JD.com, Kuaishou Sink China Tech Stocks as Walmart Sells Stake

Jeanny Yu and Abhishek Vishnoi

Wed, Aug 21, 2024, 2:11 AM2 min read

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(Bloomberg) -- China’s tech stocks slumped on concerns over the country’s consumption outlook after Walmart Inc. sold its stake in JD.com Inc. and some key players posted poor earnings.

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The Hang Seng Tech Index lost 1.8% in Hong Kong, pushed lower by an 8.7% drop in JD.com and 9.9% plunge in Kuaishou Technology on disappointing advertising revenue. XPeng Inc. slipped more than 5% before trimming its decline to 2.2%, as the electric vehicle maker’s revenue guidance fell short of estimates.

Wednesday’s retreat is putting investors on edge once again, cutting short a two-week rebound during which Chinese shares withstood a global equity rout. The latest earnings from tech giants have been mixed at best, and Walmart’s withdrawal is stoking bigger concerns over foreign investments as China’s economic recovery remains elusive.

The stake sale of JD.com “affects the sentiment in the whole sector” as the market is concerned whether foreign capital, especially those long-term holders, will start retreating, said Steven Leung, executive director at UOB Kay Hian Hong Kong Ltd. “Mainland and local money will not be sufficient to support any meaningful stock recovery.”

Read: Chinese Funds’ $66B Buying Spree Is Falling Flat: Taking Stock

JD.com shares in Hong Kong rallied 13% through Tuesday since the Chinese e-retailer’s revenue and earnings beat estimates for the second quarter. However, overall tech earnings have been far from impressive.

Vipshop Holdings Ltd., a China-based online discount retailer, plunged 18% in the US on Tuesday as its revenue outlook for the third quarter missed estimates. That’s after results from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. failed to assuage concern over China’s anemic consumption spending.

As the shares sank, options trading surged for Kuaishou and JD.com, reaching record levels. More than 60,000 contracts changed hands on Kuaishou — almost 10 times the 20-day average — and 55,000 on JD.com, compared with an average of about 11,000.

Walmart’s surprising stake sale also underscores the risk of dip buying China’s e-commerce stocks, as any short-term rally can be a trigger for big shareholders to trim holdings.

“The market might read it as Walmart having a negative view on Chinese consumption, but really it’s not something new or unknown,” said Vey-Sern Ling, managing director at Union Bancaire Privee in Hong Kong.