China's Food-Delivery Companies Rally After Regulator Signals Renewed Push to Curb Price War

Dow Jones03-25 16:36
 

By Tracy Qu

 

Shares of China's food-delivery companies rallied after Chinese authorities signaled a push to address intense price competition in the sector.

Meituan shares closed 14% higher on Wednesday, while Alibaba and JD.com shares gained 4.6% and 4.85%, respectively. That outperformed the Hang Seng Tech Index's 1.9% gain.

The State Administration for Market Regulation, China's top market regulator, said in an article on its official website Wednesday morning that it held a seminar to curb unfair competition, without naming the food-delivery industry. Around the same time, the regulator published a column by the state-owned Economic Daily newspaper on its website, urging food-delivery companies to end the price war.

The regulator's statement could mark "a pivotal sign of normalization in food delivery competition, with a decent scale-back of subsidies in the coming months," Citi analysts said in a note.

Citi analysts said the regulator's stance is positive for Meituan as easing competitive pressures should accelerate its recovery pace. Meanwhile, Alibaba and JD.com will also benefit from a rational competitive landscape, the analysts said.

 

Write to Tracy Qu at tracy.qu@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 25, 2026 04:36 ET (08:36 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

At the request of the copyright holder, you need to log in to view this content

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Comments

We need your insight to fill this gap
Leave a comment