Research from Asian Century Stocks, Asian Century Stocks

Michael Fritzell

Research from Asian Century Stocks

Providing financial journalism in the Asia-Pacific

Asian Century Stocks

Asian Century Stocks is a newsletter providing financial journalism for companies and stocks in the Asia-Pacific. 
The Asian Century Stocks logotype “百” stands for “one hundred” or a “century”. The economic centre of gravity is moving towards Asia. Yet most global investors are missing out.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>I spent the past few days in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.</li>
<li>Since Southeast Asia’s borders opened up in 2022, it’s become easier to travel across the region.</li>
<li>Not only am I now able to better understand the companies in my coverage universe. I’m also able to pass on any insights to you.</li>
</ul>


I spent the past few days in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
Since Southeast Asia’s borders opened up in 2022, it’s become easier to travel across the region.
Not only am I now able to better understand the companies in my coverage universe. I’m also able to pass on any insights to you.


Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

Oil & Natural Gas Corp / Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>MSCI EM (EEM-US) has continued to hold above our $37-$37.50 line-in-the-sand, meaning we are constructive from a price perspective.</li>
<li>We have maintained an underweight to emerging markets, and we are overweight developed international (MSCI EAFE, Europe, Japan) as discussed in in <em>Int’l Compass</em> and <em>ETF Pathfinder</em> reports throughout 2023.</li>
<li>Still, there are plenty of attractive countries and Sectors within the EM landscape, which is what we are focusing on today.</li>
</ul>


MSCI EM (EEM-US) has continued to hold above our $37-$37.50 line-in-the-sand, meaning we are constructive from a price perspective.
We have maintained an underweight to emerging markets, and we are overweight developed international (MSCI EAFE, Europe, Japan) as discussed in in Int’l Compass and ETF Pathfinder reports throughout 2023.
Still, there are plenty of attractive countries and Sectors within the EM landscape, which is what we are focusing on today.


EM Strategy: MSCI EM Financials & Energy Improving-Overweight; Overweights: Taiwan, India, Mexico

<ul>
<li>The MSCI EM vs.EAFE ratio (local currency) shows EM has outperformed relative to EAFE since the DXY peaked in November 2022, and also shows signs of reversing the 2-year downtrend.</li>
<li>As long as the DXY remains below $103.50-$106, we expect outperformance from EM to continue.</li>
<li>China/Hong Kong, Greece, South Africa, and Mexico stand out as attractive countries. Our top actionable Sectors include Communications, Consumer Discretionary, and Technology. We highlight 76 attractive EM stocks.</li>
</ul>


The MSCI EM vs.EAFE ratio (local currency) shows EM has outperformed relative to EAFE since the DXY peaked in November 2022, and also shows signs of reversing the 2-year downtrend.
As long as the DXY remains below $103.50-$106, we expect outperformance from EM to continue.
China/Hong Kong, Greece, South Africa, and Mexico stand out as attractive countries. Our top actionable Sectors include Communications, Consumer Discretionary, and Technology. We highlight 76 attractive EM stocks.


EM Outperformance to Continue (Vs. EAFE) -- Add on a Pullback; DXY Needs to Hold Below $106

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

Semirara Mining And Power Corp / Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>With just over a month to go in the review period for the August rebalance of the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/philippines-stock-exchange-psei-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22912:1" rel="noopener">Philippines Stock Exchange PSEi Index (PCOMP INDEX)</a>, we expect one potential change. </li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/security-bank-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3929:1" rel="noopener">Security Bank (SECB PM)</a> is a potential deletion. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/semirara-mining-and-power-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18925:1" rel="noopener">Semirara Mining And Power Corp (SCC PM)</a> has a higher inclusion probability as compared to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unionbank-of-the-philippines" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23192:1" rel="noopener">UnionBank of the Philippines (UBP PM)</a>. </li>
<li>Passive funds will need to trade quite a few days of ADV on the stocks. Historically, the adds have outperformed the deletes in the last leg of the review period.</li>
</ul>


With just over a month to go in the review period for the August rebalance of the Philippines Stock Exchange PSEi Index (PCOMP INDEX), we expect one potential change. 

Security Bank (SECB PM) is a potential deletion. Semirara Mining And Power Corp (SCC PM) has a higher inclusion probability as compared to UnionBank of the Philippines (UBP PM). 
Passive funds will need to trade quite a few days of ADV on the stocks. Historically, the adds have outperformed the deletes in the last leg of the review period.


PCOMP Index Rebalance Preview Aug 22: One Set of Potential Changes

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

<ul>
<li>* BDO Unibank (BDO.PM) [BDO] reported 4Q21net income of PHP 11.0 bn, a PHP 1.0 bn (10.0%) linked quarter increase, driven by surprisingly positive operating jaws; </li>
<li>The level of net new NPLs declined PHP 319 mn or 1.7% on an annualized basis which is a wonderful turn of events for BDO; and</li>
<li>By our calculation, BDO’s reserves appear fine where they are provided credit quality doesn’t reverse course -suggesting earnings strength on the horizon.</li>
</ul>


* BDO Unibank (BDO.PM) [BDO] reported 4Q21net income of PHP 11.0 bn, a PHP 1.0 bn (10.0%) linked quarter increase, driven by surprisingly positive operating jaws; 
The level of net new NPLs declined PHP 319 mn or 1.7% on an annualized basis which is a wonderful turn of events for BDO; and
By our calculation, BDO’s reserves appear fine where they are provided credit quality doesn’t reverse course -suggesting earnings strength on the horizon.


Philippines

Bank of the Philippine Islands, through its subsidiaries, provides commercial banking services. The Company's products includes ATM, debit card system, credit card, electronic cash card, internet platform and other services.

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Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI PM)

Travel notes: Manila

I spent the past few days in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Since Southeast Asia’s borders opened up in 2022, it’s become easier to travel...

Asian Century Stocks

EM Strategy: MSCI EM Financials & Energy Improving-Overweight; Overweights: Taiwan, India, Mexico

MSCI EM Financials & Energy Improving -- Upgrading to Overweight; MSCI EM Technology remains an Overweight. Top Country Overweights: Taiwan, India,...

Vermilion Research

EM Outperformance to Continue (Vs. EAFE) -- Add on a Pullback; DXY Needs to Hold Below $106

EM vs. EAFE ratio (local currency) shows EM has outperformed relative to EAFE since the $DXY peaked in November 2022. If the DXY remains below...

Vermilion Research

PCOMP Index Rebalance Preview Aug 22: One Set of Potential Changes

We expect SCC PM to be added to the PCOMP Index at the August rebalance replacing SECB PM. Historically, the adds outperform the deletes and there...

Brian Freitas

BDO Unibank – Ready to Run

BDO: BDO reported a QOQ 4Q21net income increase of 10.0%, driven by surprisingly positive operating jaws. Net new NPLs were negative, and reserves...

Thomas J. Monaco

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