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Bloomberg reports leading Chinese travel sites Ctrip (CTRP +5.4%) and Qunar (QUNR +5.4%) are "discussing a range of possibilities, from a full-blown merger to a partnership."
- Sources caution the talks are at an early stage, and that ownership structure and financing haven't yet been agreed upon.
- With combined 2013 sales of more than $1B, a Ctrip-Qunar merger would create a Chinese online/mobile travel powerhouse ... provided regulators don't object. The companies have been aggressively battling for mobile customers, sacrificing margins in the process.
- Ctrip and Qunar are both rallying. Rival eLong (LONG +1.9%) is also higher amid positive early trading for recently-pressured Chinese Internet stocks.
- Baidu (BIDU +1.8%) owns 58.6% of Qunar, which delivered a strong IPO last year.