Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Three main reasons why SK Inc is our high conviction in 2026 include mandatory cancellation of treasury shares, deep discount to NAV, and the end of divorce for Chairman Chey. </li>
<li>SK Inc has 17.98 million shares in treasury, representing 24.8% of outstanding shares. Among the stocks included in KOSPI200, this is one of the highest percentage of treasury shares.</li>
<li>Our NAV valuation analysis suggests NAV of 28 trillion won or NAV per share of 386,469 won. This represents a 46% upside to its current price.</li>
</ul>


Three main reasons why SK Inc is our high conviction in 2026 include mandatory cancellation of treasury shares, deep discount to NAV, and the end of divorce for Chairman Chey. 
SK Inc has 17.98 million shares in treasury, representing 24.8% of outstanding shares. Among the stocks included in KOSPI200, this is one of the highest percentage of treasury shares.
Our NAV valuation analysis suggests NAV of 28 trillion won or NAV per share of 386,469 won. This represents a 46% upside to its current price.


Korea / Special Situations, Clepsydra Capital

Sanghyun Park

Korea / Special Situations

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing

Clepsydra Capital

Investigate special situations, pairs, and index rebalancing trades in Korea.

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>SKT’s foreign stake drop sparked early divergence vs KT—long SKT/short KT paying off, though KT’s hacking risk muddies how much is pure event-driven.</li>
<li>This isn’t an add/delete, just a weight bump—flows lag until announcement. Aug ’20 SKT doubling factor is the cleanest comp for today’s setup.</li>
<li>SKT vs KT spread widened post-screening; SKT outperformed 12%. Weight bumps lag vs ins/outs, so expect similar flow—timing long-short entry matters to avoid bleeding carry.</li>
</ul>


SKT’s foreign stake drop sparked early divergence vs KT—long SKT/short KT paying off, though KT’s hacking risk muddies how much is pure event-driven.
This isn’t an add/delete, just a weight bump—flows lag until announcement. Aug ’20 SKT doubling factor is the cleanest comp for today’s setup.
SKT vs KT spread widened post-screening; SKT outperformed 12%. Weight bumps lag vs ins/outs, so expect similar flow—timing long-short entry matters to avoid bleeding carry.


Key Findings on When to Enter Long-Short in the SKT Foreign Room Trade

<ul>
<li>SKT foreign room rising ahead of PIPC sanction decision today; fine confirmation could trigger ESG fund exits.</li>
<li>Large ESG money still in SKT; post-sanction exits could push foreign room past 25% sooner than expected — a key factor for trading setup.</li>
<li>Nov review momentum could hit early; post-fine, a foreign room surge toward 25% signals our entry, with the pullback setting up the SKT Nov inclusion trade.</li>
</ul>


SKT foreign room rising ahead of PIPC sanction decision today; fine confirmation could trigger ESG fund exits.
Large ESG money still in SKT; post-sanction exits could push foreign room past 25% sooner than expected — a key factor for trading setup.
Nov review momentum could hit early; post-fine, a foreign room surge toward 25% signals our entry, with the pullback setting up the SKT Nov inclusion trade.


SKT Foreign Room Play Heating up — Entry Could Come Sooner than Expected with Today’s Fine Out

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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>Foreign room in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom (017670 KS)</a> is over 21% now and increasing as foreign investors sell stock.</li>
<li>Further foreign selling could take foreign room past 25% and that will result in passive inflows for the stock. Timing is dependent on when the 25% threshold is crossed.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom</a> has underperformed its peers over the last 3 months and that has shrunk its valuation premium. Watch for a further increase in foreign room for an entry point.</li>
</ul>


Foreign room in SK Telecom (017670 KS) is over 21% now and increasing as foreign investors sell stock.
Further foreign selling could take foreign room past 25% and that will result in passive inflows for the stock. Timing is dependent on when the 25% threshold is crossed.

SK Telecom has underperformed its peers over the last 3 months and that has shrunk its valuation premium. Watch for a further increase in foreign room for an entry point.


SK Telecom (017670 KS): Increasing Foreign Room & Passive Buying

<ul>
<li>SKT’s foreign room jumped from 12% to 20% in two months; if the pace holds, 25% is in play by next review, with ongoing foreign outflows from the SIM leak.</li>
<li>FOL shifts from foreign room swings have been a classic long-short play in Korea telcos — and the current setup looks similar, with most SIM leak risks already priced in.</li>
<li>If SKT’s foreign room nears 25%, expect front-running and passive flow imbalances to kick in — a familiar long-short setup that’s historically moved the telco tape early.</li>
</ul>


SKT’s foreign room jumped from 12% to 20% in two months; if the pace holds, 25% is in play by next review, with ongoing foreign outflows from the SIM leak.
FOL shifts from foreign room swings have been a classic long-short play in Korea telcos — and the current setup looks similar, with most SIM leak risks already priced in.
If SKT’s foreign room nears 25%, expect front-running and passive flow imbalances to kick in — a familiar long-short setup that’s historically moved the telco tape early.


SKT Foreign Room Heating Up — Time to Front-Run?

South Korea

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. is a Korean mobile and telecommunications operator. The Company provides cellular voice, wireless data, and wireless internet services. SK Telecom also offers fixed line services and platform services.

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SK Telecom (017670 KS)

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