Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide listed on the Nasdaq on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
China News Service | China News Service | Getty Images
BEIJING — Chinese IPOs in the U.S. and Hong Kong are set to increase next year, analysts said, as some high-profile listings outside the mainland this year raise investor optimism over profitable exits.
Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide listed on the Nasdaq Friday with shares rising nearly 6.8%. Earlier this month, Chinese robotaxi operator Pony.ai also filed paperwork to list on the Nasdaq. Both companies have long aimed to go public.
Few large China-based companies have listed in New York since the Didi IPO in the summer of 2021 increased scrutiny by U.S. and Chinese regulators on such listings. The Chinese ride-hailing company was forced to temporarily suspend new user registrations, and got delisted in less than a year.
U.S. and Chinese authorities have since clarified the process for a China-based company to go public in New York. But geopolitics and market changes have substantially reduced U.S. IPOs of Chinese businesses.
“After a couple of slow years, we generally expect the IPO market to revive in 2025, bolstered by interest rate decreases and (to some extent) the conclusion of the U.S. presidential election,” Marcia Ellis, Hong Kong-based global co-chair of private equity practice, Morrison Foerster, said in an email.
“While there is a market perception of regulatory issues between the U.S. and China as being problematic, many of the issues driving this perception have been solved,” she said.
“Chinese companies are becoming increasingly interested in getting listed in Hong Kong or New York, due to difficulty in getting listed in Mainland China and pressure from shareholders to quickly achieve an exit.”
This year, as many as 42 companies have gone public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and there were 96 IPO applications pending listing or under processing as of Sept. 30, according to the exchange’s website.
Last week, Horizon Robotics — a Chinese artificial intelligence and auto chip developer — and state-owned bottled water company CR Beverage went public in Hong Kong.
The two were the exchange’s largest IPOs of the year, excluding listings of companies that also trade in the mainland, according to Renaissance Capital, which tracks global IPOs. The firm noted that Chinese delivery giant SF Express is planning for a Hong Kong IPO next month, while Chinese automaker Chery aims for one next year.
Still, the overall pace of Hong Kong IPOs this year is slightly slower than expected, George Chan, global IPO leader at EY, told CNBC in an interview earlier this month.
He said the fourth quarter is generally not a good period for listings and expects most companies to wait until at least February. In his conversations with early stage investors, “they are very optimistic about next year” and are preparing companies for IPOs, Chan said.
The planned listings are generally life sciences, tech or consumer companies, he said.
Hong Kong, then New York
Investor sentiment on Chinese stocks has improved over the last few weeks thanks to high-level stimulus announcements. Lower interest rates also make stocks more attractive than bonds. The Hang Seng Index has surged over 20% so far this year after four straight years of declines.
Many Chinese companies that list in Hong Kong also see it as a way to test investors’ appetite for an IPO in another country, said Reuben Lai, vice president, private capital, Greater China at Preqin.
“Geopolitical tensions make Hong Kong a preferred market,” Ellis said, “but the depth and breadth of US capital markets still make many companies seriously consider New York, especially for those that focus on advanced technology and are not yet profitable, who sometimes believe that their equity stories will be better received by U.S. investors.”
Just over half of IPOs on U.S. exchanges since 2023 have come from foreign-based companies, a 20-year high, according to EY.
Geely-backed Chinese electric car company Zeekr and Chinese-owned Amer Sports both listed in the U.S. earlier this year, according to EY’s list of major cross-border IPOs.
Chinese electric truck manufacturer Windrose said it intends to list in the U.S. in the first half of 2025, with a dual listing in Europe later that year. The company, which aims to deliver 10,000 trucks by 2027, on Sunday announced it moved its global headquarters to Belgium.
A recovery in Chinese IPOs in the U.S. and Hong Kong can help funds cash out on their early stage investments in startups. The lack of IPOs had reduced the incentive for funds to back startups.
Now, investors are looking at China again, after recently deploying capital to India and the Middle East, Preqin’s Lai said. “I’m definitely seeing a greater potential from now in China whether it’s money coming back, valuation of the companies, exit environment [or] performance of the funds.”
While the pickup in investor activity is far from levels seen in the last two years, the nascent recovery includes someinvestments in consumer products such as milk tea and supermarkets, Lai said.
Check out the companies making headlines in premarket trading. Lyft — The rideshare stock advanced more than 23% after a stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter outlook. Lyft expects bookings in the current quarter of $4.28 billion to $4.35 billion, while analysts polled by FactSet expected $4.23 billion. Arm Holdings — Shares of the semiconductor company slipped about 7% despite second-quarter results surpassing Wall Street estimates. Arm reported adjusted earnings per share of 30 cents on revenue of $844 million, while analysts polled by LSEG forecast a profit of 26 cents per share and revenue of $808 million. Wolfspeed — Stock in the semiconductor manufacturer plummeted more than 25% after a revenue miss and a lower-than-expected outlook. Wolfspeed forecasts fiscal second-quarter revenue in the range of $160 million to $200 million, while analysts surveyed by LSEG were looking for $215 million. Take-Two Interactive Sotftware — Shares of the video game designer gained more than 4% after its second-quarter revenue of $1.47 billion surpassed an expected $1.43 billion from analysts polled by LSEG. HubSpot — Shares gained about 7% in premarket trading. The customer platform company’s third-quarter results of $2.18 per share on revenue of $669.7 million beat the forecasted earnings of $1.91 per share on $647 million in revenue from analysts surveyed by FactSet. SolarEdge — The solar panel inverter stock slipped more than 16% after a third-quarter revenue miss. SolarEdge reported revenue of $261 million, while analysts surveyed by LSEG were looking for $269 million. Dutch Bros — Stock in the coffee franchise added 18% on the heels of better-than-expected third-quarter results. The company posted adjusted earnings per share of 16 cents and $338 million in revenue, while analysts polled by LSEG forecast earnings of 12 cents per share and revenue of $325 million. Bumble — Shares of the online dating company were down nearly 6% after posting a loss of $5.11 per share, due to an impairment charge. Third-quarter revenue surpassed Wall Street estimates, and the company expects fourth-quarter revenue of $256 million to $262 million, compared with an estimate of $260 million. Duolingo — The learning app company’s shares fell 5% despite posting a top- and bottom-line beat in the third quarter. However, the number of paid subscribers — 8.6 million — came in slightly below the consensus estimate for 8.66 million, per StreetAccount. AppLovin — Shares surged 32% after the software publisher’s third-quarter results surpassed analysts’ expectations. AppLovin expects adjusted EBITDA of $740 million to $760 million in the fourth quarter, which is higher than the $667 million StreetAccount forecast. Match Group — Shares pulled back about 14% after posting mixed third-quarter results. The dating platform company’s fourth-quarter revenue outlook called for a range of $865 million to $875 million, below the forecast $905.1 million from analysts polled by FactSet. Qualcomm — The chipmaker rallied 5% before the bell on strong earnings and guidance . The company also said its board approved $15 billion in additional share repurchases. E.l.f. Beauty — Stock in the cosmetics company gained more than 7% after it raised its full-year earnings and revenue outlook. The firm now forecasts earnings in the range of $3.47 to $3.53 per share, compared with prior guidance of $3.36 to $3.41 per share. E.l.f. Beauty expects revenue in the range of $1.31 billion to $1.33 billion, up from a forecast of $1.28 billion to $1.30 billion. Zillow — Stock in the housing market site advanced more than 13% after beating Wall Street estimates on the top and bottom line in the third quarter. Zillow reported adjusted earnings per share of 35 cents on revenue of $581 million, while analysts polled by LSEG forecast 29 cents per share and $555 million, respectively. Gilead Sciences — Shares of the biopharmaceutical company added about 2% after surpassing Wall Street esitmates for its full-year earnings guidance. Gilead now forecasts earnings per share in the range of $4.25 to $4.45 per share, while analysts polled by LSEG were looking for $3.80. Moderna — Shares rallied 7% after Moderna’s third-quarter earnings and revenue topped expectations. Earnings of 3 cents per share was greater than the expected loss of $1.90 per share loss, per LSEG. Revenue of $1.86 billion surpassed the expected $1.25 billion. Under Armour — Shares gained 25% after stronger-than-expected second-quarter results. The athletic clothing company reported adjusted earnings per share of 30 cents on revenue of $1.40 billion while analysts polled by LSEG called for a profit of 20 cents per share and revenue of $1.39 billion. Hershey — Shares slipped more than 3% after weaker-than-expected third-quarter results. Hershey earned $2.34 per share after adjustments on revenue of $2.99 billion, while analysts surveyed by LSEG expected it to earn $2.56 per share on $3.08 billion in revenue. — CNBC’s Samantha Subin, Hakyung Kim and Sarah Min contributed reporting
A flag stall at the Yiwu Wholesale Market in Zhejiang province, China, on May 10, 2019.
Aly Song | Reuters
BEIJING — China emphasized the need for greater cooperation with the U.S., a day after it became clear President-elect Donald Trump would become the next leader of the White House.
“The Chinese side is willing, on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, to increase communication with the U.S., expand cooperation and resolve differences,” He Yongqian, spokesperson at China’s Ministry of Commerce, told reporters Thursday in Mandarin, according to a CNBC translation.
She was responding to a question about China’s views and planned countermeasures, given the potential for increased U.S. tariffs and restrictions on high-end tech.
“Together [we can] push China-U.S. economic and trade relations toward a stable, healthy and sustainable direction, for the benefit of both countries and the world,” the commerce spokesperson said.
Her comments echoed those of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who earlier in the day noted the benefits of bilateral cooperation in a congratulatory message to Trump, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs readout.
Washington turned tougher on Beijing under Trump’s first four-year term that began in 2017. This year, the president-elect threatened additional tariffs on Chinese goods while campaigning for his second mandate.
Yue Su, principal economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said Trump will likely impose such tariffs in the first half of next year. She added that the Whiote House leader could speed up the process by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act or Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 15% in response to a serious balance-of-payments deficit.
Other analysts are less concerned about a significant increase in U.S. tariffs targeting China.
“Trump’s current tariff proposal is likely the worst-case scenario,” David Chao, Global Market Strategist, Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) at Invesco, said in a note Thursday. “I suspect the new administration will hold off imposing these tariffs in order to win concessions, whether that may be more purchases of American soybeans or even geopolitical ones.”
He added, “More so, I don’t think Trump’s proposed 60% tariff policy on China will significantly impact [multinational corporations’] confidence or sentiment.”
Chao nevertheless said that a potential 10% tariff on all exports to the U.S. would likely have a bigger impact, weakening global demand and hitting China and the rest of Asia.
Adyen reported a jump in sales in the third quarter as the Dutch payments firm gained wallet share and added new customers, diversifying its merchant mix.
The company, whose technology allows businesses to accept payments online and in-store, reported third-quarter net revenue of 498.3 million euros ($535.5 million), up 21% year-on-year on a constant currency basis.
Payments firms saw a boost from an increase in online shopping during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But in recent years, companies such as Adyen have faced pressure from lower consumer spending.
Adyen, however, has benefited from significant growth from partnerships with its North American clients, such as Block’s Cash App in the U.S. and Shopify in Canada.
In August, Adyen posted a 32% increase in core profit in the first six months of the year as it signalled an expansion of market share in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and North America.
Last year, the Dutch payments giant’s shares tanked nearly 40% in a single day on the back of worse-than-expected sales and declining profits in the first half of 2023
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