This article only represents the author's own views.

Online car trader Autohome Inc. (ATHM.US; 2518.HK) is slowly leaving behind a dark period for the company as several years of pandemic-induced slowness recede into its rear-view mirror. But growing economic uncertainty in China means more speed bumps could lie ahead, even as the company stands to benefit from Beijing’s efforts to juice up the economy by stimulating car sales.

Autohome’s revenue increased about 6% to 1.8 billion yuan ($252.8 million) in the second quarter from a year earlier, marking its fourth consecutive quarterly sales growth, according to the company’s latest quarterly results released last Thursday. The internet auto trader managed to keep its operating expenses nearly unchanged, driving a larger 16% year-on-year gain in its net profit for the April-June period, its second consecutive quarter of profit growth.