Understanding the Market | Alibaba-W rose over 4% in the afternoon, reports say Jack Ma demands Taobao flash sales stabilize at 80 million orders

Alibaba-W rose over 4% in the afternoon, and as of the time of writing, it was up 3.77%, trading at HKD 110.1, with a transaction volume of HKD 8.822 billion. According to reports, Alibaba founder Jack Ma requested last weekend that Taobao Flash Sales first enhance its capabilities and consolidate its foundation before aiming for higher order volumes. Some employees expressed concerns that a rapid push might lead to other capabilities lagging behind, affecting the basic operations. Additionally, media reports indicated that Alibaba plans to launch a "Super Saturday" promotional event every Saturday for the next 100 days. Morgan Stanley previously released a research report stating that it expects Alibaba's investment in takeout and flash sales to reach approximately RMB 10 billion in the first fiscal quarter ending in June, putting short-term profits under pressure; however, it remains optimistic about its AI empowerment potential. Huatai Securities also stated that it expects the company's e-commerce business to be profit-pressured in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 due to investments in flash sales, while the cloud fundamentals remain robust. Furthermore, the Taobao Flash Sales business is rapidly increasing its order volume, and the synergy with long-distance e-commerce will still require some time to incubate, with subsequent recommendations to focus on investment ROI