After losing the Panama port, within 72 hours, Cheung Kong Group announced to liquidate its UK power grid, cashing out 110 billion. What kind of crisis did Li Ka-shing sense?

As the closing bell rang on the Hong Kong stock market, a piece of news immediately caused a storm: The Li Ka-shing family once again started selling off! Three companies under the Cheung Kong group jointly announced that they would sell their 100% equity in the UK power grid, which had been held for many years, to French energy giant Engie, with this sale cashing out over 110 billion HKD.

This centenarian business tycoon is practicing his belief in "cash is king" at an astonishing speed — in an era where contracts are no longer reliable, only by converting assets into cash can one survive in turbulent times. This sale was not accidental. Previously, losing the Panama port had already made Li Ka-shing see the huge risks hidden in overseas assets. After Brexit, the political and economic situation has remained unstable, and energy policies have also been continuously adjusted. With the advancement of global climate policies, traditional power grids face great transformation pressures, and the uncertainty of future profits has greatly increased.

Li Ka-shing seems to have already foreseen all of this. He knows that the UK power grid, although once a stable source of cash flow, carries increasing risks in today's complex international situation. Once policies change, the asset value could shrink significantly.

The 110 billion HKD cashed out undoubtedly injected strong liquidity into Li Ka-shing's business empire. In the current uncertain global economy, holding cash means having more choices. Perhaps he is waiting for the right moment to restructure his business map, investing funds into more promising and stable areas.

Looking back at Li Ka-shing's business career, he has always been able to capture market changes quickly and make adjustments in advance. This liquidation of the UK power grid might be another accurate forecast. What new moves will this business tycoon make next? We'll have to wait and see.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1858201296748556/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.