Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

*Odd Finance Minister Commentary: A report on Bloomberg, suggests that Finance Minister Albayrak has ruled out capital controls in Turkey. This is strange, as capital controls have already been in place for well over a year given the longer settlement dates, higher taxes, limited liquidity, threats of prison, et al. These reported comments suggest a full blown crisis is a fait accompli;  *Low Rates Destroying TRY: Turkey is a slow moving train wreck thanks largely to the policies of President Erdogan. The Central Bank of Turkey (CBT) is keeping interest rates low, and failed to raise interest rates at its latest meeting – against consensus of a 200 bp increase. Despite what were punitive capital controls (in contravention to the Finance Minister’s comments), the Turkish lira (TRY) actually declined 2% on the day the CBT failed to raise rates at its last meeting – now nearing 8.2 TRY/USD and achieving another record low down 40% YTD versus the USD when most other currencies are strengthening versus the USD;  and*Risk Is High For Europe, and an EM Domino Effect Is Real: BBVA (BBVA.SM), BNP Paribas (BNPP.FP), and Unicredit (UCG.IM), and HSBC Holding (5.HK) are most exposed. With Turkish corporates/banking system F/X debt in the USD hundreds of billions, worries over counterparty risks are arising. Investors are likely to continue to take advantage an artificially high TRY by continuing to sell while the getting is still good. Geopolitical risk only adds to our concern.

*Odd Finance Minister Commentary: A report on Bloomberg, suggests that Finance Minister Albayrak has ruled out capital controls in Turkey. This is strange, as capital controls have already been in place for well over a year given the longer settlement dates, higher taxes, limited liquidity, threats of prison, et al. These reported comments suggest a full blown crisis is a fait accompli;  *Low Rates Destroying TRY: Turkey is a slow moving train wreck thanks largely to the policies of President Erdogan. The Central Bank of Turkey (CBT) is keeping interest rates low, and failed to raise interest rates at its latest meeting – against consensus of a 200 bp increase. Despite what were punitive capital controls (in contravention to the Finance Minister’s comments), the Turkish lira (TRY) actually declined 2% on the day the CBT failed to raise rates at its last meeting – now nearing 8.2 TRY/USD and achieving another record low down 40% YTD versus the USD when most other currencies are strengthening versus the USD;  and*Risk Is High For Europe, and an EM Domino Effect Is Real: BBVA (BBVA.SM), BNP Paribas (BNPP.FP), and Unicredit (UCG.IM), and HSBC Holding (5.HK) are most exposed. With Turkish corporates/banking system F/X debt in the USD hundreds of billions, worries over counterparty risks are arising. Investors are likely to continue to take advantage an artificially high TRY by continuing to sell while the getting is still good. Geopolitical risk only adds to our concern.

Turkey – Start Worrying About Counterparties

Chart based progressive global trading strategies, Chart Partners

Thomas Schroeder

Chart based progressive global trading strategies

Chart Partners

Chart Partners objective is to discover medium-term cycle turns and profit opportunities before they unfold, within structural trends while preserving capital with clear degrees of risk. We have real return ideas. 

Markets are dynamic and trading systems must reflect this. It is crucial to determine underlying correlations and lead-lag relationships within global markets and the impact on linked instruments. Our weekly Chartonics product gives you short-term trading strategies that can be applied within the medium and longer term macro trends that are mapped out in our strategy updates. 

Our methodology fuses global market variables and isolates drivers in trends. We specialize in FX, index trade in NY and Asia with a focus on Asian stocks. 

Technical Analysis

FTSE China A50 Index / Technical Analysis

Base case calls for buying US equities at sub DJI 28k, SPX 3,410 and NDX 11,600-500 while allowing for some noise to base and stage a fresh up cycle. Do not want to trade for any length of time below SPX 3,400 to hold longs. Asia long levels on a dip given odds the US ranges into the election barring a stimulus package announcement.Europe remains weak with a bias to short rally attempts as the short pair/long US.In Asia we have liked being long A shares, Australia, H shares and now see potential to work into a long in the Philippines. Top shorts are HSI, STI, KLSE. Taiwan and Korea are transitioning into the bull camp on a pullback to position for a break above key highs with new high projections noted.

Base case calls for buying US equities at sub DJI 28k, SPX 3,410 and NDX 11,600-500 while allowing for some noise to base and stage a fresh up cycle. Do not want to trade for any length of time below SPX 3,400 to hold longs. Asia long levels on a dip given odds the US ranges into the election barring a stimulus package announcement.Europe remains weak with a bias to short rally attempts as the short pair/long US.In Asia we have liked being long A shares, Australia, H shares and now see potential to work into a long in the Philippines. Top shorts are HSI, STI, KLSE. Taiwan and Korea are transitioning into the bull camp on a pullback to position for a break above key highs with new high projections noted.

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Event-Driven

The <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sse-science-and-technology-innovation-board-50-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29279:1" rel="noopener">SSE STAR 50 (STAR50 INDEX)</a> (short for 'The Science and Technology Innovation Board 50 Index') was first published on 23 July this year. The index is free float market cap weighted and is made up of the 50 largest stocks based on full market cap that are listed on the STAR Market. The STAR50 Index has outperformed its peers and has narrowly underperformed the Chinext Index on a year to date basis.
Four asset managers were approved by the CSRC to launch ETFs on the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sse-science-and-technology-innovation-board-50-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29279:1" rel="noopener">SSE STAR 50 (STAR50 INDEX)</a> and they raised CNY 20bn (CNY 5bn each), the maximum allowed, in one day. Total subscriptions were around CNY 100bn.
With a relatively large AUM benchmarked to a volatile index with volatile stocks, plus a lot of large listings coming through, there will be some interesting moves in stocks at the upcoming December rebalance. The index methodology specifies that there cannot be more than 5 inclusions and exclusions in a single review, and we will hit that number very easily. In the absence of the 5 name change limit, we would have had close to 12 inclusions and exclusions. With the 5 name changes, the one-way turnover will be in excess of 22%.
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ant-financial-services-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24240:1" rel="noopener">Ant Financial (1051260D CH)</a> could be included in the index at the December review. If it is not included in December, then its a sure inclusion in the March 2021 review.

The SSE STAR 50 (STAR50 INDEX) (short for 'The Science and Technology Innovation Board 50 Index') was first published on 23 July this year. The index is free float market cap weighted and is made up of the 50 largest stocks based on full market cap that are listed on the STAR Market. The STAR50 Index has outperformed its peers and has narrowly underperformed the Chinext Index on a year to date basis.
Four asset managers were approved by the CSRC to launch ETFs on the SSE STAR 50 (STAR50 INDEX) and they raised CNY 20bn (CNY 5bn each), the maximum allowed, in one day. Total subscriptions were around CNY 100bn.
With a relatively large AUM benchmarked to a volatile index with volatile stocks, plus a lot of large listings coming through, there will be some interesting moves in stocks at the upcoming December rebalance. The index methodology specifies that there cannot be more than 5 inclusions and exclusions in a single review, and we will hit that number very easily. In the absence of the 5 name change limit, we would have had close to 12 inclusions and exclusions. With the 5 name changes, the one-way turnover will be in excess of 22%.
Ant Financial (1051260D CH) could be included in the index at the December review. If it is not included in December, then its a sure inclusion in the March 2021 review.

STAR Board: STAR50 Index - The December Rebalance Is Going to Be BIG

Deputy Chief Economist

Sharmila Whelan

Independent and original Asian investment research

Aletheia Capital

Aletheia Capital (HK) Ltd. (previously known as Asianomics) combines the extensive knowledge of its experienced team with technology and regulatory changes to disrupt Global Markets business in Asia. The firm is completely independent with no conflicts of interest either on Investment Banking advisory or Capital Markets execution.

Macroeconomics

India is between a rock and a hard place. The pandemic still rages and yet as a middle-income developing country it simply cannot afford another national lockdown. The economy, which was slowing well before the current crisis, has been severely hit. A quick economic recovery is not in the cards and the next investment-led business cycle upswing has been further delayed. Rising banking-sector NPLs and a burgeoning budget deficit pose additional downside risks. However, the government’s latest labour market and agriculture sector reforms have laid the foundations for a strong and resilient recovery, when it does take root.

India is between a rock and a hard place. The pandemic still rages and yet as a middle-income developing country it simply cannot afford another national lockdown. The economy, which was slowing well before the current crisis, has been severely hit. A quick economic recovery is not in the cards and the next investment-led business cycle upswing has been further delayed. Rising banking-sector NPLs and a burgeoning budget deficit pose additional downside risks. However, the government’s latest labour market and agriculture sector reforms have laid the foundations for a strong and resilient recovery, when it does take root.

China and US Equity Analyst

Roger Xie

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>China securities watchdog revealed the latest reform on QFII/RQFII (Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor) scheme to further open up China domestic capital market. The new rule will become effective on Nov. 1, 2020. This is another milestone for China capital market reform and will boost up foreign fund inflow in the long-run. We have written the reform measures early this year: <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-a-share-strategy-r-qfii-quota-removal-to-offer-more-attractive-channel-to-invest-in-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China A-Share Strategy: R/​QFII Quota Removal to Offer More Attractive Channel to Invest In China</a>
</li>
<li>The most significant changes are the additional investment products that foreign fund managers can participate: 1) non-hedging purpose investments in index futures/options, 2) margin financing and securities lending for short-selling purpose, 3) private investment funds, 4) FICC derivatives in commodity exchanges and inter-bank market. We believe these reforms could offer comprehensive investment solutions to sophisticated institutional investors.</li>
<li>Foreign Funds' China A-share positions have accounted about 4% of A-share total market-cap, or 9% of A-share free-float market-cap by the end of 1H 2020. Nowadays, foreign investors have multiple channels to deploy their capital into China A-share market: QFII scheme, RMB-QFII scheme, or stock connect program via Hong Kong exchange (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-exchanges-clearing" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:490:1" rel="noopener">HKEX (388 HK)</a>).  Given the increasing weight of China A-share in global benchmark indices, we believe foreign funds' China A-share positions will continue to rise and will reach 10% of A-share total market-cap in next 10 years.</li>
</ul>


China securities watchdog revealed the latest reform on QFII/RQFII (Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor) scheme to further open up China domestic capital market. The new rule will become effective on Nov. 1, 2020. This is another milestone for China capital market reform and will boost up foreign fund inflow in the long-run. We have written the reform measures early this year: China A-Share Strategy: R/​QFII Quota Removal to Offer More Attractive Channel to Invest In China

The most significant changes are the additional investment products that foreign fund managers can participate: 1) non-hedging purpose investments in index futures/options, 2) margin financing and securities lending for short-selling purpose, 3) private investment funds, 4) FICC derivatives in commodity exchanges and inter-bank market. We believe these reforms could offer comprehensive investment solutions to sophisticated institutional investors.
Foreign Funds' China A-share positions have accounted about 4% of A-share total market-cap, or 9% of A-share free-float market-cap by the end of 1H 2020. Nowadays, foreign investors have multiple channels to deploy their capital into China A-share market: QFII scheme, RMB-QFII scheme, or stock connect program via Hong Kong exchange (HKEX (388 HK)).  Given the increasing weight of China A-share in global benchmark indices, we believe foreign funds' China A-share positions will continue to rise and will reach 10% of A-share total market-cap in next 10 years.


China A-Share Strategy: Deregulation in QFII/RQFII Scheme to Boost up Foreign Fund Inflow

China

The FTSE China A50 Index includes the largest 50 A Share Chinese companies by total market cap. 

FTSE China A50 Index (XIN9I INDEX)

Turkey – Start Worrying About Counterparties

TURKEY RISK: Odd Comments From Finance Minister Suggest Lack Of Understanding Of Capital Controls In Place. No Rate Hikes, Weak TRY/USD, And...

Thomas J. Monaco

US, China and Asian Bullish Bets

Base case calls for buying US equities at sub DJI 28k, SPX 3,410 and NDX 11,600-500 while allowing for some noise to base and working into larger...

Thomas Schroeder

STAR Board: STAR50 Index - The December Rebalance Is Going to Be BIG

The STAR50 index has seen a lot of interest following its launch in July with over CNY 20bn raised by 4 ETFs. We look at the index methodology, the...

Brian Freitas

India - Pushing Ahead with Reforms

India is between a rock and a hard place. However, the government’s latest labour market and agriculture reforms have laid the foundations for a...

Sharmila Whelan

Turkey – Start Worrying About Counterparties

TURKEY RISK: Odd Comments From Finance Minister Suggest Lack Of Understanding Of Capital Controls In Place. No Rate Hikes, Weak TRY/USD, And...

Thomas J. Monaco

US, China and Asian Bullish Bets

Base case calls for buying US equities at sub DJI 28k, SPX 3,410 and NDX 11,600-500 while allowing for some noise to base and working into larger...

Thomas Schroeder

STAR Board: STAR50 Index - The December Rebalance Is Going to Be BIG

The STAR50 index has seen a lot of interest following its launch in July with over CNY 20bn raised by 4 ETFs. We look at the index methodology, the...

Brian Freitas

India - Pushing Ahead with Reforms

India is between a rock and a hard place. However, the government’s latest labour market and agriculture reforms have laid the foundations for a...

Sharmila Whelan

China A-Share Strategy: Deregulation in QFII/RQFII Scheme to Boost up Foreign Fund Inflow

We believe foreign funds' China A-share positions will continue to rise and will reach 10% of A-share total market-cap in next 10 years.

Roger Xie