Samsung Billionaire Lee's Acquittal Upheld by Korea's Top Court
The top court on Thursday upheld a Seoul High Court ruling that acquitted Lee and other Samsung officials of all 19 charges stemming from the 2015 merger of Samsung C&T Corp. and Cheil Industries Inc. Prosecutors alleged the deal helped Lee cement his control over the conglomerate.
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Wall Street Circles Starbucks as China Deal Heats Up--Tech Giants and PE Titans in Bidding War
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US defense bill proposes examination of Apple display supplier
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BYD Just Blinked -- China's EV Throne Now Up for Grabs
BYD Co. (BYDDF), the world's largest EV seller, just hit a speed bump. July deliveries came in at 344,296 unitsbasically flat from a year ago and down 10% month-on-monthmarking the company's first monthly decline of 2025. While summer slowdowns aren't new in China's auto market, the timing couldn't be worse. With only 2.49 million vehicles sold year-to-date, BYD now needs to average 602,000 units per month to hit its 5.5 million goal. That's a steep climb, especially considering its all-time monthly high is still under 515,000. To make matters tougher, Beijing is cracking down on discount-driven price wars, tightening the screws on the entire sector. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 1 Warning Sign with NVO. Meanwhile, the competition is heating up fast. Geely just posted its strongest month since last November with 237,717 units. Xpeng and Leapmotor both notched record-breaking deliveries36,717 and 50,129 vehicles, respectivelywhile Xiaomi broke through the 30,000-unit mark for the first time. Even Nio, despite logging its weakest month since March, saw its stock jump 8.6% after the launch of its aggressively priced Onvo L90, which some analysts view as a strong product-market fit. Li Auto, on the other hand, took a hitdown 40% year-on-year to just over 30,000 units. Zooming out, retail passenger vehicle sales in China were estimated to grow 7.6% year-over-year in July but fell 11% versus June, reflecting broader seasonal softness. Still, the narrative around BYD could be shifting. It's not just about volume anymoreit's about defending market share in a field that's suddenly full of fast-moving challengers. With delivery targets slipping out of reach and new rivals scaling up at speed, the race for EV dominance in China is looking a lot more competitive. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
