Hong Kong

The Hong Kong stock market witnessed an event on Tuesday that BYD shareholders had been waiting eight long months for. Shares of China’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer surged 4.4% to HK$94.75, marking their best single-day gain since late April. The catalyst was the company’s May sales report. BYD finally broke the longest streak of declining sales in its history. Sales increased by 0.3% year-over-year to 383,453 vehicles. The growth was modest—almost within the margin of statistical error. But for a market accustomed to continuous deterioration, it felt like a breath of fresh air.

To understand why a modest 0.3% increase triggered such a strong market reaction, it is important to recall what BYD has endured over the past several months. A company that was once a symbol of China’s dominance in the electric vehicle industry found itself facing a harsh reality: the domestic market had become saturated, competition had intensified to unprecedented levels, and a fierce price war was squeezing profit margins.

Sales declined for eight consecutive months. This was more than just a statistical trend—it was an indictment of a business model that had become too dependent on a single market. Chinese consumers, who only recently lined up to buy BYD vehicles, now have dozens of brands to choose from, each offering subsidies, discounts, and promotional incentives. BYD found itself caught between the hammer of domestic competition and the anvil of a slowing economy.

Then May brought an unexpected turnaround. And that turnaround happened not in China, but beyond its borders.

The primary driver of May’s growth was international sales. BYD has been aggressively expanding its presence outside China, and that strategy is finally beginning to pay off. The company now sells vehicles across Europe, Southeast...

There is a gesture in corporate finance that says more about management sentiment than any press release ever could. That gesture is a share buyback. When a company spends real cash to repurchase its own stock, it is not merely returning capital to shareholders. It is telling the market: we believe our shares are undervalued. And when a company like Futu Holdings puts $290 million on the table, it deserves attention.

The figure is impressive, though not record-breaking. $290 million represents roughly 2% of Futu’s current market capitalization, which stands at more than $15 billion. At first glance, 2% may not sound like much. But in the context of the buyback program announced last November, it is already a substantial tranche. The total authorization amounts to $800 million through the end of 2027. Futu has already used more than one-third of that allocation in the first year alone. The pace signals determination.

Management is not merely making declarations. It is acting. The company’s press release is dry and restrained, yet between the lines one can sense confidence: the company “may continue repurchases depending on market conditions.” No promises, no guarantees. But the mere fact that the company has already spent nearly $300 million speaks louder than words. Internally, management’s valuation of its own stock is clearly higher than the market’s.

Futu trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.48. For a technology-driven financial services company, that is a modest valuation. By comparison, American brokerage platforms such as Charles Schwab or Interactive Brokers often trade at multiples in the high teens or above twenty. Chinese technology companies have historically traded at P/E ratios of thirty or even forty. Yet here we have a multiple of barely...