Bottom line: Money-losing Coolpad is likely to get sold before the end of this year to raise cash for controlling stakeholder LeEco, or could end up getting shut down if no buyer comes forward.

Coolpad to post big H1 loss

It's a new week, and that means new chances to write about the struggles of companies in the orbit of fast-fading former video superstar LeEco (Shenzhen: 300104). Last week the company's majority owned Yidao private car services was in the headlines, am...

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 jump the queue for re-listings at home. That appears to be the message, following a string of new r...

Bottom line: ZTE's move into smart cars and Gome's into smartphones follow a typical Chinese pattern of herd mentality investing, and are both likely to fare poorly. 

ZTE buys car maker Granton

A couple of headlines are shining a spotlight on the herd mentality you often see among Chinese companies looking for the next big growth opportunity. One of those has telecoms stalwart ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063) buying a small bus maker, parroting a trend among a growing n...

Bottom line: Qihoo's latest smartphones foray with its purchase of the obscure Blephone reflects the tenacity of founder Zhou Hongyi, but will quickly end in failure due to a late arrival and intense competition in the space.

Qihoo dives back into smartphones with Blephone

Security software maker Qihoo 360 just  doesn't change its mind when opinionated CEO Zhou Hongyi sets his sights on something. After a somewhat disastrous beginning to Zhou's foray into smartphones over...