BABA-W (09988.HK) +0.300 (+0.264%) Short selling $2.59B; Ratio 15.531% (BABA.US) is ramping up its investment in instant retail to establish a long-term advantage in e-commerce development, according to CMBI's research report.For 1FQF ended June 2025, CMBI expects (1) cloud business revenue to speed up QoQ; (2) Taobao & Tmall Group's monetization rate to continue increasing YoY; and (3) losses in Alibaba International Digital Commerce (AIDC) to continue narrowing YoY.Related NewsNomura Expects BABA-W's 1QFY26 Instant E-commerce Biz to Log Loss ~RMB10BThe intensified investment in instant retail, however, will weigh down short-term earnings, because of which CMBI anticipates an investment of around RMB10 billion and RMB20 billion in 1QFY26 and 2QFY26, respectively, potentially leading to a YoY drop in the group's adjusted EBITA by 16% and 45%.CMBI cut its target price for Alibaba's US shares by 9% to USD141.2 from USD155.5. Believing that the company will still be a core beneficiary of the AI theme, the broker suggested that investors should look beyond short-term earnings fluctuations. The rating was kept as Buy.(HK stocks quote is delayed for at least 15 mins.Short Selling Data as at 2025-07-16 16:25.) (Real-time Streaming US Stocks Quote; Except All OTC quotes are at least 15 minutes delayed.)