Alibaba shares lose US$28 billion in sign rally is fizzling out
Published on: Tuesday, January 31, 2023
By:
Bloomberg, FMT
Alibaba’s 12-month forward earnings forecast has been revised down about 4% since mid-December. (Reuters pic)
HONG KONG: Alibaba Group Holding’s biggest selloff in three months is underscoring investor concern that China’s consumer recovery may fail to meet lofty expectations.
The e-commerce giant’s 9.1% slump this week has wiped out US$28 billion in the tech giant’s market value. The losses have trimmed the month’s gain to about 25%, though that’s still more than double the rebound for the benchmark Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong.
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Some market participants are fretting about whether Alibaba’s earnings can recover at the pace that’s been priced in.
That may undermine the gains, which were fuelled by bullish reports from brokers including Citigroup and Goldman Sachs Group earlier this month citing further earnings upside for China’s internet sector given the reopening and easing regulatory clampdown.
“Some investors are getting cautious after such a sharp rally, and they are waiting for data on a fundamental recovery, including earnings and business guidance,” said Banny Lam, head of research at Ceb International Inv Corp Ltd. “The stock will remain volatile in the near term.”
Hangzhou-based Alibaba’s gains in January were more than almost any other company in the Hang Seng as it extended its rally from an October low to 75%. It hasn’t been alone in riding on the bullish wave, with Tencent Holdings and NetEase also showing indications of being overbought.
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Alibaba’s 12-month forward earnings forecast has been revised down about 4% since mid-December, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
The stock’s put-to-call ratio has been rebounding in Hong Kong this month, a sign that investors are buying more protection against any stock declines.
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Alibaba shares have been technically overbought for about three weeks before Monday’s slide, Bloomberg data based on 14-day RSI show.
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