Asia-Pacific

Fail with big backers signals messy Byju’s unwind

23 Jun 2023

Auditor Deloitte is walking away from the self-claimed world’s largest education tech firm, and investors including Prosus and what was Sequoia India appear to be following. It implies talks with lenders over a $1.2 bln loan are at a dead end and ups the pressure for a breakup.

China’s $72 bln tax break heralds green-car crunch

23 Jun 2023

Extending hefty incentives to buyers for another four years shows Beijing is anxious to support electric vehicles. But prolonging existing subsidies is unlikely to transform the fortunes of loss-making groups like Nio and Xpeng. Weaker rivals may be nearing the end of the road.

China stares hard at its own lost decade

23 Jun 2023

It’s tinkering with interest rates but holding off from deeper measures needed to stimulate the economy including propping up real estate or bailing out local governments. As consumption remains depressed and investment falls, the country faces slipping into a downward spiral.

Capital Calls: Satellite M&A crash landing

22 Jun 2023

Concise views on global finance: SES and Intelsat’s decision to call off merger talks leaves the Luxembourg-based group with a $3 bln puzzle.

Masayoshi Son’s new AI push merits a pinch of salt

22 Jun 2023

The SoftBank founder said he would place further bets on artificial intelligence after taking a pause. Some of his investments may pay off. But Arm is his only real AI win from a $112 bln portfolio, his credibility has taken a knock, and his war chest is smaller than it looks.

Capital Calls: Intel Outside, Amazon Prime beef

21 Jun 2023

Concise views on global finance: The chipmaker struck a deal to sell 20% of a tool-making subsidiary, which should benefit from being put on a path to independence. Meanwhile, the $1.3 trln e-commerce company’s subscription service is unlawfully hard to cancel, says the US FTC.

Global airlines grasp at the 100% recovery

21 Jun 2023

Passengers are slowly taking back to the skies but remain reluctant to travel internationally. Singapore Airlines logged a record net profit but won’t say when it will return to pre-pandemic capacity. Rivals are more committed but whether they can deliver is up in the air.

Alibaba shakeup hints at changing China tech role

20 Jun 2023

Boss Daniel Zhang will step down to run the e-commerce group’s cloud business. Replacing him at the parent group with veterans like globe-trotting financier Joe Tsai looks sensible amid a tricky breakup. It also implies that newer ventures, like cloud, are gaining strategic heft.

EU phase-out of Huawei, ZTE is tricky but vital

20 Jun 2023

Commissioner Thierry Breton wants EU countries to end use of Chinese telecoms gear on national security grounds. Some states have already cut Huawei and ZTE from 5G networks. The EU survived decoupling from Russian energy, and it can manage this. But it requires German buy-in.

Mega-merger gives Indian lender new lease on life

20 Jun 2023

HDFC Bank will, after combining with its parent and largest shareholder next month, become a $140 bln mortgage giant in a credit-starved market. That’s an enticing prospect for foreign investors - assuming the bank’s tech and culture get a needed overhaul.

US and China are decoupling, and it is permanent

19 Jun 2023

Forget de-risking or containment. In this Exchange podcast, Gavekal research director Chris Beddor explains the political framing of the slogans, unpicks changing trade and financial flows between the world’s two biggest economies and explains why China hasn’t retaliated more.

Pirelli boss turns de-risking into opportunity

19 Jun 2023

Rome has limited the power of the $5 bln tyremaker’s Chinese shareholder, without forcing it to sell. Pirelli and Italy get to de-risk China ties without burning too many bridges. But the real winner is CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera, who has again found a way to come out on top.

Green alliance crisis is more than just a US drama

19 Jun 2023

Most insurers have quit their industry’s UN-backed climate body. Sector specifics and fear of US lawsuits partly explain why, but so do European governments focusing on energy security rather than net-zero targets. The same dynamic may affect banks and fund managers.

Hong Kong’s yuan-trading push is a long-term bet

19 Jun 2023

The city’s bourse operator will allow investors to trade some stocks in yuan. The hope is to eventually lure more mainland Chinese and offshore investors. But as with the near decade-old trading link with China, any tangible financial benefits will take a while to flow through.

China’s next export is an electric-vehicle fight

19 Jun 2023

Carmakers led by BYD have established supremacy against global brands thanks to efficient supply chains. As sales stall in the People’s Republic, their long-held ambitions to drive overseas including to Europe is suddenly a necessity. They’ll road-test rising anti-China sentiment.

Nissan needs new intrigue like a hole in the tyre

16 Jun 2023

The $16 bln carmaker hired Ashwani Gupta as COO to help move past the Carlos Ghosn scandal. Once seen as a potential CEO, he’s leaving amid reports of more internal shenanigans. With profit margins still low and its Renault alliance in flux, Nissan can’t afford such distractions.

Crypto is dead: long live crypto!

16 Jun 2023

Already reeling from fraud and falling prices, cryptocurrencies suffered a fatal blow with US charges against two leading exchanges. Yet Felix Martin argues that the demise of speculative digital tokens may help revive their original purpose as private global currencies.

Toyota shareholders make 15% the new win-win

16 Jun 2023

That’s how few voted against re-electing Chair Akio Toyoda to the board over concerns about independence. He can claim victory but the biggest dip in years of his approval rating is awkward. It puts pressure on the $270 bln carmaker to keep its US shareholders onside.

Capital Calls: Virgin Galactic

16 Jun 2023

Concise views on global finance: Shares of Richard Branson’s space tourism company rocketed 30% higher on news it would launch its first commercial flight in two weeks. The customer demand required alongside competition from Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos make the valuation a moonshot.

Capital Calls: Oil M&A, Bud backlash, L&G’s CEO

15 Jun 2023

Concise views on global finance: Two oil-well servicers find a way to make decline more palatable, while brewer Anheuser-Busch discovers that money doesn’t always buy friends in politics. In the UK, insurer L&G picks a new CEO to try and address its Brexit discount.