Baidu (BIDU)-owned Web travel firm Qunar Cayman Islands (QUNR) and Ctrip.com International (CTRP) are in wide-ranging discussions that may include a possible merger, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday, citing two sources with “direct knowledge of the talks.” The two companies reportedly are in the preliminary stages of discussing potential deals that may include partnership arrangements that fall short of an actual merger. Bloomberg says the
Ctrip International (CTRP) and Qunar Cayman Islands (QUNR), leaders in China’s burgeoning online travel industry, took a beating Thursday, with one analyst saying the cost of the pair’s expansion plans might worry investors. Ctrip.com stock was down 10% in afternoon trading Thursday, while Qunar stock plunged 15% in the stock market today. Baidu (BIDU), which owns a majority of Qunar, fell more than 3%. Expansion into new areas for both companies
Chinese online travel agency Ctrip.com International (CTRP) has had a strong November and December, with hotel bookings accelerating as millions of users downloaded the company’s mobile app, says an analyst. Ctrip stock was up 2.5% in midday trading in the stock market today, while competitor Qunar (QUNR), which is partially owned by Baidu (BIDU), was down 1.5%. Competitor eLong (LONG) traded about even. Shanghai-based Ctrip in early December