China’s hottest AI stock Zhipu may continue to see wild swings as the company’s $4 billion equities fundraising does little to meaningfully boost its thin pool of publicly tradable shares. Zhipu, the country’s leading AI model developer that trades as Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC Ltd. , rank as the most volatile in Asia, in large part due to the limited number of shares in free floatation. Even ...
China’s hottest AI stock Zhipu may continue to see wild swings as the company’s $4 billion equities fundraising does little to meaningfully boost its thin pool of publicly tradable shares. Zhipu, the country’s leading AI model developer that trades as Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC Ltd. , rank as the most volatile in Asia, in large part due to the limited number of shares in free floatation. Even after the additional sale of 19.8 million shares announced early Thursday, on top of the nearly 26 million shares released from lockup this week, only around 13.5% of its issued stock will be freely tradable. Zhipu shares soared as much as 22% Thursday before closing up 11%. The stock has gained 1,650% since the January debut, by far the best performance among members of the Hang Seng Composite Index . But the fact that the rally was built on such a small cluster of shares has heightened concerns over its elevated valuations, at a time when doubts about the AI industry’s ability to monetize the technology are rising globally. Before the expiry of the six-month share lockup following Zhipu’s initial public offering, the company’s free float was about 4% of the total issued shares. While an end to such restrictions typically releases more supply into the secondary market, cornerstone investors have pledged to hold onto their shares, suggesting the stock may remain hostage to thin liquidity. Assuming the cornerstone investors will honor their pledge, the secondary share offering would boost Zhipu’s free float to about 8%, according to Ravi Wong , first vice president at Yan Yun Family Office (HK) Ltd. “An effective 8% free float is still fundamentally considered a low-float stock,” he said. “Price volatility and sensitivity to large institutional blocks will remain high.” The tight float will remain until at least next January, when another 40% of Zhipu’s issued stock will be released from lockup. For its domestic rival MiniMax Group Inc., about 70% of its shares are freely tr...
Stretches of green farmland and shimmering ponds, winding village roads and sprawling brownfield logistics yards all lend Hung Shui Kiu in the New Territories a patchwork look of rustic Hong Kong standing in stark contrast to its glistening skyscrapers. This rural landscape is slated for radical transformation under the government’s ambitious Northern Metropolis blueprint and is primed to be reinv...
Stretches of green farmland and shimmering ponds, winding village roads and sprawling brownfield logistics yards all lend Hung Shui Kiu in the New Territories a patchwork look of rustic Hong Kong standing in stark contrast to its glistening skyscrapers. This rural landscape is slated for radical transformation under the government’s ambitious Northern Metropolis blueprint and is primed to be reinvented as a modernised logistics hub in the near future. However, the premise of this transformation...
Tatiana Dyuvbanova/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash Existing home sales unexpectedly fell in June, dropping 2.4% after a 3.7% increase in May. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, falling short of the projection of 4.19 million. On a year-over-year basis, existing home sales are up 2.8%. Insights fro...
Tatiana Dyuvbanova/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash Existing home sales unexpectedly fell in June, dropping 2.4% after a 3.7% increase in May. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, falling short of the projection of 4.19 million. On a year-over-year basis, existing home sales are up 2.8%. Insights from the NAR Reflecting on the latest data, NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun highlighted the ongoing tug-of-war between shifting buyer affordability and overall economic resilience: “The back-and-forth in monthly home sales activity, driven by mild fluctuations in mortgage rates, shows how sensitive home buyers are to affordability conditions,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “However, job gains—more than half a million since the beginning of the year—will continue to provide support for the housing market.” Background: Why Existing Home Sales Matter Existing home sales measure the monthly sales of previously owned single-family homes, condos, and co-ops. Because they account for roughly 90% of the residential market, they serve as a vital pulse check on the broader economy. There is a high correlation between these sales and broader consumer spending. A move into a "new" existing home typically triggers secondary purchases in furnishings, appliances, and home improvement. Conversely, a sustained downturn in this data often serves as a leading indicator of economic contraction. Over this time frame, we clearly see the real estate bubble, which peaked in 2005 and then fell dramatically. Sales were volatile for the first year or so following the Great Recession, with monthly sales as low as 3.45 million units to as high as 5.44 million units. We have seen that same volatility following the most recent recession, with sales ranging between 3.85 million units and 6.73 million units. Existing Home Sales: The Population-Adjusted Reality While raw data shows a market in fl...
New Hampshire Kills Historic $100M Bitcoin Bond Proposal New Hampshire's Executive Council narrowly rejected a proposal Wednesday that would have authorized a $100 million Bitcoin-backed bond, ending what supporters hoped would make the state a pioneer in digital asset finance, according to Bitcoin Magazine. The measure failed in a 3-2 vote after reaching its final approval stage, despite receivin...
New Hampshire Kills Historic $100M Bitcoin Bond Proposal New Hampshire's Executive Council narrowly rejected a proposal Wednesday that would have authorized a $100 million Bitcoin-backed bond, ending what supporters hoped would make the state a pioneer in digital asset finance, according to Bitcoin Magazine. The measure failed in a 3-2 vote after reaching its final approval stage, despite receiving a favorable rating review from Moody's and backing from Governor Kelly Ayotte and the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority. Had it moved forward, officials said it would have been the first municipal bond in the world secured by Bitcoin. The report notes that supporters argued the transaction would not put taxpayers at risk. Instead, it would have connected private investors with a private borrower using Bitcoin as collateral, while allowing the state to collect fees that could fund small business, housing, child care, and economic development initiatives if the deal proved successful. Skeptics, however, questioned whether New Hampshire should attach its name to a financing structure built around a volatile digital asset. Councilor Karen Liot Hill said she was not opposed to cryptocurrency itself but believed the state should be cautious about endorsing a transaction tied to Bitcoin's price swings. Business Finance Authority Executive Director James Key-Wallace rejected the idea that Bitcoin remains an "emerging" asset class, arguing it has already established itself in global finance. He also suggested the proposal could have opened the door to similar transactions in the future. Ayotte, who signed legislation making New Hampshire the first state to authorize a strategic Bitcoin reserve and giving the state treasurer authority to invest in Bitcoin, said pursuing innovative financial structures is worthwhile so long as taxpayers remain protected. The vote came after Liot Hill unsuccessfully attempted to delay consideration of the proposal. She was joined by Janet Stev...
(RTTNews) - The Taiwan stock market headed south again on Thursday, one day after snapping the two-day slide in which it had dropped more than 1,300 points or 2.9 percent. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now sits just above the 45,350-point plateau although it figures t track higher ag
(RTTNews) - The Taiwan stock market headed south again on Thursday, one day after snapping the two-day slide in which it had dropped more than 1,300 points or 2.9 percent. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now sits just above the 45,350-point plateau although it figures t track higher ag