The successful birth of the new crown vaccine in December means that as 2020 is over, we will also bid farewell to the new crown virus. “Nikkei Asia” compiled and selected some of the most important data for 2020, looking back on this year, and taking a glimpse of the possible evolution next year .
Aviation industry restructuring
The airline industry has suffered the most this year. Take Cathay Pacific Airways as an example. Last month, it had less than 38,000 passengers, a 98.6% drop from the same period last year. Its loss in the first half of the year was 1.27 billion.USDRecords, but even worse losses in the second half of the year.
Cathay Pacific needs the Hong Kong government to inject capital to reorganize, but this is not the only one. Thai Airways, which is supported by fried dough sticks, has entered a court-supported bankruptcy reorganization process. Philippine Airlines is applying to the court for debt restructuring. The two major South Korean airlines are also trying to merge to improve their financial situation.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that global air travel may have to wait until 2024 to return to the level before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fintech strengthens supervision
There has been constant news of large-scale IPOs this year, but Ant Financial, which may have become the world’s largest IPO, was stopped by the Chinese government at the last moment of listing and was interviewed by the four major financial management departments for “operational guidance.”
As the China Securities Regulatory Commission changed its online banking regulations to reduce risks in the digital lending industry, the Shanghai Stock Exchange cancelled its listing plan two days before Ant Financial’s November IPO.If as originally planned, its IPO will raise at least 34.4 billion yuan, and even if it exercises 15% of the over-allotment rights, it can reach 39.6 billion yuanUSD, Will become the world’s largest IPO, and even retail investors smashed 3 trillionUSDBidding.
With the rise of financial technology, financial technology companies such as Ant Financial are subject to operating supervision much lower than that of the traditional financial industry. As the government increases its regulatory power in this industry, it may also affect other Internet giants, including Tencent and JD.com, because these companies also operate online microfinance businesses.
Electric vehicles strike strong
NIO (NIO-US) Became the winner of the stock market in the era of the new crown epidemic. The stock price has risen by more than 1038% so far this year. It has become the second largest automaker in China by market value, second only to BYD, an electric car park supported by Buffett.
In the United States Tesla (TSLA-USUnder the leadership of ), global electric vehicles are gaining momentum, and Chinese electric vehicle start-ups Xpeng and Li Auto also performed well.The improvement in sales and delivery volume of NIO Auto also boosted investor confidence. In the quarter from July to September, NIO’s losses have beenRMB 2.5 billion yuan shrank to 1.05 billion yuan.
However, although Weilai’s market value now exceeds that of General Motors, it was on the verge of a cash crunch nine months ago. In March of this year, Wei Lai warned that funds might not last for another 12 months and had to sell a large amount of equity to raise funds. In the next year, NIO will face stronger competition from Tesla, because Tesla plans to produce Model Y SUVs in China, which will directly challenge NIO’s products.
In addition, because the American Council has passed the audit and inspection bill, Chinese companies that are unwilling to comply with the audit regulations will face the threat of delisting, and Weilai is also one of them.
Bottoming crude oil
Complicated trade factors and declining oil demand caused WTI crude oil to have an unprecedented negative value during the rollover in April this year. Although this was only a short-lived phenomenon, the subsequent blockade caused by the epidemic made crude oil worse and a longer-lasting problem.
As more and more oil projects are profitable and producers are less willing to invest in exploration, the more countries that rely on oil taxation, the greater the pressure on their national budgets.
However, as of late December, the new crown vaccine is available and the economic outlook next year is expected to improve. Such sentiment has supported oil prices to rise by 20% to 48% in the past 6 months. USDLevel, but still fell by about 20% compared with the same period last year. Continued low oil prices may also hinder the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy in the region, as well as the promotion of electric vehicles.
The epidemic brings blue sky
After the outbreak in China, due to a large number of factories shutting down and traffic restrictions, China’s pollution has dropped significantly. According to data from Finland’s Center for Energy and Clean Air Research (CREA), PM 2.5 dropped significantly on the 30th day after the end of February 3rd of the Chinese lunar year this year, compared with the 30th day after the same lunar year in 2019.
The level of harmful pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide has also declined, highlighting the scale of pollution caused by economic activities.
An epidemic has ushered in an unusually blue sky in China, but the good air quality did not last long. After China restarted power generation, manufacturing and transportation, pollution once returned to the level before the epidemic before May, and then dropped to 2019. Below the level of the year.
CREA’s recent report shows that “industrial output and state-driven investment spending have driven economic recovery, but compared with other major economies, China’s measures to support consumption have been mild.” The report continued to warn that “pollution recovery is more The economic recovery must be rapid.”
Despite the huge economic problems, the blue sky and cleaner air are finally welcomed by everyone. If Asia can continue to move towards lower pollution in the reconstruction process after the epidemic, then this new crown crisis may eventually bring positive results. result.
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