Has the storm passed for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.?
That will be the question for executives and investors as the Chinese e-commerce giant reports earnings on Thursday in the wake of a government crackdown on co-founder Jack Ma’s empire. Profit and revenue for the quarter are sure to be less consequential than any concrete evidence about whether the regulatory issues are resolved.
Alibaba has agreed to a record $2.8 billion penalty from Beijing and vowed to change certain practices deemed anti-competitive, including a requirement that merchants sell exclusively on its platforms or not at all. Executives also thanked regulators and pledged to support merchants — all in a bid to put the regulator troubles behind it.