CATL, the leading EV battery producer in China, has introduced a new product for hybrid vehicles in response to increasing demand. The Freevoy battery is boasted to provide a driving distance of 400km before needing to switch to the fuel tank, which is double the typical range, according to CATL.

The company CATL anticipates that the Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery will boost its international market presence and transform the plug-in hybrid vehicle sector. This comes as an increasing number of customers in mainland China are choosing cars that utilize both battery packs and combustion engines to alleviate concerns about travel distance.

"Freevoy is more than simply a battery, it's also an asset that can potentially produce financial gains for vehicle owners," stated Gao Huan, the Chief Technology Officer of EV operations at CATL, during the product's unveiling in Beijing on Thursday. "We anticipate Freevoy will usher the hybrid car market into a new phase of elevated standards."

The Freevoy battery has a range of 400km, making it competitive with batteries found in fully electric vehicles. It can deliver up to 280km of driving distance with just a quick 10-minute charge. By contrast, batteries in plug-in hybrid cars typically only cover less than 200km, while high-end, fully electric vehicles can travel up to 500km on one charge.

Macroscope | Regardless of whether Harris or Trump triumphs, the US faces turbulence post Election Day.

The more chaotic the results and the longer the disagreement regarding the victor, the greater the danger posed to the US economy and worldwide markets.

Four weeks back, Harris was ahead of Trump by a mere two points according to the average national polls collated by RealClearPolitics. The competition was also equally fierce in the vital battleground states. Nevertheless, in the prediction markets, which are platforms where individuals wager on the results of specific events, Harris was leading the race to the presidency. The betting website, PredictIt, estimated Harris's chances of winning at 57 per cent.

As of now, both contenders are almost neck and neck in the battleground states. However, in gambling markets, Trump's probability of winning has significantly surged. The average odds on betting websites, as per RealClearPolitics, indicate that Trump's likelihood of winning has risen from 46% to 63% in the past month.

Earlier this week, BlackRock's Chief Executive, Larry Fink, expressed his view that the outcome of the election wouldn't significantly impact the markets. While his statement may be overly simplified, it seems pointless to guess the winner of such a closely contested election. Despite often facing criticism for neglecting or underestimating political risks, investors may actually be correct in adopting a nonchalant attitude this time around.

ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, is experiencing a slowdown in growth due to competition from other online retailers and geopolitical challenges. Media outlets have reported that ByteDance's revenue growth has notably reduced this year as the company finds it difficult to make TikTok Shop successful.

The income increase noticeably decelerated for the initial three quarters of the year, and profit margins narrowed for the first time since 2022, as revealed by an anonymous source to Chinese tech news outlet 36Kr on Thursday.

ByteDance has been actively promoting TikTok Shop in various global markets such as the US, UK, and Southeast Asian nations. This is part of their strategy to find revenue streams aside from advertising on their extremely popular yet not financially successful video platform.

The growth of ByteDance's ad revenue in China declined to less than 17% in the third quarter, a significant drop from the 40% growth in the first quarter, as reported by online news source LatePost on Monday. The report also stated that the company's advertising division failed to meet its objectives for the previous two quarters.

Employees of Huawei have begun operations at their enormous new campus, which is at the heart of China's technological advancement. This vast research and development center is expected to be a significant contributor to the country's pursuit of self-sufficiency.

The campus at Lianqiu Lake, which has a floor space over 10 times the size of Googleplex, Alphabet's headquarter in Mountain View, California, is expected to accommodate approximately 35,000 researchers, as stated by Huawei.

The initial group of employees made their appearance on October 14, but during a recent visit by the Post, it was observed that merely two sections of the expansive complex were in use, leaving the majority of it vacant.

Around Lunar New Year in February, it is anticipated that about 20,000 workers will join, and the workforce is projected to expand to 30,000 by the close of 2026, as per a Chinese media source, The Paper, quoting a district representative.

Huawei did not provide an answer to the question regarding when the new centre will be completely operational.

The research and development center, spanning over 2 million square meters (21.5 million square feet), is anticipated to have a significant impact for Huawei. The tech giant already has facilities in Dongguan and Shenzhen, located in the southern Guangdong province. Notably, the center will also be essential for China, as the country is striving for advancements in chip technology and other sectors.

Huawei employees have started working at the brand-new, enormous campus, which is the heart of China's technological efforts. This widespread research and development center is expected to be crucial in the country's pursuit of autonomy.

The Lianqiu Lake campus, with a square footage over ten times greater than Alphabet's Googleplex headquarters in Mountain View, California, is expected to accommodate approximately 35,000 researchers, as stated by Huawei.

The initial group of workers showed up on October 14, however, during this week's visit by the Post, only two sections of the large facility were in use, leaving the majority of the expansive compound vacant.

Around Lunar New Year in February, approximately 20,000 workers are anticipated to report for duty, as per a district official's statement. Chinese media source, The Paper, predicts the employee count to escalate to 30,000 by the conclusion of 2026.

Huawei has yet to reply to a question regarding when the new facility will be completely operational with staff.

The research and development hub, which spans over 2 million square meters (or 21.5 million square feet), is anticipated to be significant for Huawei. The tech giant already has facilities in Dongguan and Shenzhen located in the southern Guangdong province. Moreover, this center is crucial for China as the country is striving to make significant advancements in chip technology and other sectors.

Why are Hong Kong's brokers leaning towards physical branches despite the digital era?

Futu Securities, an online brokerage, launched its fourth outlet in Causeway Bay just last week, while Phillip Securities is contemplating opening new branches.

Futu Securities International from Hong Kong has reversed its previous strategy of only having apps and no physical branches. It opened a new location in the busy Causeway Bay area last week, joining its existing network in Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui, and its larger main office in Admiralty.

Phillip Securities is actively seeking new sites as it upgrades its three current branches in Admiralty, Kwun Tong, and Sheung Shui. The company, which was established in Singapore in 1975, had to reduce its network from seven locations due to the recent market downturn.

"Physical locations do indeed offer the benefit of drawing in new clients," stated Louis Wong, the executive director of Phillip Capital Management (Hong Kong), a segment of the brokerage conglomerate. "We're selecting fresh sites that have the potential to increase account registrations and we're planning to enhance our investment in customer services and technology to improve our service to them."

The pattern shows that certain brokers are attempting to differentiate themselves from the faceless online competitors, with free trading and automated advising services gaining popularity among individual investors. In Hong Kong, the count of brokers has dropped to 545 from 606 in 2019, and down from over 1,000 in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the market value of the city has expanded to US$5.6 trillion, and the daily trading volume has soared to a record high of US$79 billion.

Apple's iPhone 16 has boosted the company to the second position in China's smartphone market for the third quarter. Apple has secured a 15.6% share in the highly significant Chinese market, trailing behind Vivo, which holds an 18.6% market share.

In the quarter ending in September, iPhone deliveries accounted for 15.6% of the market, trailing only Vivo, which held 18.6% of the market, as per IDC's Friday report. Despite the boost from Apple's newest models, its market share experienced a dip from last year's 16.1% for the same timeframe.

Apple saw a slight drop of 0.3% in its smartphone sales compared to the previous year. However, the initial sales of the iPhone 16 series, released in September, have generally matched the sales of its predecessor, as per the report.

According to IDC, China, which holds the title for the world's biggest smartphone market, has witnessed a 3.2% increase in smartphone deliveries, amounting to 68.8 million devices in the third quarter. This implies a consistent growth observed for the fourth time in a row.

FTSE Russell, the index provider, has affirmed its commitment to continue creating offerings for Chinese assets. The CEO has expressed the company's belief that China continues to be a crucial market for global investors, largely due to its vast size and potential for growth.

Despite facing difficulties due to broad economic factors, geopolitical conflicts, and unpredictability, worldwide investors remain confident that China's financial markets are driven by robust momentum, says Fiona Bassett.

"We maintain that China continues to be a crucial market for global investors because of its enormous size and development prospects. As a provider of indexes, we view our responsibility as aiding our clients in entering those markets," Bassett remarked during a discussion with the Post.

The firm, a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group, marked its 20th year in China last year with the FTSE China A50 index. This index monitors the top 50 businesses listed on the mainland's stock exchanges.

"Bassett expressed admiration for the remarkable transformation of China's financial markets in the past two decades," he said. "Clearly, the market is quite vibrant, and the introduction of economic stimulus plans is indeed a positive development."

Hesai from China continues to contest the Pentagon's decision to blacklist it

The US Department of Defense is once again placing the Chinese lidar manufacturer on its blacklist, overturning a previous ruling.

Hesai confirmed that its products are exclusively for commercial and civilian applications, and it has no affiliations with the Chinese military or any other military organization, according to an emailed statement to Reuters. The company further indicated that the lawsuit is an extension of the current legal proceedings and it will persist in these proceedings to rectify the inaccuracies.

The United States Defense Department refrained from giving any statement.

Landing on the so-called 1260H list serves as a caution to U.S. organizations and firms about the potential threats to national security that may arise from engaging in business with them.

Chinese firm Hesai is set to continue contesting the Pentagon's decision to blacklist them. The U.S. Department of Defense is placing the Chinese lidar manufacturer back on its blacklist, overturning a previous decision.

Products from Hesai are exclusively for commercial and civilian applications, and the company has no ties to the Chinese military or any other military establishment, as per the company's emailed statement to Reuters. The legal suit is part of the ongoing judicial procedure, and the company will persist in the process to rectify these inaccuracies, it further stated.

The U.S. Defense Department refrained from giving any statement.

Landing on the so-called 1260H list serves as an alert for US organizations and businesses regarding the national security hazards associated with engaging in transactions with them.

Stocks in Hong Kong are climbing, reducing the weekly deficit, as the future economic growth of China appears promising. An analyst notes, 'We are of the opinion that the assurance of Chinese homebuyers in the real estate market has significantly strengthened.'

Indices on the mainland also saw an increase. The CSI 300 Index rose by 0.7 per cent, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained an additional 0.6 per cent.

Promising indications for the economic sector have been noted as pre-sales of residences in 30 major Chinese cities saw a 22% boost from a solid foundation set in the preceding week, as per financial information supplier, Wind. The surge was primarily driven by first-tier cities, where sales shot up by 27% in the last week, as depicted by the data. A nationwide sales leap of 58% was recorded in the week before on a week to week comparison.

A drop in US Treasury yields, which had previously been pushed higher due to dwindling expectations of a significant reduction in interest rates and increased chances of Donald Trump's presidential victory, also sparked buying enthusiasm.

"Considering the determination of policymakers to rescue the real estate market with a host of robust initiatives introduced since the end of September, we're convinced that the confidence of Chinese homebuyers in the property market has significantly strengthened," stated Raymond Cheng, the Managing Director at CGS International Securities in Hong Kong. "We anticipate that monthly industry sales in the last quarter will show an increase compared to the previous year. By 2025, we predict that industry sales might experience the first positive annual growth since 2022."

Performance of TSMC's Arizona chip factory surpasses those in Taiwan, enhancing US efforts

The initial production output at Arizona's first TSMC factory has exceeded that of comparable plants in Taiwan, according to a high-ranking official.

The percentage of functional chips produced at TSMC's Phoenix facility is approximately 4 percentage points greater than similar facilities in Taiwan, as shared by Rick Cassidy, the head of TSMC's US division, during a webinar on Wednesday, based on information from a participant. The production success rate, often referred to as the yield, is a vital metric in the semiconductor sector as it dictates if the substantial expenses of establishing a chip plant can be recuperated.

A spokesperson from TSMC chose not to directly address Cassidy's event, instead pointing to comments made by CEO C.C. Wei during a recent call with investors.

"In April, our initial factory started manufacturing engineering wafers using 4-nanometer process technology, and the outcome has been extremely positive, producing a high yield," he stated then. "This marks a significant operational achievement for TSMC and our clients, showcasing TSMC's robust production capacity and implementation."