Blue Lotus Research Institute Locations: SHENZHEN, CHINA, China, Singapore, Guangzhou, TIANJIN, Asia, Beijing

☆ Charlie Munger invested nearly $90 million of his family fortune with Li Lu. The 'Chinese Warren Buffett' has turned it into about $400 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Charlie Munger handed $88 million to Li Lu when the value investor launched a new fund in 2004. The value investor, who Munger has dubbed the "Chinese Warren Buffett," has grown the sum to roughly $400 million since then. "We made unholy good returns for a long, long time," Munger told the Financial Times for a new profile of Li. "And Li Lu just backed up the truck, bought all he could and made a killing." You can't find a more capitalistic capitalist than Li Lu."

Persons: Charlie Munger, Li Lu, Warren Buffett's, he's, Munger, Warren Buffett, Li, JP Yim, Kweichow, Buffett, He's Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Berkshire Hathaway's, China's, Buffett, Columbia University, Capital Management, Securities, Exchange, West Bancorp, Apple, Bank of America Locations: Wall, Silicon, Munger, BYD, Berkshire, New York, California, Washington

BEIJING, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Kweichow Moutai (600519.SS) and coffee brand Luckin Coffee (LC0Ay.MU) on Monday launched in China a latte advertised as containing the fiery Chinese spirit baijiu, as the Chinese luxury liquor maker aims to pull in younger consumers. The companies said the latte alcohol content was lower than 0.5% of its volume. By Monday afternoon in Beijing and Shanghai, Luckin's app showed that the drink had sold out at several stores. "Moutai and Luckin are the leading enterprises in the domestic liquor and coffee sectors, respectively," Zhu said. ($1 = 7.2640 Chinese yuan)Reporting by Sophie Yu and Brenda Goh; Editing by Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Moutai, Kweichow Moutai, Zhu Danpeng, Zhu, Luckin, Sophie Yu, Brenda Goh, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Monday, Weibo, Luckin, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, China's, Guizhou, Beijing, Shanghai

Hong Kong CNN —Luckin Coffee has joined forces with Kweichow Moutai, the maker of China’s fiery national liquor baijiu, for an unusual offering: alcoholic lattes. The popular Chinese coffee chain rolled out the so-called “sauce-flavored latte” with a jolt of liquor for 38 yuan ($5.20) on Monday. The “sauce” in the name is an apparent reference to the slightly savory notes of Moutai’s liquor that has been compared by some drinkers to soy sauce. The new drink quickly became a hot topic on Chinese social media, with many users wondering if it was safe to consume on the go. Luckin Coffee has made a comeback with consumers after becoming mired in a fraud scandal that caused its ejection from Wall Street three years ago.

Persons: Kweichow Moutai, ”, Moutai’s, Gan Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Weibo, Luckin, Wall Street Locations: Hong Kong, Zunyi, China’s Guizhou, China

☆ Here's more evidence that it's really hard to make money picking stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

And only a handful of stocks have accounted for the bulk of wealth creation in the stock market in the last 30 years. The good news: U.S. companies are far and away the biggest drivers of stock wealth creation in the last 30 years. Stock market wealth is highly concentrated How can this be? Just five stocks accounted for 10% of global net stock market wealth creation over 31 years. The reason, as this paper demonstrates, is that stock returns are not normally distributed over time.

Persons: Hendrik Bessembinder, Johnson, Roche, Kwiechow, Tencent, Tesla, Nicholas Colas, Larry Swedroe, Swedroe, Colas Organizations: Global, CFA, Treasury, Microsoft, Apple, Walmart, Facebook, Samsung, Johnson, Taiwan Semiconductor, Nestle, U.S, DataTrek Research, Strategic, New York Stock Exchange Locations: United States, U.S, China

☆ Meet the new CEO of Alibaba
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Lina Batarags | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Cofounder Eddie Wu will replace Daniel Zhang as CEO, the company announced Tuesday. The move comes three months after Alibaba announced it would split into six groups. Eddie Wu, currently the chairman of Taobao and Tmall Group, will take over as CEO from Daniel Zhang, Alibaba Group announced Tuesday. After Zhang steps down from his role, he will lead Alibaba's Cloud Intelligence Group as chairman and CEO, the company announced. History at Alibaba: He's one of the cofounders of Alibaba, and he currently serves as a senior vice president overseeing three business units, per Crunchbase.

Persons: Eddie Wu, Daniel Zhang, Alibaba, Zhang, Joseph C . Tsai, who's, Wu Organizations: Morning, Tmall, Alibaba, Cloud Intelligence Group, Zhejiang University of Technology Locations: China

☆ This winning fund puts a spin on emerging markets investing with bets from Nvidia to Chinese spirits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Artisan Developing World Fund (ARTYX) is crushing the market this year by tilting the traditional investing principles in emerging markets. "These are companies that are based in developed markets but economically tied to emerging markets," Kaufman said in an interview. By domicile, Artisan Developing World Fund has just 57% of its portfolio in emerging markets. However, the emerging markets exposure should rise to 70% when looking at the economic exposure by revenue, Kaufman said. Other than those passport companies, the fund also invests in a slew of companies domiciled in emerging markets.

HONG KONG, April 17 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Hong Kong could use a shot of something. Yet compared to the $313 billion Shanghai-listed behemoth Kweichow Moutai (600519.SS), debutante ZJLD is a drop in the near-$100 billion baijiu industry: it logs less than 1% market share. At the top of the marketed price range, ZJLD could be worth $5.4 billion, or almost 24 times this year's forecast earnings, IFR reports. Revenue at the company, which will be the first baijiu distiller to list in Hong Kong, was up a healthy 15% last year, while its adjusted net profit margin topped 20%. For Hong Kong, consumer stocks will put the focus back onto classic risks.

☆ Johnnie Walker maker Diageo appoints Debra Crew CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —One of the world’s largest alcoholic drinks companies has appointed its first female CEO. Diageo, which makes Guinness beer and Johnnie Walker whisky, said Tuesday that chief operating officer Debra Crew would succeed Ivan Menezes, who will retire from the company after 10 years at the helm. Diageo is the seventh-largest member of the FTSE 100 (UKX) index and will now become the largest UK-listed company led by a woman. There are just nine other FTSE 100 (UKX) companies led by women, including pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GLAXF) and bank NatWest. Diageo is the world’s fourth biggest alcoholic drinks company by market value, after AB InBev (BUD) and China’s Wuliangye Yibin and Kweichow Moutai.

☆ Jumping on the China bandwagon? Analyst reveals whether A-shares or H-shares are a better bet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But the euphoria around the reopening has since tapered off, with several key benchmarks in Hong Kong and mainland China paring some of their gains since the beginning of the year. The pullback could be a good opportunity for investors to buy Chinese stocks at more palatable prices, according to Bernstein analyst Rupal Agarwal. A-shares are shares of publicly listed Chinese companies that trade on Chinese stock exchanges. The trading of H-shares is done on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Hong Kong dollars. Given China's strict capital controls, A-shares are generally available for trading only to mainland Chinese citizens, while H-shares are more freely tradeable.

☆ China's latest IPO reform unlikely to flood markets with new issuance, bankers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Under the new system, China's stock exchanges will themselves vet IPOs with a focus on information disclosure. The reform was hailed by state media and analysts as a key milestone that would make China's IPO market more inclusive, transparent and efficient. "Paternalism and politics continue to play a big role" in the new IPO system, he said. STAR SYSTEMThe registration-based IPO system was first adopted by Shanghai's STAR Market when the tech-focused board was launched in 2019. The new IPO system was later rolled out to the start-up board ChiNext, and the Beijing Stock Exchange.

He heard at that time that Pfizer's (PFE.N) anti-viral drug Paxlovid was an effective treatment, but patients could only get it prescribed if they were admitted to hospital, and only if the drug was in stock. Li's experience, local media reports and online posts bear testimony to the difficulties faced obtaining Paxlovid in China through official channels. "Pfizer is actively collaborating with Chinese authorities and all stakeholders to secure an adequate supply of Paxlovid in China. We remain committed to fulfilling the COVID-19 treatment needs of Chinese patients and partnering with the Chinese government," the company said in a statement. PAXLOVID GIFTSeveral other people described to Reuters how they turned to the grey market to purchase Paxlovid.

☆ China’s reopening has gotten Wall Street excited. Here’s how the pros are playing it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Over the past week, a host of Wall Street banks have turned increasingly bullish on the world's second-largest economy and have upgraded their outlook on Chinese stocks. Morgan Stanley expects China's GDP to grow by an "above-consensus" 5.4% in 2023, on the back of a "fast-tracked" reopening and more proactive policy easing. Meanwhile, UBS says Chinese stocks look increasingly attractive. How to play the reopening Against this backdrop, analysts have named a slew of both Chinese and global stocks they think will benefit most from China's reopening. Bank of America's domestic reopening beneficiaries include consumer stocks such as alcoholic beverage makers Kweichow Moutai and Tsingtao Brew , airline stocks including China Southern Airlines , as well as online travel platform Trip.com .

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Investors caught off-guard by China's dramatic COVID policy pivot are betting on both greed and fear as the economy starts to gradually reopen, snapping up shares in businesses from travel agencies and casinos to funeral companies. Providers of death care services, including Hong Kong-listed Fu Shou Yuan International Group (1448.HK), China's biggest cemetery operator and funeral service provider, have also drawn investors. The positioning for both the bright and dark side of China's COVID pivot reflects growing concerns from investors surprised by the rapid policy change, especially as COVID vaccination rates among the elderly remain relatively low. "But we still think that the way China can flatten the curve of new COVID cases without doubling down on tightening looks quite challenging." Morgan Stanley Chief China economist Robin Xing said China's economy may remain sluggish for another quarter or two, but growth will pick up after Spring.

☆ Investors Lose Taste for Pricey Chinese Liquor as Xi Renews ‘Common Prosperity’ Call
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Weilun Soon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A production line at the Kweichow Moutai factory in the town of Maotai in Guizhou province, China. Chinese President Xi Jinping has a vision to distribute wealth more equally across the country. Investors are sobering up to what that could mean for the companies that make the nation’s beloved fiery booze. Mr. Xi recently doubled down on his plans for “common prosperity” during China’s weeklong Communist Party congress in October. Investors are worried that this could portend an industry crackdown, or simply be bad for the future sales of luxury baijiu distillers and companies that sell expensive goods to wealthy people.

Search resuls for: "Moutai"

25 mentions found