SHANGHAI: From Tencent Holdings Ltd to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, China’s tech leaders delivered underwhelming numbers for a quarter beset by economic and geopolitical uncertainty.

Whether or not they can win back investors may increasingly hinge on Beijing’s actions.

In call after call with investors, China’s Internet pioneers described how the uneven economy was undermining their business and clouding the future.

Most offered cautious optimism for how the unprecedented government stimulus unleashed late in the summer would help grease the wheels and pleaded for patience.

But the group that once defied Silicon Valley and defined the country’s private economy was short on new ideas and ambitious goals.

Just over the past week, the five biggest tech firms erased US$41bil in market value, while a gauge of sector stocks listed in Hong Kong fell into bear market territory.

Last Friday, a sell-off in Chinese stocks deepened as concerns over Donald Trump’s imminent return mingled with growing frustrations over the pace of Beijing’s financial stimulus rollout.

For investors that were looking to major tech earnings to revive market euphoria, this season now looks like a flop.

The business environment “is not only much worse than five years ago, it’s worse than even when China started the Covid zero policy in 2022”, said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Natixis.

“This sector is obviously supported by China’s industrial policies and intent on winning the tech race with the United States, but at the same time, it’s a problematic sector.”

PDD Holdings Inc executives boasted about their cheap hairy crabs instead of offering reassurance for disappointing earnings. Tencent went through its usual pitch about building and sustaining “evergreen” games, without promising any imminent new blockbusters.

Alibaba executives spent their time justifying elevated spending to ward off intense competition.

Even Baidu Inc, the front-runner in artificial intelligence development, failed to wow with any exciting new projects.

“We have not observed a notable improvement in advertisers’ spending patterns, and consumer spending remains subdued,” Baidu’s head of mobile ecosystem, Luo Rong, told analysts on a call last Thursday, dulling expectations for the current quarter.

“Having said that, we are particularly encouraged by the strength and timeliness of recent stimulus policies that continue to be rolled out.”

Pressure is building for Beijing to offer further measures, as late September’s market rally on the stimulus campaign fizzles.

The parade of ho-hum numbers, vague comments about financial policy and warnings contrasted sharply with the pre-Covid era, when Alibaba and Tencent each approached US$1 trillion in market value and analysts talked about the threat they posed to US rivals.

Alibaba once fought directly with Amazon.com Inc’s AWS for cloud customers around the world, as it and JD.com Inc talked openly about carving up international markets.

Tencent once sketched out ambitions of marrying content with social media and online finance in an unparalleled financial technology and Internet empire.

That swagger has vanished since Beijing’s 2020 crackdown on a sector it deemed too powerful.

Having once commanded enviable growth rates off the back of China’s burgeoning economy, these companies now face prolonged consumer malaise at home, a lack of obvious growth engines and costly ventures to expand overseas.

“October retail sales were boosted by earlier Singles’ Day promotions, so it’s not indicative of the real consumption environment, which companies I spoke to are still cautious about,” said Xin-Yao Ng, investment manager for Asian equities at abrdn plc.

“Generally, I hear of a weak November,” he added. 

 - Bloomberg