DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ China is gunning for the chief scientist of its COVID vaccine project, accusing him of 'serious discipline and law violations'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The chief scientist of China's COVID vaccine project was kicked from the National People's Congress. Yang Xiaoming, 62, is accused of "serious discipline and law violations," a phrase alluding to corruption. Yang led the team that developed the Sinopharm vaccine, and was China's top researcher in its vaccine project. AdvertisementThe chief researcher of China's first general-use COVID vaccine was ousted last week from the country's highest organ of power. Yang Xiaoming, 62, was booted on April 23 from the National People's Congress "due to serious discipline and law violations," state media reported this weekend.

Persons: Yang Xiaoming, Yang, —, China's Organizations: National People's, Service, Business Locations: China

☆ A mega restaurant chain is on a mission to get half of China to eat KFC and Pizza Hut by 2026
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Currently serving just one-third of China's population, our ambitious goal is to extend our reach to half of the population by 2026," Yum China CEO Joey Wat said in the company's latest quarterly results report. Yum plans to fuel its growth through restaurants in China's "lower-tier cities," which host over half of the firm's stores, Wat said. That's more than twice the number of KFC restaurants in the US, which has 4,293 stores, though only half of the around 6,750 Pizza Huts in the US. Both restaurant brands also have 470 million members in China, Yum said, though it didn't say if this number accounted for any overlap. "2023 was a pivotal year for Yum China," Wat said.

Persons: —, Joey Wat, Yum, China's COVID, Wat Organizations: Service, China Holdings, Business, KFC Locations: China, China's, Cities, Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen, Harbin

"Many protesters experienced being part of a civic collective for the first time," said Huang, who fled to Germany in March after narrowly avoiding detention during protests in Shanghai. Reuters was unable to confirm the total number of protesters detained last year, although some were since released. This year, on the weekend anniversary of the protests, there were no demonstrations in Beijing and Shanghai. During last year's Beijing protests, some demonstrators also called for press freedom, democracy and human rights. Some of the protesters that Reuters spoke to, as well as observers, said the events helped raise awareness of how much political power Chinese people actually wielded.

Persons: Huang, Xi, It's, Li, Li Keqiang, I'm, Laurie Chen, Jessie Pang, Casey Hall, Nicoco Chan, Brenda Goh, Tian, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Washington DC, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, HONG KONG, China, Germany, Shanghai, Beijing, New York, London, Tiananmen, Italy, Guangzhou, Hong Kong

☆ It’s official: The era of China’s global dominance is over
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

We've reached the end of an era for the Chinese economy. Unless dramatic action is taken, the future of China's economy is looking less like a young dynamo and more like an old, slow-moving blob. A faltering Chinese economy will suppress demand for commodities like oil seeds and grain, hitting US farmers especially hard. For the US economy, China as a workshop is much more important than China as a consumer. Now that China's economic supercycle is over, that may be the cycle we're about to witness.

Persons: We've, Xi Jinping, Lee Miller, it's, Xi's, —, Xu Jiayin, Charlene Chu, Chu, Chu —, Victor Shih, Shih, that's, they're, Jinping, Zhang, Miller, It's, they'll, Chinese Communist Party that's, Anne Stevenson, Yang, isn't, Stevenson, Linette Lopez Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Trust, Autonomous Research, Bloomberg, Autonomous, Century China Center, University of California, J Capital Research, Japan, Nike, Starbucks, Companies Locations: China, Beijing, Cities, Shanghai, It's, Shenyang, metropolises, Shenzhen, Europe, Wall, —, University of California San Diego, Middle Kingdom, Mexico, Vietnam, New York City, United States

☆ The Great China Boom is going bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Unless dramatic action is taken, the future of China's economy is looking less like a young dynamo and more like an old, slow-moving blob. AdvertisementAdvertisementChinese President Xi Jinping has shifted the country's priorities from economic growth to a "technology and national-security race with the US." A faltering Chinese economy will suppress demand for commodities like oil seeds and grain, hitting US farmers especially hard. For the US economy, China as a workshop is much more important than China as a consumer. Now that China's economic supercycle is over, that may be the cycle we're about to witness.

Persons: We've, Xi Jinping, Lee Miller, it's, Xi's, —, Xu Jiayin, Charlene Chu, Chu, Chu —, Victor Shih, Shih, that's, they're, Zhang, Beijing's largess, Miller, It's, they'll, Chinese Communist Party that's, Anne Stevenson, Yang, isn't, Stevenson, Linette Lopez Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Trust, Autonomous Research, Bloomberg, Autonomous, Century China Center, University of California, J Capital Research, Japan, Nike, Starbucks, WSJ, China, Companies Locations: China, Beijing, Cities, Shanghai, It's, Shenyang, metropolises, Shenzhen, Europe, Wall, —, University of California San Diego, Middle Kingdom, Mexico, Vietnam, New York City

HANGZHOU, China Sept 27 (Reuters) - Cui Chenxi became China's youngest Asian Games gold medallist on Wednesday after the 13-year-old skateboarder won the women's street event on day four of competition in Hangzhou. With an eye-catching performance featuring several 'Ollies' and a huge move off a high rail, which several of her competitors avoided, Cui took gold ahead of compatriot Zeng Wenhui, 18, with Japanese 16-year-old Miyu Ito taking bronze. Cui, who hails from China's eastern Shandong province, only took up skateboarding in 2020 when China's COVID restrictions meant she could not practice rollerblading, which she began as a three-year-old. Each athlete's highest scoring run and two highest scoring tricks were then added together to reach a final score. Margielyn Didal, who won gold for the Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games, is still only 24 yet she seemed like a veteran with all her competitors in the final 18 or under.

Persons: Cui Chenxi, Cui, Zeng Wenhui, Miyu Ito, Margielyn Didal, Didal, I'm, Martin Quin Pollard, Dylan Martinez, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Asian, Thomson Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Hangzhou, China's, Shandong, Philippines

BEIJING, Sept 12 (Reuters) - China unveiled on Tuesday its 886-strong team and its sporting and political goals for the Hangzhou Asian Games which start this month, a year later than planned due to China's COVID situation and restrictions. The Chinese team, who have topped the medals table at every Asian Games since 1982, should repeat that feat in Hangzhou, the director of the national sports bureau, Gao Zhidan, said at the team's launch in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported. The Asian Games, also known as the Asiad, are like an Olympics for Asian countries and usually take place every four years. There will be 40 different sports, including athletics, swimming, cricket, dragon boat racing and esports (computer games) which for the first time will be a medal-winning event. Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gao Zhidan, Gao, Martin Quin Pollard, Ed Osmond Organizations: Hangzhou Asian Games, Games, Xinhua, Asian, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Hangzhou, Beijing, Asia

☆ Add the climate crisis to the long list of things messing up supply chains this summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The climate crisis is throwing a wrench into already messy supply chains. Climate change and the El Niño weather phenomenon are affecting water levels in the Panama Canal. The situation is serious this summer because of a historic drought affecting rainfall that feeds into the Panama Canal. Advertisement Advertisement Watch:Droughts aren't a new phenomenon at the Panama Canal — climate change has been associated with unpredictable weather for years. Supply chains were already in chaos from COVID-19, geopolitics, and rising costs in ChinaTo be sure, the vessel congestion at the Panama Canal is troubling because it adds to the existing stress on the world's supply chains.

Persons: Nari Viswanathan, Viswanathan, Project44, Stephen Lamar, Jon Davis, Donald Trump, Biden Organizations: Service, American Apparel & Footwear Association, CNBC Locations: Panama, Washington, El, COVID, China, China . Washington, Beijing, India, Vietnam

☆ Concerns about Apple in China hit two other Club stocks. Here's where we stand on all three
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Club holding Apple (AAPL) isn't in danger of losing its footing, despite a recent market sell-off spurred by reports China is cracking down on iPhone usage. Still, Apple remains an "own-it don't-trade it" stock in the Club portfolio, as its standing as an aspirational brand in China shouldn't be affected by the government's apparent decision. Apple CEO Tim Cook "isn't just riding around saying, 'Boy, I sure hope China doesn't cut us off.' But if China were to confirm the new rules targeting iPhones, Apple is well-positioned to weather any near-term headwinds. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Tim Cook, Cramer, —, Jim, Apple, Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Truist, DuPont, Jim Cramer's Organizations: Apple, Street, Bloomberg, Club, Broadcom, DuPont de Nemours, Huawei, DuPont Broadcom, CNBC, Getty Locations: China, Beijing, India, AVGO, Greater China, Wuhan

☆ Germany is struggling to move away from its ‘sick man of Europe’ image
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Germany was first described with that moniker in 1998 as the country navigated the costly challenges of a post-reunification economy. The issues weighing on Germany's economy can be separated into "two very separate battles," Stefan Kooths, research director for business cycles and growth at the Kiel Institute for World Economy, told CNBC. "It is a different sickness [compared to] 20 years ago," Brzeski told CNBC. Energy obstaclesLike most of Europe, Germany's energy prices have been volatile following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "Many Germany-headquartered businesses are doing well globally, but they are struggling with operations in their own country," Siegfried Russwurm, head of the German Industry Federation, told CNBC in June.

Persons: DANIEL ROLAND, aren't, it's, Holger Schmieding, Schmieding, Jasmin Groeschl, Stefan Kooths, Carsten Brzeski, China's, Brzeski, Groeschl, Joerg Kraemer, Kooths, Siegfried Russwurm Organizations: Frankfurt Cathedral, AFP, Getty, International Monetary Fund, Berenberg, CNBC, Europe, Allianz, Kiel Institute, World, ING Research, German Industry Federation Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Europe, France, China, Kiel, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine's offensive is bearing down on Russian forces, but Chinese artillery could still bail Moscow out
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Russian military relies on artillery to compensate for other battlefield shortcomings. But its heavy use of artillery in Ukraine could outstrip its ability to make new shells and cannons. The commander of Russia's 58th Army in Ukraine was recently relieved after complaining about the state of Russian artillery, including "the lack of counter-battery fire" and "lack of artillery reconnaissance stations." Chinese artillery troops during a live-fire test in Anhui Province in October 2021. Chinese support could mean the difference between victory and defeat for Russia, but salvation from Beijing may be a long time coming.

Persons: Mao, ANDREY KRONBERG, People's Liberation Army —, China's, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Dmitri Lovetsky, Xi, Beijing hasn't Organizations: Service, War, Artillery, Royal United Services Institute, Getty, Army, Russia, Publishing, People's Liberation Army, Foreign Ministry, Ukraine, Reuters, China's Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Iran, North Korea, China, British, Volgograd, AFP, Moscow, Anhui Province, St . Petersburg, Beijing, Western, Taiwan, Europe, cynically, Central Asia

☆ China signals more support for real estate with a 'big change' in tone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Construction on a real estate project in Yantai, Shandong province, gets under way on July 8, 2023. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China is changing its tone on the struggling real estate sector, paving the way for policy support. The statement reflects a "much clearer understanding about the seriousness of the situation," said Qin Gang, executive director of China real estate research institute ICR. He expects policies beneficial to the real estate market and consumption will come out in coming days. So far, the biggest real estate policy change has been this month's extension of measures to support developers, which were first revealed in November.

Persons: Larry Hu, Hu, Qin Gang, Ricky Tsang, China's, Tsang, It's, Zong Liang, Zong, Tommy Wu, Wu Organizations: Nurphoto, Getty, CNBC, Macquarie, People's Bank of China, Qin, Seng Property Development, National Bureau of Statistics, Bank of China Locations: Yantai, Shandong province, BEIJING, China

☆ Wall Street is bullish on Big Tech heading into earnings — here's what we think
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Wall Street kicked off the week with bullish takes on several high-flying tech stocks in the portfolio — validating our decision to stick with these mega-caps heading into quarterly earnings. It's also important to understand that some price target raises are just chasing a big move, and that the price reaction to an earnings release has less to do with the results and much more to do with expectations. It's also why Citigroup also put AMD on a "negative catalyst watch," meaning it is negative on the stock heading into earnings. In the analysts' view, Apple has an opportunity to grow its revenue by seven times in the U.S. over the next decade to about $40 billion, while adding 170 million new users. Microsoft What the analysts say: Analysts at Mizuho reiterated their buy rating on Microsoft while taking up their price target to $390 from $360.

Persons: bullish, Meta, It's, CUDA, Morgan Stanley, we're, —, Jim Cramer, monetize, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Jensen Huang, Sam Yeh Organizations: Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Devices, Citigroup, AMD, Intel, Mizuho, Activision Blizzard, JMP Securities, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Afp, Getty Locations: U.S, China, India, Taipei

☆ A global commodities rout is fueling fears of a bleak economic future
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Global commodities have seen a more than 20% slump compared to the same period last year, as reflected by the S&P GSCI Commodities index. Prices of commodities like crude oil and iron ore have been sliding this year, underlining a continuing economic rout across the globe and possible recession risks, market watchers told CNBC. Global commodities have seen a more than 25% slump over the last 12 months as reflected by the S&P GSCI Commodities index — a benchmark measuring the wider performance of various commodity markets. But the overall slide for the index is likely pointing to a global economic slowdown and a recession, analysts say, as China's Covid-19 rebound loses momentum. "It is my belief that this will flow through to a broader decline in economic activity, especially in the West," I'Anson added.

Persons: China's, Reid I'Anson, I'Anson Organizations: CNBC, Global Locations: U.S, Europe

☆ 3 major companies trying to move supply chains out of China, and how they're faring in their attempts to move away from the factory of the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ted Cannis, a senior executive at Ford, told the Financial Times in December that there is a "large-scale rethinking of logistics operations" across the auto supply chain. "The supply chain is going to be the focus of this decade," Cannis said. Among the companies Apple is relying on to make the Vision Pro is Taiwan's Foxconn — which is the main supplier shifting its supply chain away from China. The move was made after China's COVID-19 lockdowns rocked supply chain and production timelines, but prices are the real driving reason behind the move. "Right now, robustness of our supply chain also needs to be considered to ensure the stable procurement of parts."

Persons: —, Donald Trump, lockdowns, COVID, Ashutosh Sharma, Forrester, Ted Cannis, Cannis, China's, Wellsenn, Cowell, Liu Young, TSMC, Morris Chang, Chips, Dylan Patel, SemiAnalysis, Tim Cook, Fang DongxuFeature, Mazda, China's COVID, Masahiro Moro, ", Moro Organizations: Mazda, Service, Privacy, East, Ford, Financial Times, Apple, Vision, Apple's, Cowell e Holdings, Future Publishing, Reuters Locations: China, India, Zhengzhou, Henan, Vietnam, Mexico, Taiwan, Arizona, Nanjing, Fang DongxuFeature China, Japan Japanese, Japan

☆ China's services activity picks up in May on improved demand- Caixin PMI
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, June 5 (Reuters) - China's services activity picked up in May, a private-sector survey showed on Monday, as a rise in new orders shored up a consumption-led economic recovery in the second quarter. The reading contrasts with the official PMI released last week that showed a slower pace of expansion in the services sector. The Caixin survey showed service companies reported a rise in new business last month when the first May Day holiday following China's COVID reopening boosted orders for hotels, restaurants and travel agencies. Caixin/S&P's composite PMI, which includes both manufacturing and services activity, picked up to 55.6 from 53.6 in April, marking the quickest expansion since December 2020. "This divergence highlights that economic growth is lacking internal drive and market entities lack sufficient confidence, underscoring the importance of expanding and restoring demand," he said.

Persons: shored, Wang Zhe, Ellen Zhang, Ryan Woo, Sam Holmes Organizations: P Global, PMI, Caixin Insight, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing

☆ Morning Bid: Debt impasse dominates in big day for politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Politics has the spotlight at the start of a new week, falling chiefly - still - on the U.S. debt ceiling standoff. Talks between President Joe Biden and lawmakers look likely to resume on Tuesday, after getting postponed on Friday. Despite that setback, and deep partisan rifts, both Biden and analysts say there are signs of progress. Biden is confident enough that he's still planning on boarding a Wednesday flight to Hiroshima for the G7 summit. However, the liberal Move Forward party and the populist Pheu Thai Party will not only need to broker a deal with each other, but also somehow win the backing of the junta-appointed senate to form a government.

☆ Morning Bid: US debt drama crashes Japan's G7 party
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Kevin Buckland. But almost everyone also wants to hear from her that the United States can sort out its own debt ceiling conundrum and avoid a potentially disastrous default. The United States isn't the only concern either. Chinese inflation data showed consumer prices almost flat-lining in April, while factory gate deflation deepened. Ten-year Treasury yields continued to tick lower in Tokyo, putting the U.S. dollar under pressure against the yen.

Economists in a Reuters poll had predicted no growth in imports and an 8.0% increase in exports. Other recent data also showed South Korean exports to China, a leading indicator of China's imports, were down 26.5% in April, continuing 10 consecutive months of decline. China's coal imports fell in April from a 15-month high in the prior month, snapping back as demand weakens in Asian giant. Imports of copper - a proxy for global growth - and natural gas were also down in the same period. "The global economy is deteriorating and will weaken China's manufacturing sector," said Iris Pang, chief China economist at ING.

☆ Here are 10 global stocks analyst love coming out of the earnings week, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

However, according to strategists at Bank of America, there were more downward than upward revisions of company earnings estimates by analysts. The investment bank said European companies saw a decrease in their earnings per share (EPS) revision ratio to 0.85 in April, down from 1.12 in March. Analysts tend to downgrade stocks despite companies reporting bumper profits if those earnings are unlikely to grow in the future. The below table highlights 10 European large-cap stocks with high EPS revision ratio, according to Bank of America. The EPS revision ratio for Novo Nordisk was also in positive territory, thanks to its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy and others in the pipeline.

Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said on Tuesday Washington was very concerned about China's recent "punitive" action toward some U.S. companies, and that foreign firms are delaying investments in the country due to uncertainty about the openness of its economy. "If you put that together with some of the punitive actions that the government here in Beijing has taken against several American companies recently, we're very concerned about this," Burns said, adding: "We intend to have a full discussion with the government here about it." China's foreign ministry said at the time Mintz was suspected of engaging in unlawful business operations. Burns said a lot of foreign firms were delaying making major investments until they could see some consistency in messaging from China. He said he had warned American companies to carefully abide by a U.S. law that prohibits importing goods from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labor by Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities.

May 2 (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) beat Wall Street estimates on Tuesday for quarterly profits and comparable sales, powered by a sharp recovery in business in China and steady demand for its coffees and cold drinks in North America. Even so, some analysts expected China sales to remain in the red after tumbling 29% the previous quarter. Instead, the world's largest coffeehouse chain posted a 3% rise in China comparable sales in its second quarter ended April 2, boosting the company's international sales 7%, more than double the 2.94% increase of the average analyst's estimate, according to Refinitiv data. Globally, the Seattle-based chain's comparable sales climbed 11%, trouncing analysts' expectation of a 7.36% rise. Excluding one-time items, Starbucks earned 74 cents per share, beating estimates of 65 cents.

☆ 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."

☆ Luxury goods giant LVMH becomes the first European company to surpass $500 billion in market value
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A pedestrian carries a Louis Vuitton shopping bag, from a store operated by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, on New Bond Street in London, U.K., on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Luxury goods giant LVMH on Monday became the first European company to surpass $500 billion in market value. Its shares hit a record high following the results, and hit another high on Monday. It reported revenue of 79.2 billion euros ($87.1 billion) for 2022, with profit from recurring operations of 21.1 billion euros — its second consecutive year of record results. In 2021, LVMH completed the acquisition of U.S. jeweler Tiffany & Co for $15.8 billion.

Four months later, 26-year-old Huang fled to Germany and decided to speak out in support of fellow demonstrators, some of whom remain in detention. "I feel like I need to speak up for Cao Zhixin and the other detained protesters... China has not commented officially on the protests, whether they triggered the end of the zero-COVID policy or subsequent detentions. He was then sat near the front of a police bus full of other detained protesters. "As long as one protester is still detained, the world cannot stop paying attention to the white paper movement."

Search resuls for: "China's COVID"

25 mentions found