Business Maverick

Business Maverick

Alibaba recovers after report on Jack Ma briefly erased $26 billion

Alibaba recovers after report on Jack Ma briefly erased $26 billion
BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 04: Red flags flutter in the wind near the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People where sessions of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and National People's Congress are being held on March 4, 2014 in Beijing, China. "Based on our history and experience, we believe that peace can only be maintained by strength," National People's Congress spokesperson Fu Ying respond to a question concerning China's growing military power. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

A brief bout of concern about the status of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd co-founder Jack Ma triggered wild swings in shares of the e-commerce company on Tuesday, underscoring continued investor anxiety toward China’s tech sector after a year-long crackdown.

Alibaba plunged as much as 9.4% in Hong Kong, erasing about $26-billion (R420-billion) of market value, after state broadcaster CCTV reported that authorities in the company’s home base of Hangzhou had imposed curbs on an individual surnamed Ma.
The stock rebounded after a statement from Hangzhou police indicated the accused person’s name covered three characters. CCTV also updated its report to show a third character. Jack Ma’s Chinese name is the two-character Ma Yun.

The accused person works as the director of hardware research and development at an IT company, the state-run Global Times reported, citing unidentified sources.

CCTV said the person was placed under so-called “compulsory measures” on April 25 after being accused of inciting subversion of state power and other activities that endangered national security.

CCTV’s two-sentence report lacked other details but rattled investors already on edge over Beijing’s clampdown over every corner of the internet sphere, which kicked off by targeting Ma.

Regulators halted the IPO of Ma’s Ant Group Co before waging a campaign to rein in alleged abuses and excesses by increasingly powerful internet firms.

Chinese authorities in the city of Hangzhou, where both Alibaba and Ant are based, were unavailable for comment during the Golden Week holidays. Representatives for Alibaba and Ant didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Alibaba shares slipped 0.1% to HK$102 at 11:15 a.m. in Hong Kong. BM

Gallery

Comments - Please in order to comment.

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

MavericKids vol 3

How can a child learn to read if they don't have a book?

81% of South African children aged 10 can't read for meaning. You can help by pre-ordering a copy of MavericKids.

For every copy sold we will donate a copy to Gift of The Givers for children in need of reading support.

A South African Hero: You

There’s a 99.8% chance that this isn’t for you. Only 0.2% of our readers have responded to this call for action.

Those 0.2% of our readers are our hidden heroes, who are fuelling our work and impacting the lives of every South African in doing so. They’re the people who contribute to keep Daily Maverick free for all, including you.

The equation is quite simple: the more members we have, the more reporting and investigations we can do, and the greater the impact on the country.

Be part of that 0.2%. Be a Maverick. Be a Maverick Insider.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options