Washington Post (May 29)
“A pair of courtroom defeats has blown a hole in President Donald Trump’s plan to use historically high tariffs to reshape global trade, raise hundreds of billions of dollars in new tax revenue and boost the fortunes of domestic manufacturers.”
Tags: Blown, Boost fortunes, Courtroom defeats, Domestic, Global trade, Hole, Manufacturers, Plan, Reshape, Tariffs, Tax revenue, Trump
Reuters (April 22)
“The burning question facing China’s EV industry… is how and when it can convert explosive sales of ground-breaking vehicles into sustainable profits. The intense competition driving the sector’s innovation has also made China a market with precious few winners, foreign or domestic.” Approximately 170 domestic and automakers are competing in China, “but only 14 have a market share higher than 2%.” In 2024, excluding hybrids there were 327 EV models produced by 86 brands. Ultimately, there will be “few survivors from China’s hypercompetitive EV industry.”
Tags: Automakers, China, Competition, Domestic, EV industry, EVs, Explosive sales, Foreign, Ground-breaking, Hybrids, Hypercompetitive, Innovation, Market share, Survivors, Sustainable profits, Winners
Wall Street Journal (January 10)
“Excess capacity among carmakers in China is driving the world’s largest auto market into a shakeout phase.” According to one estimate, domestic carmakers are using just half of their capacity. “Among the early losers are foreign brands. General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota have been bleeding market share to homegrown rivals.” That said, it seems evident that as the shakeout phase continues, “local brands face a reckoning too.”
Tags: Auto market, Bleeding, Capacity, Carmakers, China, Domestic, Excess capacity, GM, Market share, Reckoning, Rivals, Shakeout phase, Toyota, Volkswagen
Washington Post (July 4)
“Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index closed Thursday at a fresh record high of 40,913.65, pushing past its most recent record close set in March on heavy buying of automaker and technology shares…. Both foreign and domestic investors have piled into the Japanese market in recent months even as the economy has slowed.” The weak yen is “part of the attraction…. But changes to investment regulations have also lured many Japanese investors into the equity market.”
Tags: Automaker, Domestic, Economy, Foreign, Heavy buying, Investors, Japan, Market, Nikkei 225, Record high, Shares, Technology, Weak yen
Financial Times (May 27)
“What industry could replace” real estate “as the main driver of growth in China?” The automobile industry may look promising, but it’s a mere fraction of the size and creates other problems. China’s massive manufacturing sector already “exceeds domestic demand and expanding exports would encounter more trade friction with other countries.” Education and healthcare, on the other hand, have received insufficient spending. These areas would present the market with business opportunities and bring “substantial potential for growth” to the Chinese economy.
Tags: Automobile, China, Demand, Domestic, Education, Exports, Growth, Healthcare, Industry, Manufacturing, Real estate, Sector, Trade friction
Financial Times (April 28)
“Deprived of investment opportunities abroad, Russians have piled their savings into the likes of Lukoil, Gazprom and Sberbank, which combined account for about 40 per cent of the stock market’s total value.” Marking a rebound, “Russia’s stock market has climbed to its highest level in more than a year as domestic retail investors with nowhere else to go snap up the dividend-paying stocks that sold off heavily following the invasion of Ukraine”.
Tags: Abroad, Deprived, Dividend, Domestic, Gazprom, Invasion, Investment, Lukoil, Opportunities, Rebound, Retail investors, Russia, Savings, Sberbank, Stock market, Stocks, Ukraine
Financial Times (April 4)
The Tokyo Stock Exchange received its “biggest overhaul in 60 years,” and left many unimpressed. “The exchange is now divided into three sections—prime, standard and growth,” but “domestic and global investors said the streamlining effort was a squandered opportunity.” Prime section market cap was set at only ¥10 billion while investors had hoped for ¥100 billion. Several hundred companies that didn’t make even that low bar were still allowed exceptional entry. “To widespread disappointment, the reshuffle has not significantly raised the bar for membership, resulting in 1,839 companies qualifying for the prime section.”
Tags: Disappointment, Domestic, Global, Growth, Investors, Overhaul, Prime, Squandered Market cap, Standard, Streamlining, TSE, Unimpressed
WARC (December 18)
With wireless giant China Mobile leading the rankings, “domestic brands are outperforming foreign rivals when it comes to connecting with Chinese consumers via corporate social responsibility activities.” The next spots were occupied by Dairy group Mengniu and Lenovo.
Tags: Brands, China Mobile, Consumers, CSR, Domestic, Foreign rivals, Lenovo, Mengniu, Outperform, Rankings, Wireless
