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

Equity Bottom-Up

*Bank Results Decline Linked Quarter: Ping An Bank (000001.CH) [PAB], the Ping An Insurance (2318.HK) [Ping An] banking subsidiary, continues to feel the challenges of a slowing mainland Chinese economy. For 2Q21, PAB reported results of CNY 7.5 bn – decreasing CNY 2.7 bn (26.4%) linked quarter. From our vantage point, higher loss provisions and weaker net interest income weighed heavily on results; and*Negative Credit Delta Could Accelerate Capital Raise: By our analysis, we find that credit remains incredibly challenged as net new NPLs have accelerated 102.2% annualized - up from 53.6% in 1Q21. Assuming the accelerated credit break in the PAB portfolio continues to remain at its current level, we find that PAB’s reserves still remain quite light by CNY 16 bn. This shortfall represents about two quarter of pre-tax earnings.

*Bank Results Decline Linked Quarter: Ping An Bank (000001.CH) [PAB], the Ping An Insurance (2318.HK) [Ping An] banking subsidiary, continues to feel the challenges of a slowing mainland Chinese economy. For 2Q21, PAB reported results of CNY 7.5 bn – decreasing CNY 2.7 bn (26.4%) linked quarter. From our vantage point, higher loss provisions and weaker net interest income weighed heavily on results; and*Negative Credit Delta Could Accelerate Capital Raise: By our analysis, we find that credit remains incredibly challenged as net new NPLs have accelerated 102.2% annualized - up from 53.6% in 1Q21. Assuming the accelerated credit break in the PAB portfolio continues to remain at its current level, we find that PAB’s reserves still remain quite light by CNY 16 bn. This shortfall represents about two quarter of pre-tax earnings.   

Ping An Insurance – Credit Mixed, But Still Worrisome

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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Index Rebalance

<div>The Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited (HSIL) announced the results of its review of the Hang Seng Family of Indexes post market close on 20 August. The constituent changes will be effective after the close of trading on 3 September.</div><div>
For the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-hang-seng-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22899:1" rel="noopener">Hong Kong Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX)</a> there are 3 inclusions - <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/xinyi-glass-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11940:1" rel="noopener">Xinyi Glass Holdings (868 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/li-ning-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6047:1" rel="noopener">Li Ning Co Ltd (2331 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-merchants-bank-co-ltd-3388a037-4214-4997-b45d-520518cfdb57" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10987:1" rel="noopener">China Merchants Bank H (3968 HK)</a> and 1 exclusion - <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bank-of-communications-co-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:659:1" rel="noopener">Bank Of Communications Co H (3328 HK)</a>. This takes the number of index constituents to 60.
Following an increase in the index shares and no change in the capping factor at the July monthly rebalance, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28434:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (9988 HK)</a>'s weight will be capped at 8% leading to outflows from the stock. 
One-way turnover is estimated at 6.82% and will result in a one-way trade of HK$13.77bn.
There are only 10 trading days to implementation of the changes. We expect all inclusions to open higher on Monday. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/li-ning-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6047:1" rel="noopener">Li Ning Co Ltd (2331 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-merchants-bank-co-ltd-3388a037-4214-4997-b45d-520518cfdb57" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10987:1" rel="noopener">China Merchants Bank H (3968 HK)</a> are surprise inclusions while <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bank-of-communications-co-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:659:1" rel="noopener">Bank Of Communications Co H (3328 HK)</a> is a surprise deletion. The largest passive impact will be on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bank-of-communications-co-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:659:1" rel="noopener">Bank Of Communications Co H (3328 HK)</a> where there will be over 7 days of ADV to sell. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/li-ning-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6047:1" rel="noopener">Li Ning Co Ltd (2331 HK)</a>has been announced as an inclusion to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-china-enterprises-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22900:1" rel="noopener">Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI INDEX)</a> as well.
Big Tech is conspicuous by its absence among the inclusions in the review. HSIL seems to have consciously avoided the stocks due to the constantly changing regulatory landscape in China. HSIL is also taking its time in moving towards it goal of reaching 80 index constituents by mid-2022. That leaves 20 stocks to be included at the next 3 index reviews.
</div>

The Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited (HSIL) announced the results of its review of the Hang Seng Family of Indexes post market close on 20 August. The constituent changes will be effective after the close of trading on 3 September.
For the Hong Kong Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX) there are 3 inclusions - Xinyi Glass Holdings (868 HK), Li Ning Co Ltd (2331 HK) and China Merchants Bank H (3968 HK) and 1 exclusion - Bank Of Communications Co H (3328 HK). This takes the number of index constituents to 60.
Following an increase in the index shares and no change in the capping factor at the July monthly rebalance, Alibaba Group (9988 HK)'s weight will be capped at 8% leading to outflows from the stock. 
One-way turnover is estimated at 6.82% and will result in a one-way trade of HK$13.77bn.
There are only 10 trading days to implementation of the changes. We expect all inclusions to open higher on Monday. Li Ning Co Ltd (2331 HK) and China Merchants Bank H (3968 HK) are surprise inclusions while Bank Of Communications Co H (3328 HK) is a surprise deletion. The largest passive impact will be on Bank Of Communications Co H (3328 HK) where there will be over 7 days of ADV to sell. Li Ning Co Ltd (2331 HK)has been announced as an inclusion to the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI INDEX) as well.
Big Tech is conspicuous by its absence among the inclusions in the review. HSIL seems to have consciously avoided the stocks due to the constantly changing regulatory landscape in China. HSIL is also taking its time in moving towards it goal of reaching 80 index constituents by mid-2022. That leaves 20 stocks to be included at the next 3 index reviews.


HSI Index Rebalance: Big Tech Avoided; Few Changes Now Means More Changes Later

Founder of Antler Capital

Stanley Tsai, CFA

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

In the spirit of the long-awaited UEFA Euro 2020, we present our inaugural "China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook", which summarizes our views on the names that are best positioned to navigate an environment of progressively slower credit growth, tighter liquidity and rising defaults. 
Our screen consists of 100+ stocks in the A/H share universe, as well as a select number of international / non-traditional names that have significant exposures to China's financial system. We have a preference for larger-cap and liquid names, which are then filtered by our opinions on their fundamentals, value, momentum and recent trading volumes. We also try to make our selections versatile and less vulnerable to single-factor movements.
Each player's position on the pitch and the team formation itself convey incremental information about our thoughts on the sector's performance over a three to six-month horizon. To the extent possible, we intend to update our ideas on a periodic basis. This provides a feedback loop with our other ongoing research on the industry.
However, our team selections are not investment recommendations. Instead, they are meant to give structure to our analysis. The playbook allows us to articulate our views on the sector in a timely, concise manner. Our objective is to ensure we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater as sentiments on the sector remain bleak.
With that out of the way, the following is our starting XI. We will dive deeper into our rationale for our selections in the remainder of this insight (Exhibit 1).
<table class="table table-striped">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 726.047px;">Exhibit 1: China Financials | Silver Linings Playbook</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 726.047px;">
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/213/768/original/image_768460236451623962508577.png?1623962508" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="213768"></figure>

Source: Our analysis
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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In the spirit of the long-awaited UEFA Euro 2020, we present our inaugural "China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook", which summarizes our views on the names that are best positioned to navigate an environment of progressively slower credit growth, tighter liquidity and rising defaults. 
Our screen consists of 100+ stocks in the A/H share universe, as well as a select number of international / non-traditional names that have significant exposures to China's financial system. We have a preference for larger-cap and liquid names, which are then filtered by our opinions on their fundamentals, value, momentum and recent trading volumes. We also try to make our selections versatile and less vulnerable to single-factor movements.
Each player's position on the pitch and the team formation itself convey incremental information about our thoughts on the sector's performance over a three to six-month horizon. To the extent possible, we intend to update our ideas on a periodic basis. This provides a feedback loop with our other ongoing research on the industry.
However, our team selections are not investment recommendations. Instead, they are meant to give structure to our analysis. The playbook allows us to articulate our views on the sector in a timely, concise manner. Our objective is to ensure we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater as sentiments on the sector remain bleak.
With that out of the way, the following is our starting XI. We will dive deeper into our rationale for our selections in the remainder of this insight (Exhibit 1).



Exhibit 1: China Financials | Silver Linings Playbook





Source: Our analysis




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Glut and Famine: China's Monetary Conditions a Notch Tighter in May 
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China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook

China Huarong Asset Management / Equity Bottom-Up

*Legacy Risks Strangling China Huarong: The issue appears to be China Huarong Asset Management’s (Huarong) legacy exposure associated with the misdeeds of its former Chairman, which still need to be addressed. Since our last note, Huarong still continues to teeter on the edge of insolvency and ongoing silence from Beijing has materially impacted funding costs. Huarong has until August 2021 to finally release its 2020 financial statements; and *Too Big Too Fail:  None of what is occurring should come as a surprise given mainland China's rapidly increasing debt position since the financial crisis - along with the same at its SOEs which are perceived to be too-big-to-fail and wield enormous political clout. A funding backstop from state-owned banks has been ordered by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), and the mainland Chinese government is likely to again blink and make good on Huarong's significant debt obligations. Distressed investors should consider picking away at Huarong’s debt; we’ll believe it when see Beijing imposing losses on investors in SOEs.

*Legacy Risks Strangling China Huarong: The issue appears to be China Huarong Asset Management’s (Huarong) legacy exposure associated with the misdeeds of its former Chairman, which still need to be addressed. Since our last note, Huarong still continues to teeter on the edge of insolvency and ongoing silence from Beijing has materially impacted funding costs. Huarong has until August 2021 to finally release its 2020 financial statements; and *Too Big Too Fail:  None of what is occurring should come as a surprise given mainland China's rapidly increasing debt position since the financial crisis - along with the same at its SOEs which are perceived to be too-big-to-fail and wield enormous political clout. A funding backstop from state-owned banks has been ordered by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), and the mainland Chinese government is likely to again blink and make good on Huarong's significant debt obligations. Distressed investors should consider picking away at Huarong’s debt; we’ll believe it when see Beijing imposing losses on investors in SOEs.

China Huarong Asset Management – Silence Is Golden

Fintech & EM-focused Analyst, KT Capital Group

Alec Tseung

Fintech & EM-focused Analyst

This Original aims to identify the key investment opportunities among the listed brokers in the three major East Asian countries - China, Japan, and Korea. By looking at the development of the brokerage sectors in these three countries, we observe a general trend where upstart online brokers first compete against the more established brokers based on their cost and technological advantages. This then pushes the more established brokers to either focus on more lucrative wholesale businesses or adopt and invest in tech initiatives in order to stay competitive in the retail market.After further establishing themselves in the retail market, these upstart online brokers then also diversify and expand into the more lucrative wealth/asset management or even wholesale businesses.  By gauging at which phase the broker is in this cycle, investors can have a good understanding of its future outlook.In our opinion, Korean brokers currently offer the best value, while the Chinese pure-play online brokers offer the highest growth potential. As such, our pecking order, in terms of investment attractiveness, is <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kiwoom-securities-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20418:1" rel="noopener">Kiwoom Securities (039490 KS)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/east-money-information-co-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8075:1" rel="noopener">East Money Information Co A (300059 CH)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/futu-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27858:1" rel="noopener">Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/monex-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:14211:1" rel="noopener">Monex Group Inc (8698 JP)</a> / <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/huatai-securities-co-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:449:1" rel="noopener">Huatai Securities Co Ltd (H) (6886 HK)</a>.  <h2>What is Original?</h2>In this Original, we look into the competitive landscape of the brokerage sectors in China, Japan, and Korea. 55 listed brokers from these three countries are included in this Original as the company universe for regression analysis. Among them, a total of 8 brokers are chosen, with their company profiles separately presented, to further showcase and contrast the impact of competition and technological disruption. Based on this, a pecking order is then developed, both on a country and a company basis.

This Original aims to identify the key investment opportunities among the listed brokers in the three major East Asian countries - China, Japan, and Korea. By looking at the development of the brokerage sectors in these three countries, we observe a general trend where upstart online brokers first compete against the more established brokers based on their cost and technological advantages. This then pushes the more established brokers to either focus on more lucrative wholesale businesses or adopt and invest in tech initiatives in order to stay competitive in the retail market.After further establishing themselves in the retail market, these upstart online brokers then also diversify and expand into the more lucrative wealth/asset management or even wholesale businesses.  By gauging at which phase the broker is in this cycle, investors can have a good understanding of its future outlook.In our opinion, Korean brokers currently offer the best value, while the Chinese pure-play online brokers offer the highest growth potential. As such, our pecking order, in terms of investment attractiveness, is Kiwoom Securities (039490 KS), East Money Information Co A (300059 CH), Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU US), Monex Group Inc (8698 JP) / Huatai Securities Co Ltd (H) (6886 HK).  What is Original?In this Original, we look into the competitive landscape of the brokerage sectors in China, Japan, and Korea. 55 listed brokers from these three countries are included in this Original as the company universe for regression analysis. Among them, a total of 8 brokers are chosen, with their company profiles separately presented, to further showcase and contrast the impact of competition and technological disruption. Based on this, a pecking order is then developed, both on a country and a company basis.

Asian Brokers: A Competition Between Value and Growth

China

Bank of Communications Co.,Ltd. provides banking services. The Company offers deposits, loans, domestic settlement, currency trading, and other services. Bank of Communications provides its services to individuals, enterprises, and other clients.

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Bank of Communications (601328 CH)

Ping An Insurance – Credit Mixed, But Still Worrisome

PING AN INSURANCE: Ping An Bank reported a 26.4% QOQ results decline for 2Q21 reflecting higher provisions. Credit is challenged as net new NPLs...

Thomas J. Monaco

HSI Index Rebalance: Big Tech Avoided; Few Changes Now Means More Changes Later

Hang Seng Indexes has avoided adding Big Tech and included Li Ning, Xinyi Glass and CM Bank while deleting BoComm. Tencent will be capped higher,...

Brian Freitas

China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook

Our Silver Linings Playbook outlines our views on the China financials names that are most likely to remain resilient in the face of macro...

Stanley Tsai, CFA

China Huarong Asset Management – Silence Is Golden

CHINA HUARONG: Huarong's legacy exposure associated with the misdeeds of its former Chairman have caused to Huarong to teeter. Beijing is likely to...

Thomas J. Monaco

Asian Brokers: A Competition Between Value and Growth

The Original looks into the current competitive landscape of the brokerage sectors in China, Japan, and Korea, with a view to developing a list of...

Alec Tseung

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