Foreign Companies Confront Intense Competition in China as AI Poses Risks to Knowledge Platform Zhihu
Challenges for Foreign Companies: Foreign businesses in China are facing intense competition from local firms, characterized by aggressive price cuts and improved product quality, leading to a decline in foreign direct investment and a shift in consumer preference towards domestic brands.
Existential Crisis for Zhihu: The knowledge-sharing platform Zhihu is struggling as users increasingly turn to AI-driven search engines for information, resulting in a significant revenue drop and questioning its future viability in the market.
Involution Phenomenon: The competitive landscape in China is described as "involution," where companies engage in destructive price wars, making it difficult for both foreign and domestic firms to maintain profitability.
Regulatory Risks for Content Providers: Zhihu faces ongoing regulatory scrutiny as a content provider, which adds to its challenges in adapting to the changing market dynamics and competing against AI technologies.
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- Increased Demand for Safe Assets: Growing concerns about Federal Reserve independence have led investors to shift towards safe-haven assets like gold, driving up precious metals stocks, which reflects market sensitivity to economic uncertainties and a preference for secure investments.
- ETF Underperformance: The ActivePassive International Equity ETF fell approximately 3.2% in Tuesday afternoon trading, indicating signs of overall market weakness that could impact investor confidence.
- Individual Stock Performance: Shares of X Financial dropped about 4.4%, while Zhihu shares fell around 4%, with the poor performance of these stocks directly dragging down the ETF, reflecting market concerns about these companies.
- Market Reaction: The overall decline in the ETF may prompt investors to reassess their portfolios, particularly in the international equity space, potentially leading to capital outflows.
- Industry Impact: This downward trend may trigger a broader examination of related sectors, especially in the current economic climate, where investor confidence in tech and financial stocks may be adversely affected.

Price Target Revision: The average one-year price target for Zhihu Inc. (NYSE: ZH) has been lowered to $4.25 per share, a 22.44% decrease from the previous estimate of $5.48, with current targets ranging from $4.06 to $4.51.
Fund Sentiment: There are 76 funds reporting positions in Zhihu, a decrease of 7.32% from the last quarter, while the average portfolio weight dedicated to ZH has increased by 17.62%, with total shares owned by institutions rising by 1.90%.
Shareholder Activity: Acadian Asset Management slightly reduced its holdings, while FIL significantly increased its shares by 74.61%. Other funds like Arrowstreet Capital and MASGX made no changes or decreased their allocations, respectively.
Research Platform: Fintel provides comprehensive investment research data, including fundamentals, analyst reports, and fund sentiment, aimed at individual investors and small hedge funds.

Challenges for Foreign Companies: Foreign businesses in China are facing intense competition from local firms, characterized by aggressive price cuts and improved product quality, leading to a decline in foreign direct investment and a shift in consumer preference towards domestic brands.
Existential Crisis for Zhihu: The knowledge-sharing platform Zhihu is struggling as users increasingly turn to AI-driven search engines for information, resulting in a significant revenue drop and questioning its future viability in the market.
Involution Phenomenon: The competitive landscape in China is described as "involution," where companies engage in destructive price wars, making it difficult for both foreign and domestic firms to maintain profitability.
Regulatory Risks for Content Providers: Zhihu faces ongoing regulatory scrutiny as a content provider, which adds to its challenges in adapting to the changing market dynamics and competing against AI technologies.
Oversold Stocks Opportunity: The communication services sector has several oversold stocks, presenting potential buying opportunities for undervalued companies, particularly those with an RSI below 30.
Gogo Inc Performance: Gogo Inc's stock has dropped 19% recently, with an RSI of 26.4, following a downgrade by an analyst, while shares closed at $5.61.
Zhihu Inc Financial Results: Zhihu Inc reported a 20% decline in stock value over the past month, with an RSI of 25.6, despite the CEO's optimism about achieving breakeven for the year.
Brera Holdings Decline: Brera Holdings PLC's stock has plummeted 67% recently, with an RSI of 24.2, closing at $2.43 after signing a term sheet for a business combination.
Oversold Stocks Opportunity: The communication services sector has several oversold stocks, identified by an RSI below 30, indicating potential buying opportunities for undervalued companies.
Trade Desk Inc Performance: Trade Desk reported strong quarterly earnings with a revenue of $739.43 million, but its stock fell 27% over the past month, currently having an RSI of 29.8.
Zhihu Inc Financial Results: Zhihu's stock decreased by 15% recently, with an RSI of 29.3, despite the company aiming for full-year non-GAAP breakeven.
Spotify's Stock Movement: Spotify reported better-than-expected financial results but saw an 8% decline in stock price over five days, with an RSI of 28.7, indicating it is also considered oversold.








