The big Pokemon chase — investors having a go

Pokemon G o has finally caught up with Hong Kong, and the craze it has stirred among the thousands of local fans has not gone unnoticed by investors and businesspeople.

Investors may not have the time to play the reality game which has proved to be a huge success. They are quick to ferret out not the genies, but rather the investment opportunities the online game may be generating.

When you talk online, the first stocks to come into your mind are, obviously, the telecom service providers. Indeed, the share prices of PCCW and others surged on Tuesday, helping to reverse the benchmark indicator’s sharp fall at the opening into a gain of nearly 150 points in morning trading.

In the United States, where Pokemon Go was launched earlier, the game now has more daily users on Android phones than Twitter — the favorite social media app — according to app analytics firm SimilarWeb, which says that players, who go around hunting Pokemon, spend an average 43 minutes daily on the game.

E v e n p o r n o g r a p h y, a n enduring internet fascination, has been overtaken by Pokemon Go, a BBC report says. The report also notes that Google searches worldwide for Pokemon Go are almost on par with those for Brexit on the day Britain voted to leave the European Union.

Some malls and restaurants in cities hit by Pokemon Go fever are trying to boost traffic by turning themselves into Pokemon hunting grounds, or Pokestops, for the rare and favorite monsters. The BBC said share prices of McDonald’s Japan have soared on media reports of a tie-up with Nintendo in the launch of Pokemon Go in Japan.

The report adds that such cooperation will turn some sponsored fast-food restaurant chains in Japan into Pokestops, where players can find new monsters. The move is said to be able to propel traffic at McDonald’s outlets, serving as a model for a similar sponsorship in other markets.

McDonald’s Hong Kong has said it has no such arrangement with Nintendo. But, that doesn’t mean that other potential sponsors aren’t interested. In London, for instance, more and more restaurants are signing up as Pokestops.

To the chagrin of the police, rumors have it that there’s a Pokestop at the police headquarters in Wan Chai.

The BBC said share prices of McDonald’s Japan have soared on media reports of a tie-up with Nintendo in the launch of

in Japan ... The move is said to be able to propel traffic at McDonald’s outlets, serving as a model for a similar sponsorship in other markets.”