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☆ Hybrid vehicle sales surge in China, posing fresh threat to foreign automakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A Li L7 electric SUV by Li Auto is displayed at the Auto Shanghai show, in Shanghai, China April 18, 2023. One-third of total vehicle sales by Toyota, the world's top-selling automaker, are already hybrids and the company reported a 34% surge in hybrid sales in the six months to end-September, outpacing 9% growth in overall revenue. Sales of HEVs in China, which Toyota still dominates with four top-selling models, tumbled 15%, while gasoline car sales dropped 11%, underscoring potential challenges facing foreign automakers. But it was a failed trial, with sales of just over 4,000 units, and GM in 2020 halted sales. BYD is expanding PHEV sales overseas, offering Han, Qin and Song lineups in Latin America, which has less charging infrastructure.

Persons: Li Auto, Aly, Xu Min, Yale Zhang, BYD, Li, Han, Qin, Stellantis, Leapmotor, Xu, Bill Russo, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Miyoung Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Li, Auto, REUTERS, Rights, Toyota, Honda, Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Institute, Intelligent, Reuters, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, HK, Automotive Foresight, Reuters Graphics, Prius, General Motors, Buick, GM, Li Auto, Jiao Tong University, HEVs, Thomson Locations: Auto Shanghai, Shanghai, China, Europe, U.S, outpacing, United States, Shanghai Jiao, Reuters Graphics CHINA, America, Leapmotor, North America

☆ Banks may resist China’s push to help developers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Beijing is giving Chinese banks another nudge to persuade them to play the property white knight. Regulators including the People’s Bank of China are drafting a “whitelist” of 50 property developers, including state-backed China Vanke (000002.SZ) and fully private ones like Seazen (1030.HK) and Longfor (0960.HK), Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources. More importantly, barring specific lending targets, banks are likely to remain in wait-and-see mode because they fear getting stuck with a mountain of bad loans. Last December, Chinese banks pledged new credit lines worth around 3 trillion yuan ($424 billion) to a dozen developers deemed worth saving, following a similar effort by Beijing. But at a time when China’s outstanding property loans are contracting, such vaguely worded guidance loses relevance.

Persons: Stringer, Yawen Chen, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Regulators, People’s Bank of China, HK, Bloomberg, X, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Dalian, Liaoning province, China, Rights SINGAPORE, Beijing

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 34.45 billion yuan ($4.72 billion), compared with analysts' estimates of 34.33 billion yuan, according to LSEG data. Baidu has in recent years focused increasingly on AI, creating a self-driving vehicle and investing heavily in generative AI, which is capable of creating text, images and other media. Baidu's Chief Financial Officer Rong Luo said the firm will continue to prioritise AI investments, especially in generative AI and foundation models, to power its growth. Baidu's online marketing revenue rose 5% in the third quarter to 19.7 billion yuan. During the quarter, Baidu reported adjusted net income of 7.27 billion yuan, up 23% from 5.89 billion yuan for the same period last year.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Ernie, Rong Luo, Luo, Alibaba, Yuvraj Malik, Varun H, Miral Fahmy, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Baidu, REUTERS, HK, Tuesday, International Monetary Fund, Nvidia, Reuters, Huawei, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Washington, Bengaluru, Yelin Mo

☆ China's Nio, Changan Auto to jointly develop battery-swapping EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of NIO seen on an EL6 car model is pictured at the NIO House, the showroom of the Chinese premium smart electric vehicle manufacture NIO Inc. in Berlin, Germany August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Nio (9866.HK) said on Tuesday it would partner with Changan Automobile (000625.SZ) to develop battery-swapping electric vehicles, in an attempt by the loss-making Chinese EV maker to ease costs. The partnership will also see Nio and state-owned Changan on building and sharing battery-swapping stations and standardising batteries, Nio said in a statement to Reuters. Battery swapping allows drivers to replace depleted packs quickly with fully charged packs, rather than plugging the vehicle into a charging point. By Nov. 21, Nio had 2,113 battery swapping stations in China and nearly 1 million charging poles.

Persons: Annegret, Nio, Tesla, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Christopher Cushing, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, Changan Automobile, Reuters, China Passenger Car Association, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, China, Beijing

At least Zeekr benefits from having a powerful parent, Geely Automobile, which is part of China’s largest privately owned auto group Zhejiang Geely. But Geely Automobile, which will maintain control of the business after the IPO, has a market capitalisation of only $12.3 billion. The company, owned by Chinese automaker Geely Automobile, hopes to use funds raised to expand its product line. The company reported a net loss of 3.9 billion yuan ($534 million) for the six months to the end of June 2023, compared with a 3.1 billion yuan loss a year earlier. Revenue grew by 136% to 21 billion yuan, with 13.2 billion yuan of that total coming from vehicle sales.

Persons: Zeekr, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Geely Automobile, HK, Graphics, European Union, Zhejiang, Investors, Revenue, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, New York, Beijing, Washington, Brussels, China, U.S, Europe, China’s, Hong Kong

☆ HP forecasts downbeat first-quarter profit amid slow PC market recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - HP Inc (HPQ.N) on Tuesday forecast first-quarter profit below Wall Street estimates but maintained annual earnings outlook, a sign that demand in the personal computers market is still recovering, sending its shares down nearly 4% after market. HP expects first-quarter adjusted profit per share to be between 76 cents and 86 cents, the midpoint of which was below LSEG estimates of 86 cents. HP maintained fiscal 2024 adjusted profit forecast of $3.25 to $3.65 per share. Sales for HP's personal systems segment — home to its desktop and notebook PCs — fell 8% from a year ago, while its printing segment posted a 3% fall. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Enrique Lores, Lores, Lenovo, Dell, Samrhitha, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Hewlett - Packard, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, HP Inc, Wall, Companies, HP, Lenovo, HK, Dell, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, China, Bengaluru

☆ Union set to strike at Peru's Las Bambas copper mine next week -leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Las Bambas copper mine is pictured in Apurimac, Peru May 9, 2022. Erick Ramos, general secretary of the Las Bambas workers union, told Reuters by telephone the union had agreed to go on a strike with no set end date starting Nov. 28. Representatives for Las Bambas did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The union had already kicked off a strike on Sunday, which is set to end Tuesday, over the profit sharing. The union, which represents more than 1,000 workers, is currently registering the strike set for Nov. 28 with the labor ministry, Ramos said.

Persons: Angela Ponce, Erick Ramos, Ramos, Bambas, China's MMG, Pedro Castillo, Marco Aquino, Isabel Woodford, Kylie Madry, Louise Heavens, Kirsten Donovan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Workers, Reuters, China's, HK, Thomson Locations: Apurimac, Peru

☆ Union strike underway at MMG's Las Bambas copper mine in Peru
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Las Bambas copper mine is pictured in Apurimac, Peru May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Angela Ponce/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLIMA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - A multi-day strike is underway at the Chinese-owned Las Bambas copper mine in Peru, the leader of the workers union said on Monday, as part of its demands to improve profit sharing protocols. Erick Ramos, general secretary of the Las Bambas workers union, told Reuters by telephone that the union is considering an indefinite strike from Nov. 28 if the company does not meet its demands. Las Bambas, which began operations in 2016 and is owned by China's MMG Ltd (1208.HK), is one of the largest copper producers in Peru, the world's second largest producer of the metal. A source close to the Las Bambas mine said earlier on Monday that the protest began on Sunday and that the strike was being "partially and peacefully" adhered to.

Persons: Angela Ponce, Erick Ramos, China's MMG, Ramos, Marco Aquino, Isabel Woodford, Louise Heavens, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, China's, HK, Ministry of Labor, Thomson Locations: Apurimac, Peru

☆ Xiaomi Q3 net income jumps on cost savings, revenue rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People check new products of Xiaomi ahead of the 2023 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 26, 2023. The company's sales for the period totalled 70.9 billion yuan ($9.83 billion), beating an average estimate of 70.2 billion yuan from 13 analysts polled by LSEG. Net income jumped by 183% from a year earlier to 6 billion yuan thanks to lower component costs and efficiencies across the business, compared to a consensus estimate of 4.6 billion yuan. Xiaomi, China's fifth-largest smartphone brand, shipped 9.1 million devices in China during the latest quarter, according to industry research firm Canalys. Though that was little changed from a year earlier, Xiaomi outperformed peers, with overall industry sales dropping 5% year on year, according to Canalys.

Persons: Nacho, Lu Weibing, Xiaomi, Xiaomi's Lu, Yelin, Brenda Goh, Jacqueline Wong, David Goodman, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Xiaomi Corp, HK, LSEG, BAIC, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Rights BEIJING, China, Beijing, Yelin Mo, Shanghai

☆ 'Dupes' clothing, perfume craze lures holiday shoppers as major brands fret
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Hashtag searches for dupes of major brands - including Skims underwear and Deckers' (DECK.N) Ugg boots - have been viewed millions of times on TikTok. Graphic shows pictures of four original products and their original prices under named brands compared with the prices of their 'dupe' counterparts. Newer technologies like the Google Lens app allow people to take photos of items they like and find similar products for sale. In other cases, dupe sellers opt to replicate the look of higher-priced originals with cheaper materials to maximize profit. However, experts say dupe sellers have grown increasingly skilled at avoiding brand logos and other design features that could infringe existing patents or copyrights.

Persons: Lauren Maginness, Shannon Stapleton, Maginness, Estee, Tom Ford, Dupes, “, ”, Penny Pincher, Leslie Ghize, Doneger Tobe, Calvin McDonald, Ian Taplin, Juozas Kaziukenas, Kaziukenas, Maria Boschetti, Mike Scheschuk, Birkenstock, Katherine Masters, Dorothy Kam, Vanessa O'Connell, Rod Nickel, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Abercrombie, Fitch, Scout, Walmart, Department, Nordstrom, Circana Inc, COMMERCE, Wake Forest University, eBay, Google, HK, Amazon, New, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Hong Kong, TikTok, Los Angeles, Zara, Italy, New York

The McDonald's company logo stands on a sign outside a restaurant in Bretigny-sur-Orge, near Paris, France, July 30, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - McDonald's (MCD.N) said on Monday it would acquire investment firm Carlyle's (CG.O) 28% stake in a partnership that manages its business in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, as the burger chain looks to simplify its structure in the region. Reuters reported in April that Carlyle was discussing various options with financial advisers for its stake in McDonald's China, including setting up a continuation fund for the asset. There was "no better time to simplify our structure" given the benefits of China's long-term potential, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said. Reuters reported in August that Trustar Capital, formerly known as CITIC Capital, was also planning to raise a continuation fund that would allow the Chinese private equity firm to sell down its stake in McDonald's China.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Carlyle, Chris Kempczinski, Jim Sanderson, Granth, Deborah Sophia, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Dasgupta, Shweta Agarwal Organizations: REUTERS, CITIC, HK, Reuters, CITIC Ltd, Northcoast, Thomson Locations: Bretigny, Paris, France, China, Hong Kong, Macau, McDonald's China, Bengaluru

"Investors had hoped to receive separate shares of the cloud business in hopes the segment could achieve a higher multiple in the public markets due to its growth potential." The company then appointed Eddie Wu, one of Alibaba Group's co-founders and long-time lieutenant of former chief Jack Ma, as both CEO of Alibaba and the cloud business. Instead the group would focus on growing the cloud business and providing investment for its AI drivers, he said. [1/2]3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Alibaba Cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. Alibaba International Digital Commerce, a business that includes platforms such as Lazada and AliExpress, however reported a 53% rise in revenues, with retail revenue up 73% year-on-year.

Persons: Cainiao, Thomas Hayes, Alibaba's, Daniel Zhang, Eddie Wu, Alibaba Group's, Jack Ma, Zhang, Joseph Tsai, Tsai, Wu, Dado Ruvic, Alibaba, Akash Sriram, Brenda Goh, Sam Holmes, Arun Koyyur, Jane Merriman Organizations: Alibaba, HK, Tencent Holdings, Alibaba's, Investors, Analysts, Cloud Intelligence Group, REUTERS, Alibaba Group Holdings, PDD Holdings, Digital Commerce, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, Hong Kong, Alibaba's U.S, Bengaluru, Shanghai

☆ Jack Ma positive on Alibaba, will continue to hold shares - South China Morning Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Founder and Chairman of Chinese internet giant Alibaba Jack Ma gives a speech at Paris' high profile startups and high tech leaders gathering, Viva Tech, in Paris, France May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau Acquire Licensing RightsNov 17 (Reuters) - Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma is "very positive" about the company and will continue to hold its shares, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday, citing a communiqué from his office. The comments from Ma's office come a day after a regulatory filing showed that his family trust was set to sell 10 million American Depository Shares of Alibaba Group Holdings (9988.HK), for about $871 million. The sale will be on Nov. 21 by JSP Investment and JC Properties, funds that are part of Ma's family trust. Ma stepped down as Alibaba chairman in 2019 but remains a major shareholder through his family trust.

Persons: Jack Ma, Charles Platiau, Alibaba, Ma, Yuvraj Malik, Saumyadeb Organizations: Viva Tech, REUTERS, China Morning Post, Alibaba Group Holdings, HK, JSP Investment, JC, Hong, Alibaba, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, U.S, Hong Kong, Bengaluru

[1/3] The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. Beijing needs to pull "multiple levers" at the same time to address the "vulnerabilities" in the financial system, local government financing, as well as consumer sentiment, said Edward Al-Hussainy, head of emerging market fixed income research at Columbia Threadneedle, which owns Country Garden bonds. China property sector slumpShoring up confidence is the biggest challenge facing Beijing and is key to getting homebuyers spending again, which analysts says isn't likely to happen soon given an uncertain economic outlook. Reuters reported last week that Chinese authorities have asked domestic financial behemoth Ping An Insurance Group to take a controlling stake in Country Garden. "You need to fix the macro environment first; if you don't earn enough how do you buy a property?," said Xu, whose firm holds China property dollar bonds.

Persons: Aly, Edward Al, isn't, Morgan Stanley, Ping, Ping An, Elliot Hentov, Steven Xu, Xu, Raymond Cheng, Goldman Sachs, Clare Jim, Davide Barbuscia, Karin Strohecker, Summer Zhen, Rae Wee, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, HONG KONG, Columbia, Reuters, HK, Economic Work Conference, Reuters Graphics, HIT, Insurance Group, State Street Global Advisors, Country, Harmonia, Bloomberg, China, CIBM Securities, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG, Beijing, outflows, Hong Kong, New York, London, Singapore

☆ Morning Bid: Treasury yields dive as oil craters, economy softens
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. two-year Treasury yields skidded below 4.80% on Friday for the first time since September 1, with 10-year yields dropping under 4.40% to September lows too. Crude has now lost almost 25% in just six weeks - aided by the U.S. gradually lifting oil sanctions on Venezuela. The Labor Department said import prices fell a whopping 0.8% in October, the most in seven months amid a broad decline in the costs of goods - deepening the annual deflation of import prices to as much as 2.0%. Even though the dollar (.DXY), , is taking a hit from the plunge in U.S. Treasury yields, the drop in sovereign borrowing rates was mirrored across the world in Europe , even Japan . Mirroring the softening demand picture elsewhere, British retail sales volumes fell unexpectedly in October as stretched consumers stayed at home.

Persons: Lucas Jackson, Mike Dolan, plumb, Morgan, Susan Collins, Mary Daly, Austan Goolsbee, Michael Barr, Dave Ramsden, Nick Macfie Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Walmart, Cisco, Alibaba, Philadelphia Federal Reserve, Labor Department, Treasury, Hong, Housing, Atlanta, Boston Federal, San Francisco Fed, Chicago Fed, Bank of England, United States, APEC, Graphics, Thomson, Reuters Locations: New York, U.S, Wall, Alibaba ., Venezuela, Europe, Japan, HK, Hong Kong, China, San Francisco

☆ Reaction to Alibaba's scrapping of cloud unit spin-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Alibaba Cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. Alibaba said its decision to shelve the spin-off was due to uncertainties fuelled by U.S. curbs on exports to China of chips used in artificial intelligence applications. Following are what people are saying about the decision:LI CHENGDONG, BEIJING-BASED TECH AND E-COMMERCE ANALYST:"I believe scrapping the cloud unit's IPO reflects a new development strategy implemented by the new leadership. In short, I think prior decisions to restructure and IPO certain business units will have to be reassessed based on prevailing market conditions. The international business is one of the few Alibaba units that’s growing fast, which puts it in a better position to explore external funding."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Alibaba, LI, Daniel Zhang, Zhang, BRIAN WONG, CHARLIE CHAI, Eddie Wu, SERN LING, Casey, Josh Ye, Yelin, Anne Marie Roantree, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: REUTERS, China's, HK, Cloud Intelligence, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, BEIJING, AliCloud, Alibaba, Shanghai, Yelin Mo, Beijing

Alibaba Group's Hong Kong shares closed down 10%, their biggest single-day drop in more than a year. Some analysts said keeping the cloud unit could assist Alibaba's AI push. But (it) also points to the increasing importance of retaining the cloud unit given the surging demand for AI computing in China," said US Tiger Research analyst Bo Pei. Alibaba reported second-quarter revenue of 224.79 billion yuan ($31.01 billion), in line with the 224.32 billion expected by analysts, LSEG data showed. The company also said it will press ahead with a listing of Alibaba's logistics arm, Cainiao, which applied for a Hong Kong initial public offering in September.

Persons: Group's, Jon Withaar, Alibaba, Joseph Tsai, Aly, Jack Ma, Kenneth Fong, Bo Pei, Eddie Wu, Daniel Zhang, Vey, Sern Ling, Donny Kwok, Josh Ye, Casey Hall, Gu Li, Yelin, Ankur Banerjee, Anne Marie Roantree, Brenda Goh, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: HK, Pictet Asset Management, Tencent Holdings, Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, UBS, Tiger Research, Union Bancaire, Hong, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Hong Kong, Asia, U.S, Singapore, Washington, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Alibaba, Union, Yelin Mo, Beijing

The drop, potentially its biggest one-day fall in more than a year, wiped about $20 billion off the Chinese tech giant's market value. It was the first market reaction in Asia since the stunning strategy reversal was announced late on Thursday. "The cancellation of a full spin-off of AliCloud is a negative surprise," said Nomura analyst Shi Jialong in a note. The company said it will press ahead with a listing of Alibaba's logistics arm, Cainiao, which applied for a Hong Kong initial public offering in September. Reporting By Donny Kwok and Josh Ye in Hong Kong, Casey Hall and Gu Li in Shanghai; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree and Brenda Goh; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Group's, Nomura, Shi Jialong, Alibaba, Jack Ma, Kenneth Fong, Joseph Tsai, Bo Pei, Eddie Wu, Donny Kwok, Josh Ye, Casey Hall, Gu Li, Anne Marie Roantree, Brenda Goh, Muralikumar Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, Hong, Tencent Holdings, HK, UBS, Tiger Research, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, HK, Hong Kong, Asia, AliCloud, Washington, U.S, Hangzhou, Alibaba

☆ Volvo Cars shares drop to record low as Geely trims stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The sale of the 3.4% stake leaves Geely with a holding in Volvo Cars of 78.7%, the Chinese company said in a statement. Proceeds received by Geely Holding are intended to be used to support business development within the group," it added. It allows a wider base of shareholders to invest in Volvo Cars," the Swedish company's CEO Jim Rowan said in a statement. At 0926 GMT, Volvo Cars shares were down 10.9% at 36.38 crowns, having traded as low as 35.25 crowns. Geely Holding has committed to a lock-up period of 90 days for its remaining shareholding, "subject to customary exceptions and waivers" by the bookrunners.

Persons: Aly, China's Geely, bookrunners, Jim Rowan, Goldman Sachs, SEB, Geely, Terje Solsvik, Louise Rasmussen, Mark Potter Organizations: Volvo, Auto Shanghai, REUTERS, Rights, Swedish, HK, Volvo Cars, Geely, BNP, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights OSLO, Swedish, Oslo, Stockholm

☆ Alibaba’s U-turn casts dark clouds over China tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Alibaba (9988.HK) scrapped the spinoff of its prized cloud computing business, blaming U.S. curbs on advanced chips. The U-turn dashes market expectations of stability among technology companies after the end of Beijing’s years-long regulatory crackdown. Add in so-so results from Alibaba’s main businesses, also reported on Thursday, and it is hard to see a silver lining in the dark clouds gathering over China’s technology sector. The technology giant reported revenue of 224.8 billion yuan ($31 bln) in the three months to September, up 9% year-on-year, and in line with market estimates. Alibaba posted a net profit attributable to shareholders of 27.7 billion yuan versus a net loss of 20.6 billion yuan, due to an increase in the value of its equity investments.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Daniel Zhang, Zhang, Alibaba, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: IFA, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, HK, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Rights SINGAPORE, Hong Kong, U.S, China

☆ China's Li Auto says to start mass production of its first EV in Feb
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Staff members stand at the booth of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto, at a shopping mall in Beijing, China November 3, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Li Auto Inc FollowSHANGHAI, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Li Auto (2015.HK) said on Friday it will start mass production and delivery of its first pure electric car in February, as the up and coming Chinese automaker bets on fast charging technologies to solve range anxiety for EV users. The MEGA MPV will also be the first model to be produced at Li Auto's Beijing plant with a designed capacity of 100,000 units annually. Founded in 2015, Li Auto has been offering four extended range hybrid SUVs targeting family users. ($1 = 7.2441 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Li Auto, Tingshu Wang, Li, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, HK, Li Auto, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China

☆ China's Alibaba to scrap cloud unit spinoff in response to US chip curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] 3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Alibaba Cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - China's Alibaba Group Holding (9988.HK), said on Thursday it will scrap the spin off of its cloud unit in response to export curbs by the United States on chips used in artificial intelligence applications. Its U.S.-listed shares fell about 5% in premarket trading after it also reported second-quarter revenue in line with market expectations. "The recent expansion of U.S. restrictions on export of advanced computing chips has created uncertainties for the prospects of Cloud Intelligence Group," Alibaba said. The e-commerce giant posted revenue of 224.79 billion yuan ($31.01 billion) in the quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of 224.32 billion yuan, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Alibaba, Pinduoduo, Eddie Wu, Alibaba Group's, Jack Ma, Daniel Zhang, Akash Sriram, Sam Holmes, Arun Koyyur Organizations: REUTERS, HK, U.S, Cloud Intelligence Group, PDD Holdings, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru

☆ Court auction to sell Shimao land in Shenzhen fails again
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of property developer Shimao Group is seen on the facade of Shimao Tower in Shanghai, China January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A court auction to sell vast commercial land plots owned by defaulted Shimao Group (0813.HK) in Shenzhen failed for a second time on Thursday as there were no bidders, highlighting weak demand in China's property market. Twelve land plots totalling 243,602 square metres, together with some uncompleted buildings on them, have asked for 10.4 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), 20% lower than the 13 billion yuan starting price in the first auction in July, according to e-commerce company JD.com's (9618.HK) online auction platform. The Shenzhen plots were part of the land parcel bought by Shanghai-based Shimao in 2017, which planned to build a new landmark complex in China's tech hub with the city's tallest skyscraper. Media reports said the land plots, valued at 16.3 billion yuan, were the most valuable assets being auctioned by Chinese courts in seven years.

Persons: Aly, Clare Jim, Stephen Coates Organizations: Shimao, REUTERS, HK, Media, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, Shenzhen

U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping, who met in San Francisco on Wednesday, may disagree on the terminology. Barely half the manufactured goods imported into the United States from low-cost Asian countries now come from China. Chinese firms have raised just $529 million from initial and secondary stock offerings in the United States in the year to mid-October. But the conscious decoupling between the U.S. and China looks set to continue. Follow @ugalani and @a_fitri_alias on XCONTEXT NEWSU.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Nov. 15 in San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Persons: Xi, Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, friendshoring, China’s Xi Jinping, Breakingviews, Donald Trump, China’s ByteDance, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics Goldman Sachs, Xi Jinping, Una, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: U.S, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, People’s Republic . U.S, People’s, World Trade Organization, Reuters Graphics Reuters, FRAYING FINANCE, U.S . Federal Reserve, Federal, Investment Board, HK, Republican, Reuters Graphics Apple, United, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Filoli, Asia, Woodside , California, U.S, Rights MUMBAI, United States, China, Washington, People’s Republic ., San Francisco, People’s Republic, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, That’s, New York, Greater China, India, TAIWAN, Taiwan, Una Galani, Mumbai, London

New home prices in October dropped 0.3% month-on-month after a 0.2% dip in September, according to Reuters calculations based on National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data. Once a key engine of economic growth accounting for around a quarter of China's economic activity, a regulatory crackdown since 2020 to curb debt has tightened liquidity and raised default risks for developers, delaying many projects. Out of 70 cities, 56 reported declines in monthly prices last month, marking the most cities number since October 2020, up from 54 in September. TWIST AND TURNSHouse prices in three major cities Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou all fell month-on-month in October. For existing home, NBS data showed 67 cities posted month-on-month price declines in October, up from 65 in September.

Persons: Ma Hong, Ma, Liu Aihua, Zhang Dawei, Zhang, Liangping Gao, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, Authorities, Zhixin Investment Research Institute, Nomura, HK, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou

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