Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>One of the big thematic events on the Korean stock market has been the expectation that China could lift ban on Korean popular culture (Hallyu) as early as May 2025. </li>
<li>China's President Xi recently stated <em>"Cultural exchanges are a valuable part of our bilateral relations [between China and Korea]. We should avoid any problems occurring in handling such matters.” </em>
</li>
<li>We provide a list of 40 stocks in Korea that could most benefit from the end of lifting ban of Korean popular culture. </li>
</ul>


One of the big thematic events on the Korean stock market has been the expectation that China could lift ban on Korean popular culture (Hallyu) as early as May 2025. 
China's President Xi recently stated "Cultural exchanges are a valuable part of our bilateral relations [between China and Korea]. We should avoid any problems occurring in handling such matters.” 

We provide a list of 40 stocks in Korea that could most benefit from the end of lifting ban of Korean popular culture. 


China Could Lift Ban on Korean Popular Culture (Hallyu) As Early As May 2025

<ul>
<li>Our NAV analysis of Doosan Corp suggests an implied market cap of 3.9 trillion won or implied price per share of 235,039 won which is 17.2% lower than current price.</li>
<li>Given the lack of upside relative to its NAV, we have a Negative View of Doosan Corp. </li>
<li>Considering Doosan Group's repeated corporate governance concerns in the past decade, our holdco discount estimate of 50% is probably generous. </li>
</ul>


Our NAV analysis of Doosan Corp suggests an implied market cap of 3.9 trillion won or implied price per share of 235,039 won which is 17.2% lower than current price.
Given the lack of upside relative to its NAV, we have a Negative View of Doosan Corp. 
Considering Doosan Group's repeated corporate governance concerns in the past decade, our holdco discount estimate of 50% is probably generous. 


Doosan Corp - NAV Valuation Analysis Amid Index Rebalance Expectations

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>This event drew significant attention, causing unusual price action. From Sept 20 to Nov 29, corrections in the deletions far outpaced the KOSPI, with the trend holding across key checkpoints.</li>
<li>We’re watching 4 stocks: Kumho Petro, Lotte Chemical, Posco DX, and EcoPro Materials. SK Bioscience and Enchem are close, with small price moves likely pushing them out.</li>
<li>Based on past rebalancing patterns, proactive positions on these names could trigger strong price action. All except Enchem have listed futures and solid volume, making trading conditions favorable.</li>
</ul>


This event drew significant attention, causing unusual price action. From Sept 20 to Nov 29, corrections in the deletions far outpaced the KOSPI, with the trend holding across key checkpoints.
We’re watching 4 stocks: Kumho Petro, Lotte Chemical, Posco DX, and EcoPro Materials. SK Bioscience and Enchem are close, with small price moves likely pushing them out.
Based on past rebalancing patterns, proactive positions on these names could trigger strong price action. All except Enchem have listed futures and solid volume, making trading conditions favorable.


A Passive Flow Trading Event that Sparked Wild Price Action in Korea Is Happening Again

<ul>
<li>Local hedge funds, mainly prop traders and PEs, drove the price action in LS Electric and Hyundai Rotem, and are now leading net buying in Samyang Foods and Hyundai Mipo.</li>
<li>Given the setup, it's likely Samyang Foods and HD Hyundai Mipo will follow a similar move until mid-January when screening starts, so we should stay aware of this backdrop.</li>
<li>This gives us a chance to capture upside. Plus, since Samyang Foods and Hyundai Mipo may pull back 30-40% post-screening, there’s also a solid opportunity during that dip.</li>
</ul>


Local hedge funds, mainly prop traders and PEs, drove the price action in LS Electric and Hyundai Rotem, and are now leading net buying in Samyang Foods and Hyundai Mipo.
Given the setup, it's likely Samyang Foods and HD Hyundai Mipo will follow a similar move until mid-January when screening starts, so we should stay aware of this backdrop.
This gives us a chance to capture upside. Plus, since Samyang Foods and Hyundai Mipo may pull back 30-40% post-screening, there’s also a solid opportunity during that dip.


LS Electric, Then Hyundai Rotem, Now Samyang Foods and Hyundai Mipo: Same Proactive Flow?

<ul>
<li>S&amp;P500 is up 27.7% YTD, outperforming KOSPI which is down 6.9% YTD. Global fund flow continues to pour into top quality US stocks such as Palantir, Tesla, and NVIDIA.</li>
<li>The top 20 best performing stocks in KOSPI 200 are up on average 106.8% YTD. However, the remaining 180 stocks in KOSPI 200 are down on average 9.2% YTD. </li>
<li>There is no large Palantir-like company that deals with AI/data analytics in Korea. However, large cap IT services and telcos in Korea are increasingly expanding their AI/data analytics related business.</li>
</ul>


S&amp;P500 is up 27.7% YTD, outperforming KOSPI which is down 6.9% YTD. Global fund flow continues to pour into top quality US stocks such as Palantir, Tesla, and NVIDIA.
The top 20 best performing stocks in KOSPI 200 are up on average 106.8% YTD. However, the remaining 180 stocks in KOSPI 200 are down on average 9.2% YTD. 
There is no large Palantir-like company that deals with AI/data analytics in Korea. However, large cap IT services and telcos in Korea are increasingly expanding their AI/data analytics related business.


A Comparison of KOSPI 200 and S&P 500 Companies Performances in 2024

South Korea

Samyang Foods Co., Ltd. manufactures instant and processed food products, such as noodles, snacks, cooking oil, and feed.  The Company also produces dairy goods including milk, cheese, and ice cream.

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Samyang Foods (003230 KS)

China Could Lift Ban on Korean Popular Culture (Hallyu) As Early As May 2025

One of the big thematic events that have impacted the Korean stock market this week has been the expectation that China could lift ban on Korean...

Douglas Kim

Doosan Corp - NAV Valuation Analysis Amid Index Rebalance Expectations

Our NAV analysis of Doosan Corp suggests an implied market cap of 3.9 trillion won or implied price per share of 235,039 won which is 17.2% lower...

Douglas Kim

A Passive Flow Trading Event that Sparked Wild Price Action in Korea Is Happening Again

With the Lunar New Year holiday, Korea's 10-day Global Index rebalancing window starts tomorrow and ends on the 31st. On additions? Nothing...

Sanghyun Park

LS Electric, Then Hyundai Rotem, Now Samyang Foods and Hyundai Mipo: Same Proactive Flow?

LS Electric, then Hyundai Rotem, and now Samyang Foods and HD Hyundai Mipo—are they all driving the same proactive flow ahead of the Global Index's...

Sanghyun Park

A Comparison of KOSPI 200 and S&P 500 Companies Performances in 2024

There is no large Palantir-like company that deals with AI/data analytics in Korea. However, large cap IT services and telcos in Korea are...

Douglas Kim

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