Shares of Chinese streaming company Joyy Inc (NASDAQ:YY) fell sharply following a new Muddy Waters report.
What Happened: A short report from Muddy Waters titled “You can't make this stuff up. Well…actually you can” accuses Joyy of having fraud live streaming services.
Muddy Waters said 90% of YY Live is fraudulent, according to a year-long investigation. The report said 50% of YY Live gift volume comes from bots.
“YY Live is an ecosystem of mirages," according to Muddy Waters. "Its supposedly high-earning performers in reality take home only a fraction of their reported totals.”
The company’s Bigo international streaming business is “barely more real,” according to Muddy Waters. The short report said Bigo’s Singapore parent changed auditors three times in four years.
See Also: Barclays Upgrades Baidu On 'Substantial Upside'
Badiu Acquisition: Muddy Waters questioned the acquisition of YY Live by Baidu Inc (NASDAQ:BIDU), which was rumored in October.
The acquisition by Baidu that costs $3.6 billion represents 7% of the company’s market capitalization.
“Baidu/YY Live will be THE test of whether China Inc. is really just a few bad apples; or, whether the incessant cheating, lying, and indifference to U.S. law permeate the highest echelons of China’s public companies," the Muddy Water report said.
Benzinga reached out to YY representatives for comment.
YY Price Action: Shares of Joyy are down 25% to $75.47 at publication time.
中国流媒体公司Joyy Inc(纳斯达克股票代码:YY)在浑水(Muddy Waters)发布新报告后股价大幅下跌。
事件:浑水公司(Muddy Waters)一篇题为“你不能捏造这些东西”的简短报告。Well…事实上,你可以“指责Joyy有欺诈的直播服务。
根据一项长达一年的调查,浑水公司表示,YY Live 90%的内容是欺诈的。报道称,YY Live礼品量的50%来自机器人。
“YY Live是一个海市蜃楼的生态系统,”浑水(Muddy Waters)说,“实际上,它的高收入表演者只带回了他们报道的总数的一小部分。”
浑水公司(Muddy Waters)表示,该公司的Bigo国际流媒体业务“几乎没有更真实”。这份简短的报告称,Bigo的新加坡母公司在四年内更换了三次审计师。
另见:巴克莱(Barclays)上调百度评级,认为百度上行幅度很大
Badiu收购:浑水(Muddy Waters)质疑百度(NASDAQ:BIDU)收购YY Live的传闻,这是在10月份传出的。
百度斥资36亿美元进行的收购相当于该公司市值的7%。
浑水公司的报告说:“百度和YY直播将考验中国公司是否真的只是几个坏苹果;或者,持续不断的欺骗、撒谎和对美国法律的漠视是否渗透到中国上市公司的最高层。”
本辛加联系了YY的代表请其置评。
YY价格行动:截至发稿时,Joyy的股价下跌了25%,至75.47美元。