财新传媒
2017年03月29日 11:17

VIDEO: LeEco Gets Lifelines from Creditor, Currency Controls

VIDEO: LeEco Gets Lifelines from Creditor, Currency Controls

Bottom line: LeEco's debt-for-equity deal with Compal and the looming collapse of its Vizio purchase are welcome developments that show it could quietly jettison some of its newer businesses and eventually emerge from its current cash crunch.

Picture dims on LeEco's Vizio purchase

The unwinding of former online video superstar LeEco (Shenzhen: 300104) continues to unfold, ...

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2017年03月28日 10:43

IPOs: Wuxi AppTech, Qihoo Move Towards China Listings

IPOs: Wuxi AppTech, Qihoo Move Towards China Listings

Bottom line: New signals from Qihoo and Wuxi AppTech show they may be getting preferential treatment for A-share listings, as the regulator shifts its policies to favor high-quality private firms for IPOs.

Wuxi AppTech eyes A-share listing

New signals coming from China's stock regulator hint that it's softening its stance towards letting companies formerly listed in the US...

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2017年03月27日 10:06

INTERNET: Baidu's AI Obsessions Spawns New Silicon Valley Center

INTERNET: Baidu's AI Obsessions Spawns New Silicon Valley Center

Bottom line: Baidu's opening of a new artificial intelligence lab in Silicon Valley is the latest move in its AI obsession, which is likely to end in failure and a quiet pullback in around two years due to mediocre execution.

Baidu in new Silicon Valley R&D lab

I'm officially dubbing Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) chief executive Robin Li the "two-year attention span man", with word...

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2017年03月24日 12:47

IPOs: Literature Firm Makes New Listing Attempt with Shanda, Tencent Backing

IPOs: Literature Firm Makes New Listing Attempt with Shanda, Tencent Backing

Bottom line: Tencent's online literature unit is likely to make a Hong Kong IPO later this year, and should get a relatively strong reception due to strong backing and its market leading position for a product with stable long-term demand.

Tencent literature unit eyes HK IPO

If you don't succeed the first, second and third times, then try again. That could well be the mant...

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2017年03月23日 09:59

TELECOMS: China Telecom Eyes 5G Network Sharing

TELECOMS: China Telecom Eyes 5G Network Sharing

Bottom line: China Telecom, Unicom and China Broadcasting Network could share the costs of a 5G network to lower costs, while China Mobile is likely to construct a network on its own.

China telcos consider 5G network sharing

As earnings season reaches a crescendo, wireless carrier China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) is raising an old theme by saying it might consider shar...

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2017年03月21日 10:04

IPOs: Qudian Moves Toward Blockbuster NY Listing

IPOs: Qudian Moves Toward Blockbuster NY Listing

Bottom line: Qudian's IPO will get a moderately warm reception in New York, drawing interest due to its status as a major private fintech firm but also wariness owing to many uncertainties in the young sector.

Qudian moves closer to IPO

Anything involving movement of money has always been slightly problematic in China. Be it paying for things online, paying to play compute...

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2017年03月20日 10:25

ENTERTAINMENT: DreamWorks, Paramount China Tie-Ups Unraveling

ENTERTAINMENT: DreamWorks, Paramount China Tie-Ups Unraveling

Bottom line: Foundering prospects of cross-border tie-ups involving DreamWorks and Paramount shows the love affair between Hollywood and China may be entering a new phase of lowered, more realistic expectations.

DreamWorks Animation eyes sale of China JV stake

The old saying says that what goes up must come down, and that certainly appears to be the case with new reports o...

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2017年03月15日 10:41

E-COMMERCE: Ant Trumped in US, Alibaba Reorganizes Video

E-COMMERCE: Ant Trumped in US, Alibaba Reorganizes Video

Bottom line: Ant Financial will counter bid for MoneyGram, following a surprise rival bid for the company, while Alibaba Pictures' absorption of the former Youku Tudou looks like a logical consolidation of Alibaba's filmed entertainment assets.

Ant's MoneyGram offer attracts rival bidder

Two of Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) founder Jack Ma's biggest endeavors outside his core e-com...

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2017年03月14日 09:55

INTERNET: Yidao Talks IPO, in Break with LeEco

INTERNET: Yidao Talks IPO, in Break with LeEco

Bottom line: Yidao's announcement of plans for an IPO hint at a looming sale of the company by controlling stakeholder LeEco, which could be mulling sales of other recently purchased assets in a bid to ease its cash-crunch.

Yidao prepares for IPO

What do you do when you're running low on cash? The answer is obvious for private car services firm Yidao: make an IPO. That wou...

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2017年03月13日 11:01

SMARTPHONES: Oppo Shows India Resolve with Cricket Deal

SMARTPHONES: Oppo Shows India Resolve with Cricket Deal

Bottom line: Oppo's major new cricket sponsorship deal shows its commitment to India, but may have to be renegotiated if and when the company's fortunes decline in the next 1-2 years following its meteoric rise.

Oppo in India cricket deal

Smartphone high-flyer Oppo is trying to show the world it's serious about India, with word it will pay 1.1 billion yuan ($160 million) f...

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2017年03月10日 10:04

LEISURE: Legoland Builds in Shanghai, Royal Caribbean Steers Clear of Korea

LEISURE: Legoland Builds in Shanghai, Royal Caribbean Steers Clear of Korea

Bottom line: Legoland's new Shanghai theme park spotlights the growing lure of China's leisure travel market, while Royal Caribbean's removal of South Korean ports from its China-based trips spotlights how political tensions can affect tourism-reliant businesses.

Legoland coming to China

A couple of Shanghai-based leisure stories are spotlighting two very different trends ...

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2017年03月09日 10:10

E-COMMERCE: Alibaba Cranks Up Anti-Piracy Pitch at NPC

E-COMMERCE: Alibaba Cranks Up Anti-Piracy Pitch at NPC

Bottom line: Alibaba's anti-piracy PR blitz during the National People's Congress is aimed at getting attention during the high-profile event, but it will need to keep up its efforts to convince the public and officials its effort is sincere.

Alibaba calls for tougher anti-piracy laws

As the National People's Congress (NPC) kicks into high gear in Beijing, e-commerce leade...

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2017年03月08日 10:39

TELECOMS: ZTE Settles With US, Looks Forward

TELECOMS: ZTE Settles With US, Looks Forward

Bottom line: ZTE's settlement with the US over illegal sales to Iran will help the company focus on the future, as it advances with plans to move away from low-margin businesses and find more promising new growth areas.

ZTE settles US accusations of illegal sales to Iran

After a year of living in a state akin to suspended animation amid a US probe against it for illegal sa...

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2017年03月07日 10:19

IPOs: China Rapid Finance, Lakala Join Race for Financial Listings

IPOs: China Rapid Finance, Lakala Join Race for Financial Listings

Bottom line: This year is likely to see at least a half dozen privately owned financial services companies make public listings in the U.S., Hong Kong and China, with Lakala and Lufax likely to be among the first.

Lakala files for ChiNext IPO

We're already three months into the new year, and still awaiting the first of what looks set to be a bumper crop of IPOs by a new ge...

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2017年03月02日 10:05

GAMES: NetEase Eyes Real Journey to the West

GAMES: NetEase Eyes Real Journey to the West

Bottom line: NetEase's new global expansion could stand a good chance of success due to its strong record with self-developed titles, which could help it pass Baidu in market value over the next 1-2 years.

NetEase holds developer forum in San Francisco

The company that made its name from a series of games based on the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West is trying to t...

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2017年02月28日 10:23

MEDIA - LeEco Default Strains China Sports Bubble

MEDIA - LeEco Default Strains China Sports Bubble

Bottom line: LeSport's reported default on payments for Asian Football Confederation soccer games marks the start of the popping of a bubble for sports broadcasting rights dating back to last year.

LeSports soccer drive on the skids

In what could be the first domino to fall in China's overinflated market for sports broadcasting rights, the sports unit of cash challenged Le...

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2017年02月27日 09:45

SMARTPHONES: Xiaomi, Vivo Skip Barcelona Telecoms Bash

SMARTPHONES: Xiaomi, Vivo Skip Barcelona Telecoms Bash

UPDATE: After publishing this earlier this morning, a source in Barcelona informs me that Oppo is indeed attending and is holding a press event to show off their newest products. Headline and photo caption changed to reflect Oppo's attendance, but the rest of the original post remains the same.

Bottom line: The absence of Oppo and Vivo from the world's top telecoms trade show in Spain this week...

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2017年02月23日 09:47

TRAVEL: Ctrip Revs Up in Q4, Set to Soar?

TRAVEL: Ctrip Revs Up in Q4, Set to Soar?

Bottom line: Ctrip's profits could double or more this year following its successful digestion of Qunar, providing some upside to its stock.

Ctrip shares set to take off?

As earnings season for US-listed Chinese stocks hits full throttle, I thought I'd take a look at the latest results from Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP), which are sending mixed but generally positive signals. That'...

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2017年02月22日 09:50

INTERNET: Baidu's iQiyi Raises $1.5 Bln, as Investors Hedge Bets

INTERNET: Baidu's iQiyi Raises $1.5 Bln, as Investors Hedge Bets

Bottom line: iQiyi's issue of convertible notes to raise its latest $1.5 billion shows it continues to post big losses, and investors are increasingly skeptical that it can become profitable in the next 2 years.

iQiyi lures investors with convertible notes

It seems no one is quite ready to believe that China's cash-burning online video sites are ready for the profit column...

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2017年02月21日 09:47

TELECOMS: VNO Movement Finally Gains Traction

TELECOMS: VNO Movement Finally Gains Traction

Bottom line: China's VNO program appears to be gaining momentum heading into its third year, and could reach the 200 million subscriber mark by the end of 2017.

Virtual network operators gain momentum

It's been more than a year since I last wrote about China's fledgling attempt to breathe new life into its telecoms services sector by creating virtual network operators (VNO...

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