Ma Huateng: Tencent Games seems to be lying on the merit book of success
On January 29th, Ma Huateng, Chairman and CEO of Tencent, mentioned at the company's annual meeting that "gaming is Tencent's flagship business, and it seems like it is on the books of success. Over the past year, Tencent has faced great challenges, with a plethora of new generation gaming companies emerging, shifting from gameplay to content. We are at a loss for a while, and our friends are constantly producing new products. Tencent is also producing new products, but it seems that there is no sense of success. Regarding CSIG (Cloud and Smart Industry Business Group), Ma Huateng also mentioned that there are many products under the surface, and in addition to particularly important strategic products and basic investments, they must be launched and surfaced as soon as possible.
Comment: In 2023, the NetEase leisure party game Egg Boy Party became a blockbuster. Tencent's subsequent launch of the same type of "Star of the Yuan Dream" is still in force. The most eye-catching track of the anime is Miha You's "Collapse: Star Dome Railway". The most important thing for Tencent is to keep the basic plate of competitive games and not be shaken by some popular MMOs and anime games. Previously, Tencent IEG's "Spring Shoot Plan" also hoped that small teams could create games they understood and understood, and make them more thorough and profound.
The first batch of imported game licenses have arrived this year, with Tencent and NetEase among them
On February 2nd, the State Administration of Press and Publication announced the approval information for the first batch of imported online games in 2024, with a total of 32 games approved, including several major works by major manufacturers. Products worth noting include Tencent's "Dungeons and Warriors: Origins", NetEase's "Travelers on the Wrong Road: Dominators of the Mainland", Chaoxi Guangnian's "Jing · Jie Dao Ming", Perfect World's "Fishing: North Atlantic", Chinese mobile game's "New Three Kingdoms Chronicles Cao Cao Zhuan", Kaiying Network's "Nasalik: Rise", and so on. The game Dungeon and Warrior: Origins, which was approved by Tencent, is also known as the DNF mobile game by players. The game was originally scheduled for 2020 and has been delayed for three years.
Comment: So far, including a total of 115 domestic game licenses in January, a total of 147 game licenses have been issued this year, with a significant improvement in both distribution speed and quantity compared to last year. In a relaxed environment, the gaming industry is being injected with greater momentum.
The localization rate of mobile robots is expected to exceed 95% in 2023
According to data from the Institute of Advanced Robotics Industry, the localization rate of domestic mobile robots is expected to exceed 95% in 2023, accounting for over 50% of global shipments. Mobile robots undertake flexible production or handling work. According to industry insiders, domestic mobile robots have a clear price advantage, with some products priced only about half of those of Japanese manufacturers. Behind it is the cost reduction brought about by the localization of hardware supply chain. Juxing Technology and Dart Robots will increase their investment in going to Japan this year.
Comment: Domestic mobile robot manufacturers have solved the problem of hardware supply chain and shifted differentiated competition to software, changing the competitive logic. In the early stages of the mobile robot industry, the "sprint" has given birth to industry leaders such as Xinsong Robotics, Haikang Robotics, Hairou Innovation, and Jizhijia. Under the surface, with the tightening of financing last year and the slowdown of industry growth, the industry is still facing a reshuffle. Whether unique competitiveness can be found to ensure profits will be the key to staying on the table.
The recycling volume of waste household appliances and furniture is expected to increase by 15% in 2025
On February 1st, the Ministry of Commerce and nine other departments released the "Guidelines for the Typical Construction of a Sound Recycling System for Recycled Resources such as Waste Household Appliances and Furniture". It was proposed that by 2025, the recycling volume of waste household appliances and furniture in China will increase by more than 15% compared to 2023. A number of typical cities and enterprises in the recycling system of waste household appliances and furniture will be cultivated nationwide, and the standardized recycling level of waste household appliances and furniture will be significantly improved.
Comment: The new policy is an important measure to break through consumer bottlenecks and promote the trade in of old appliances and furniture. In 2023, the standardized recycling and processing capacity of televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and computers in China will exceed 80 million units. At present, there are still a large number of household appliances that have been used for more than ten to twenty years in China, and there is great potential for replacement consumption. However, the lack of necessary recycling infrastructure and inconvenient recycling still hinder the release of consumer demand for replacement. The new policy will guide the domestic circulation of household appliances and furniture to become more smooth. In addition, starting from January 1, 2024, the collection of the Waste Household Appliance Recycling Fund will officially cease. Industry insiders hope that with this new policy, a more standardized and market-oriented system for waste household appliance recycling and resource reuse can be formed in the future.
Performance forecast for the home appliance industry in 2023, with a focus on white electricity, black electricity concerns, and differentiation of cleaning appliances
As of January 31st, multiple domestic home appliance companies have announced their 2023 performance forecasts or released last year's performance information through annual meetings, leading to market differentiation. In terms of white electricity, Gree Electric Appliances and Midea Group have achieved record high performance. Haier Group, the parent company of Haier Smart Home, has seen a 6% increase in revenue and profit, while Hisense Home Appliances' net profit will increase by over 90%. Changhong Meiling and Whirlpool's net profit will increase by 1-2 times, and Oma Electric Appliances' net profit will increase by 40-90%. In terms of black electricity, Sichuan Changhong's net profit is expected to increase by 30-60%, Konka Group is expected to lose 1.8-23 billion yuan, and Jimi Technology's net profit is expected to decrease by 75%. In terms of kitchen appliances, Fotile Group's revenue increased by 8.53%, Huadi Group's net profit increased by 1-2 times, and Supor's net profit increased by 5-6%. In terms of cleaning appliances, Stone Technology's net profit is expected to increase by 70-90%, while Ecovacs's net profit is expected to decrease by about 60%.
Comment: Air conditioning is the most popular category in the household appliance market in 2023, with high retail sales growth. The refrigerator and washing machine market is steadily growing, coupled with a decrease in raw material costs, which has led to record high performance for leading white electricity enterprises. In 2023, the sales volume of color televisions in China continued to decline, and there was no rebound after the epidemic, putting pressure on the domestic sales growth of color television companies. Compared to the emerging integrated stove industry facing growth bottlenecks, traditional kitchen appliance companies have achieved relatively high performance through product structure upgrades. The clean electrical appliance industry is experiencing rapid growth in overseas consumer demand, while the average price in the domestic industry has declined.
Apple's sales in China plummeted by 13%
On February 1st, Apple released its financial report, stating that in the first quarter, Apple's sales in China experienced a rare double-digit drop of 13%, dragging down Apple's stock price by nearly 3%. China is one of the most important markets for this iPhone manufacturer, second only to the United States. The performance of Apple's China business will directly affect analysts' predictions of Apple's future stock price. Earlier this year, Barclays Bank downgraded Apple's stock rating.
Comment: Multiple factors have led to a rare sharp decline in Apple's business in China. External factors include exchange rates and fierce competition in the Chinese market. Over the past quarter, the exchange rate between the US dollar and the Chinese yuan has remained strong; Last year, Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei continued to make efforts in the high-end smartphone field, while other smartphone manufacturers including vivo and OPPO also launched multiple foldable screen products. Currently, Apple is the only major smartphone manufacturer absent from the foldable screen market.
Venture Capital Vanguard
According to Tianyancha data, there were a total of 63 investment and financing events this week; From the industry distribution of financing events, production and manufacturing, medical and health, and advanced manufacturing ranked among the top, with 14, 10, and 8 related events respectively; From the distribution of financing events, Series A and Angel are among the top, with 15 and 9 respectively; Series B, Pre-A, and strategic financing, all starting from 8; From the perspective of the number of times investment and financing institutions have taken action, investment institutions are becoming increasingly diversified, including Wuhan Guoxing Investment and BYD.
This week, there were a total of 8 financing events in the medical and health industry; From the perspective of rounds, there are mainly 4 and 3 cases of Pre-A and Angel rounds, respectively; In terms of financing amount, Kejun Pharmaceutical has a financing amount of over 100 million yuan; From the perspective of investment institutions, including Tai Kun Fund and Power Health Fund, all have investments.
This week, there were a total of 4 financing events in the artificial intelligence industry; From the perspective of rounds, there are mainly 3 cases with B rounds; In terms of financing amount, Qingyun Energy Group has a financing amount of over 100 million yuan; From the perspective of investment institutions, Xingyao Investment and Su Gaoxin Financial Holding have a record of making moves.
This week, there were a total of 8 financing events in the advanced manufacturing industry; From the perspective of rounds, A round and Angel round are the main ones, with 3 or 2 financing events; In terms of financing amount, Xinrou Technology, Yuntu Semiconductor, and Yuanxin Satellite have financing amounts exceeding 100 million yuan; From the perspective of investment institutions, China Development Bank's Manufacturing Industry Transformation and Upgrading Fund, China National Research and Development Fund, and others have all made efforts.
There were a total of 5 financing events in the automotive transportation industry this week; From the perspective of rounds, A round is the main one with 2 financing events; In terms of financing amount, Alcohol Hydrogen Technology has a financing amount of over 100 million yuan; From the perspective of investment institutions, Hubei Jiaotou Group and Microelectronics have all made efforts.