TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst, Obex Capital Research

Aaron Gabin

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research

Obex Capital Research

“Obex” is Latin for Barriers to Entry. Obex Capital Management’s investment philosophy is driven by an intense focus on which business model’s Barriers to Entry are able to withstand the ever increasing competitive disruption in the TMT and Consumer Sectors.

Equity Bottom-Up

<p>Spotify missed on MAUs again and lowered 2021 guidance. Not great for a subscription business built on a distant 10 year DCF built on subscriber trajectories. We have pushed Spotify as a short for a while and think its still a good short, especially as their spending on podcasting continues, even as usage is rolling over...oh yeah, and they still have no operating leverage. </p><div class="content-highlight"><p>Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.  </p></div>

Spotify missed on MAUs again and lowered 2021 guidance. Not great for a subscription business built on a distant 10 year DCF built on subscriber trajectories. We have pushed Spotify as a short for a while and think its still a good short, especially as their spending on podcasting continues, even as usage is rolling over...oh yeah, and they still have no operating leverage. Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.  

Latest News from the World’s Leading Innovators

Granite Bay Capital

An innovation focussed investment company

Granite Bay Capital is an innovation focussed investment company with a deep focus on the companies at the leading edge of innovation across major themes such as AI, ubiquitous computing, sustainability, automation and longevity.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<h2>Headline Developments</h2><p>Another bad week for Didi (DIDI) , with the stock plummeting a further 21% after Bloomberg reported that Chinese regulators were weighing up “serious, perhaps unprecedented penalties” which may include a hefty fine (&gt;$2.8b), enforcing a state-owned investment or delisting the company from the NYSE.</p>

Headline DevelopmentsAnother bad week for Didi (DIDI) , with the stock plummeting a further 21% after Bloomberg reported that Chinese regulators were weighing up “serious, perhaps unprecedented penalties” which may include a hefty fine (&gt;$2.8b), enforcing a state-owned investment or delisting the company from the NYSE.

<p>We were wildly impressed by Google's quarter. Microsoft continues to chug along...our takeaway from the two is Amazon is primed for a monster print on Thursday...retail advertising is on fire right now, while GCP and Azure showed almost no deceleration QoQ.</p><div class="content-highlight"><p>Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.  </p></div>

We were wildly impressed by Google's quarter. Microsoft continues to chug along...our takeaway from the two is Amazon is primed for a monster print on Thursday...retail advertising is on fire right now, while GCP and Azure showed almost no deceleration QoQ.Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.  

TMT Megacap Earnings Observations: Google & Microsoft

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

<p>The latest Census in Japan confirms the ongoing fall in total population across most of the country but reveals surprising growth markets in small pockets, particularly around Greater Tokyo which now accounts for just under 30% of the total population.</p><p>There are also ever growing numbers of single people, expanding the promising solo market. In the bigger cities, younger people bring new types of consumption but the increase in older singles is a growing problem.</p><p>The following provides background macro trends for any investor looking at the Japan consumer space and some stocks we think will benefit from these macro trends.</p>

The latest Census in Japan confirms the ongoing fall in total population across most of the country but reveals surprising growth markets in small pockets, particularly around Greater Tokyo which now accounts for just under 30% of the total population.There are also ever growing numbers of single people, expanding the promising solo market. In the bigger cities, younger people bring new types of consumption but the increase in older singles is a growing problem.The following provides background macro trends for any investor looking at the Japan consumer space and some stocks we think will benefit from these macro trends.

Shrinking, Ageing Japan but a Growing Solo Market

Financials & FinTech research, Galliano’s Financials Research

Victor Galliano

Financials & FinTech research

Financials & FinTech, EM & Developed Markets

Galliano’s Financials Research

Galliano's Financials Research provides fundamental research in Emerging Markets financials, including FinTech, as well as financials in select Developed Markets.

The investment style applied is generally value oriented, although Growth At Reasonable Price (GARP) strategies can also be used where appropriate. 

Our investment research approach aim is often contrarian, looking to capitalise on overly sceptical or optimistic consensus views. In terms of valuation techniques, the focus is on PBV ratio to ROE, PE multiples and dividend yield, as well as the application of PEG ratios and, where appropriate, Sum of the Parts (SOTP) valuations.

<ul>
<li>The market is looking for a signal of an easing of regulatory pressures on China BigTech</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a> is in the eye of the regulatory storm, first with the crackdown on the Ant IPO, then with the anti-trust restrictions on Big Tech and more recently with China regulatory bodies focusing on US listed China tech</li>
<li>The share price is now close to the pandemic low of March 2020, having fallen a further 20% since the end of April</li>
<li>Alibaba valuations are compelling, even versus its China BigTech peers, and, less surprisingly, compared to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/amazon-com-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:409:1" rel="noopener">Amazon.com Inc (AMZN US)</a>
</li>
<li>Alibaba’s market capitalization to revenue discount to its core peers has narrowed somewhat, as Chinese regulators have extended their focus on BigTech beyond the Alibaba group, but remains elevated</li>
<li>Furthermore, Alibaba’s premium to Amazon in terms of market capitalization to revenue has totally dissipated</li>
<li>We stick with our positive view on Alibaba and we believe that, even though regulatory risks have yet to recede, the secular growth story - albeit dented - in China tech still holds and that in the case of Alibaba, its modest valuations stand out</li>
<li>Risks to our positive view on Alibaba include further regulatory hurdles, such as market share limitations and tighter controls on big data, as well as client loss as a result of these regulatory limitations</li>
</ul>


The market is looking for a signal of an easing of regulatory pressures on China BigTech

Alibaba Group (BABA US) is in the eye of the regulatory storm, first with the crackdown on the Ant IPO, then with the anti-trust restrictions on Big Tech and more recently with China regulatory bodies focusing on US listed China tech
The share price is now close to the pandemic low of March 2020, having fallen a further 20% since the end of April
Alibaba valuations are compelling, even versus its China BigTech peers, and, less surprisingly, compared to Amazon.com Inc (AMZN US)

Alibaba’s market capitalization to revenue discount to its core peers has narrowed somewhat, as Chinese regulators have extended their focus on BigTech beyond the Alibaba group, but remains elevated
Furthermore, Alibaba’s premium to Amazon in terms of market capitalization to revenue has totally dissipated
We stick with our positive view on Alibaba and we believe that, even though regulatory risks have yet to recede, the secular growth story - albeit dented - in China tech still holds and that in the case of Alibaba, its modest valuations stand out
Risks to our positive view on Alibaba include further regulatory hurdles, such as market share limitations and tighter controls on big data, as well as client loss as a result of these regulatory limitations


Alibaba (BABA US) – Looking for a Reprieve from Regulatory Headwinds

United States

Amazon.com, Inc. is an online retailer that offers a wide range of products. The Company's products include books, music, videotapes, computers, electronics, home and garden, and numerous other products.  Amazon offers personalized shopping services, Web-based credit card payment, and direct shipping to customers.

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
Market Cap (USDm)	0.00
P/E	0.00
Dividend (Yield)	0.00

Amazon (AMZN US)

Spotify 2Q21: Podcasting Rolling Over?

Spotify missed on MAUs again and lowered 2021 guidance. Not great for a subscription business built on a distant 10 year DCF built on subscriber...

Aaron Gabin

Weekly Innovation Review (WIRE) #42

Headline Developments: Another bad week for Didi (DIDI) , with the stock plummeting a further 21% after Bloomberg reported that Chinese regulators...

Granite Bay Capital

TMT Megacap Earnings Observations: Google & Microsoft

We were wildly impressed by Google's quarter. Microsoft continues to chug along...our takeaway from the two is Amazon is primed for a monster print...

Aaron Gabin

Shrinking, Ageing Japan but a Growing Solo Market

Japan's population is contracting but there are areas of growth, particularly the solo market (single people living alone) and the senior market....

Michael Causton

Alibaba (BABA US) – Looking for a Reprieve from Regulatory Headwinds

Alibaba remains in the Chinese regulators' sights, with the share price falling further in 3Q21; yet its valuations, relative to its China peers,...

Victor Galliano

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)