Alibaba (BABA) Faces Profit Pressure Due to Heavy AI Investments; Bybit’s BABAUSDT Perpetual Contract 24-Hour Trading Volume Surpasses $13 Million, Leading the Market

It is reported that Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) saw its stock price drop nearly 5% in a single day following the release of its FY2026 Q4 earnings report on May 15. While revenue showed modest growth, profitability deteriorated sharply: Non-GAAP EPS stood at just $0.09, adjusted EBITDA contracted approximately 84% year-on-year, and quarterly free cash flow turned negative at $2.5 billion. Management attributed the losses to intense capital expenditures during the AI-First strategic transformation—specifically, procurement of AI computing power, expansion of data centers, and subsidies for instant delivery services—all occurring simultaneously and significantly compressing short-term profit margins. Ongoing U.S.-China tech tensions and persistent uncertainty surrounding AI chip export controls have further amplified market pessimism. The stock fell nearly 5% today.