(Bloomberg) — Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. led a technology stocks selloff as the Trump administration considers barring investments in China’s two most valuable companies.
Alibaba fell more than 5% and Tencent dropped as much as 4.4% in Hong Kong trading on Thursday, tracking losses in their New York-listed securities. The State Department, Department of Defense and Treasury Department are among authorities involved in the deliberations, according to people with knowledge of the talks. The discussions focus in part on how such a move might affect capital markets, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier Wednesday.
Imposing a ban on the two companies would mark the most dramatic escalation yet by President Donald Trump’s administration, given the sheer size of the two firms and the difficulty unwinding positions. At $1.3 trillion, the combined market value of their primary listings is nearly twice the size of Spain’s stock market, while the firms together account for about 11% of the weighting for MSCI Inc.’s emerging markets benchmark.
“If the bans are implemented then it’d be a huge thing for the market,” said Steven Leung, executive director at Uob Kay Hian (Hong Kong) Ltd. “It’s still too early to say. After the Biden administration starts, the policy could change again.”
If implemented, the ban would further fray the relationship between the world’s two largest economies, which have clashed over everything from Covid-19 to Hong Kong. Authorities in Washington have been ramping up efforts to deprive Chinese companies of U.S. capital in the final months of the Trump administration, adding to economic tensions as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take over this month.
Representatives for the companies had no immediate comment when contacted. Spreads on Tencent’s dollar bonds widened as much as 20 basis points over Treasuries on Thursday, while those on Alibaba notes were about 15 basis points wider, according to credit traders. The e-commerce company was said to be planning a dollar bond sale that could raise as much as $8 billion as early as next week, which could now be threatened by the U.S. actions.
What Bloomberg Intelligence Says:
Alibaba may face minimal financial and operational disruptions from a potential ban considered by U.S. officials, which could prohibit Americans from investing in the company. Alibaba had $60 billion cash as of September, and generated $6 billion in free cash flow in the September quarter. The dual listing of its shares in Hong Kong should mitigate any risk of removal from U.S. exchanges.
— Vey-Sern Ling and Tiffany Tam, analysts
Click here for the research
JD.com Inc. sank 4.1% in Hong Kong, following a 7.7% drop in its ADRs. Pinduoduo Inc. tumbled 5.6%. The closely-watched iShares China Large-Cap ETF fell 1.2% in the U.S. while the NASDAQ Golden…
Read More: Alibaba, Tencent Shares Drop as U.S. Weighs Investment Ban