Didi's US shares plunge 25% after China cracks down on ride-hailing app, just days after $68 billion IPO
- Didi shares plunged 25% on the US stock market on Tuesday after China cracked down on its app.
- The ride-hailing company listed on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30 in a $68 billion IPO.
- Chinese authorities are taking a tough line with Didi and other large tech companies.
Chinese ride-hailing app Didi dropped as much as 25% on the US stock market on Tuesday after China cracked down on the company, only days after its blockbuster initial public offering in New York.
Didi's US-listed shares were last down 21.98% by 9.50 a.m. ET, to $12.10. US stock markets reopened on Tuesday after Monday's 4th of July holiday.
Chinese authorities on Sunday ordered app stores to remove Didi Chuxing, the country's biggest ride-hailing company, from their platforms. The Cyberspace Administration of China cited serious violations in the collection and use of personal data.
The crackdown came less than a week after Didi's shares started trading on the New York Stock Exchange in one of the biggest IPOs of the last 10 years. Didi hit the market on Wednesday, with shares closing at $14.14, giving the app a market capitalization of $68 billion.
The company said China's move to lock out new users may have an adverse impact on its revenue in its home market.
Uber, which is the second-biggest US holder of Didi stock, fell 1.82% when markets opened.
Shares of Full Truck Alliance and Kanzhun, two Chinese tech companies who also recently listed in the US, dropped 19.95% and 9.38% respectively. The declines came after China expanded its clampdown to put new restrictions on the two companies on Monday.
"China is cracking down on big tech, but the decision to remove [Didi's] app from domestic platforms appears to be timed for maximum impact and embarrassment," said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at trading platform Markets.com.
"China's Communist Party is bristling at the number of Chinese companies listing in the US this year, but there is a genuine concern at the heart of this - regulators are not impressed at the way Didi and other Chinese tech companies handle data."
Axel Springer, Insider Inc.'s parent company, is an investor in Uber.