Shanghai, Jan 12, 2026, 03:30 (GMT+8) — Premarket
- Chairman Chen Hua noted a surge in iMaotai users as the distiller ramps up its online sales efforts
- Limited Year-of-the-Horse editions sold out fast, fueling speculation about strong holiday demand
- Moutai closed higher on Friday, with traders eyeing whether the momentum carries into Monday’s open
Kweichow Moutai’s drive to boost sales via its iMaotai app will catch attention at Monday’s open after chairman Chen Hua revealed the platform gained over 2.7 million new users in just nine days. “Most of the users reached by iMaotai are not core customers from existing channels, but real consumers previously hard to reach,” Chen said, according to a report referencing the group’s official WeChat account. (Futu News)
This matters now as the company is counting on holiday releases and tighter sales channel control ahead of Lunar New Year, when demand for baijiu spikes due to gift-giving and banquets. Moutai rolled out three limited Year-of-the-Horse editions, priced from 1,899 yuan to 3,789 yuan a bottle, and they sold out quickly after launch, the South China Morning Post reported. (South China Morning Post)
Moutai’s Shanghai-listed Class A shares (600519) — yuan-denominated and traded in Shanghai — ended the last session up 0.48% at 1,419.10 yuan, per Investing.com data. With markets closed over the weekend, the focus shifts to Monday’s trading to see if the online sales push will ease resale premiums and stabilize prices. (Investing)
The holiday buzz is seeping into the resale market fast. Moutai’s 2026 Horse Zodiac Edition vanished from the iMaotai app in under a minute, then showed up on resale sites priced between 1,950 yuan and 2,499 yuan, according to Global Times, citing news reports. The paper also noted that China’s commerce ministry highlighted boosting consumption as a 2026 priority during a national work conference over the weekend. (Global Times)
The question for the stock is whether these sellouts are merely noise or if demand remains strong at the high end. Limited editions boost the brand and spotlight scarcity. Since their volumes are usually small, the real pressure falls on core labels to maintain steady sales and prices.
On paper, street positioning remains tilted toward support. Data from moomoo reveals a “strong buy” consensus among 52 analysts over the last three months, with an average target price sitting at 1,888.66 yuan as of Jan. 11. (Moomoo)
There’s a downside risk, though. Scarcity that fuels the brand’s buzz can also push up grey-market premiums. Efforts to clamp down on resellers might just reroute demand between channels—and that rarely pleases the market. Once the holiday rush ends, buzz about “sellouts” tends to vanish quickly if sales slow down.
Macro data will also be in focus this week. On Jan. 14, China is set to release its December trade balance figures, per Investing.com’s economic calendar. This report could shift growth expectations and impact consumer stocks. (Investing)
Traders are eyeing Jan. 19 at 10:00 for the next big official data drop. China’s National Bureau of Statistics has slotted January’s “national economic performance” report then. It includes retail sales, a key indicator of consumer demand. (National Bureau of Statistics of China)
Moutai faces its initial test at Monday’s open. Then all eyes turn to China’s trade figures on Jan. 14 and retail sales data on Jan. 19 — key dates that could sway sentiment on buyer demand and pricing ahead of the holiday season.
