Bottom line: JD.com is likely to pass Baidu this week and become China's third most valuable internet company, while Weibo's stock is likely to enter a period of correction while it awaits an official live broadcasting license.
The era of the Internet triumvirate of Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU), Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) and Tencent (HKEx: 700), often called the BAT, is on the cusp of ending, as up-and-comer JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) looks set to pass Baidu i...
Bottom line: Alibaba's launch of its popular Tmall into several markets with large Chinese populations shows it is still looking for a strong overseas formula, underscoring its dependence on China for the foreseeable future.
E-commerce juggernaut Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) is making its latest global expansion noise with word that it will launch a version of its popular B2C Tmall online marketplace targeting overseas buyers in Southeast Asia. I hav...
Bottom line: Alibaba may have to tone down its aggressive style of data collection from its business partners following a tiff with SF Express, but its business won't face any major impact.
A conflict involving leading courier SF Express (Shenzhen: 002352) and Alibaba's (NYSE: BABA) Cainiao logistics arm was all over the headlines at the end of last week, in a clash of titans that saw the pair suddenly sever their business relationship. A...
Bottom line: Alibaba's potential new partnership with China's rail operator could become a major new business opportunity, and could see the pair sign a strategic equity tie-up within the next year.
Up until now, I've written about China's mixed-ownership reform program mostly in the context of China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU), the nation's second largest wireless carrier, which is in the final stages of drafting a plan to sell some ...
Bottom line: A tussle that resulted in injuries to a Tencent worker by a Youku peer at an industry event reflects the big tensions that exist in China's online video sector due to years of stiff competition that shows no signs of easing.
Stiff competition in a wide range of online industries is pretty much par for the course in China, but a scuffle between employees of Tencent (HKEx: 700) and Youku at an industry even...
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.
Two of Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) founder Jack Ma's biggest endeavors outside his core e-commerce business are in the headlines, led by a counter bid for a US financial services company his An...
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.
As the National People's Congress (NPC) kicks into high gear in Beijing, e-commerce leader Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) is using the annual session of China's legislature as a soapbox to make its c...
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.
It seems no one is quite ready to believe that China's cash-burning online video sites are ready for the profit column just yet. That seems to be the message coming from Baidu-backed (Nasdaq: BIDU) iQiyi, one of the le...
Bottom line: Alibaba could buy the RT-Mart supermarket chain this year to boost its grocery business, while JD.com's more online-focused effort and push into smaller cities looks like a better approach to the sector.
The online supermarket wars that began last year between e-commerce rivals Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) and JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) are heating up in the Year of the Rooster, though the pair seem to be taking s...