Alibaba Group HoldingBABACOMMENTOct 13, 2017Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jul 24, 2026. Market Open.
Looks great on the numbers -- growth rate, EPS, etc. Trouble is you don't know what's going to happen with the Chinese government. This is a known hazard. Even when you do everything right with your portfolio, you'll still be hit by the unexpected. As an investor, you need open markets and the rule of law.
E-commerce and cloud computing (the most nascent piece). E-commerce is under a lot of strain. AI large-language models are compelling in Chinese market, but that entire market is very competitive and ripe for disruptors. A trading stock over the next 2-3 years. Not a buy-and-hold. Tactically a buy today, but be very careful.
Like Amazon, they dominate key secular growth areas in e-commerce, are in cloud computer though trade at only one third of Amazon's PE. Is a modest grower, but has a huge margin of safety. There's so much pessimism about tariffs now. Wait and see, but would be an opportunity if the tariffs are more bark than bite.
This is a play on the underlying social media, logistics, delivery. In terms of the Chinese economy, it has a highly dense population, and if you want to deliver products, you just can’t go to the big box stores, so you get a delivery price which comes with the Ali Baba story. The valuation is very steep, and if it were a little lower he would potentially take a position. A very binary story as far as valuations go, but he recognizes it as a quality company.