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

*PAL Improves, But Fundamentals Weak: Ping An Insurance (2318.HK)[Ping An] reported a 1H20 operating profit of CNY 74.3 bn, increasing just 1% YOY and 5% below consensus. As a recovery appears underway with Ping An Life (PAL), Ping An results appeared to be well-supported by a HOH improvement of CNY 13.2 bn bn (40.4%) in net profits  - although its value of new business (VONB) declined CNY 3.9 bn (11.9%); *P&amp;C Remains A Challenge: Auto combined ratio reversed course and increased by 250 bp to 100.6%, and certainly warrants watching a driving returns to normal in mainland China. Auto insurance reform will remain a challenge for profitability going forward, and pricing has yet to stabilize. The credit insurance segment remains challenged, due to defaults on underlying loans.*Awful Bank Result: For 4Q20, PAB reported results of CNY 6.5 bn – declining CNY 2.2 bn (25.1%) on a linked quarter basis. In this environment, credit troubles no doubt are a foregone conclusion. However, this was not necessarily PAB’s biggest issue in its most results announcement, where the bulk of the earnings decline was attributed to a CNY 1.9 bn (17.1%) linked quarter increase in costs.

*PAL Improves, But Fundamentals Weak: Ping An Insurance (2318.HK)[Ping An] reported a 1H20 operating profit of CNY 74.3 bn, increasing just 1% YOY and 5% below consensus. As a recovery appears underway with Ping An Life (PAL), Ping An results appeared to be well-supported by a HOH improvement of CNY 13.2 bn bn (40.4%) in net profits  - although its value of new business (VONB) declined CNY 3.9 bn (11.9%); *P&amp;C Remains A Challenge: Auto combined ratio reversed course and increased by 250 bp to 100.6%, and certainly warrants watching a driving returns to normal in mainland China. Auto insurance reform will remain a challenge for profitability going forward, and pricing has yet to stabilize. The credit insurance segment remains challenged, due to defaults on underlying loans.*Awful Bank Result: For 4Q20, PAB reported results of CNY 6.5 bn – declining CNY 2.2 bn (25.1%) on a linked quarter basis. In this environment, credit troubles no doubt are a foregone conclusion. However, this was not necessarily PAB’s biggest issue in its most results announcement, where the bulk of the earnings decline was attributed to a CNY 1.9 bn (17.1%) linked quarter increase in costs.

Ping An Insurance – Hope Is Not A Strategy

*Investor Day Highlights: China Reinsurance Group (1508.HK) [China Re] discussed its differentiated approach in mainland China’s rapidly evolving health insurance market at its recent Investor Day on December 22nd. Much of the discussion centered on recent developments at its Protection Reinsurance (Protection Re] unit which is China Re’s fastest growing business segment; and  *Results Are Turning:  China Re's 3Q20 earnings of CNY 3.4 bn grew nearly threefold YOY, aided by investment gains. Reinsurance premiums increased 93% YOY at 3Q20 while and P&amp;C premium increased 8% over the period. Earnings were strong across all business units. Solvency was also strong across all three major business lines.

*Investor Day Highlights: China Reinsurance Group (1508.HK) [China Re] discussed its differentiated approach in mainland China’s rapidly evolving health insurance market at its recent Investor Day on December 22nd. Much of the discussion centered on recent developments at its Protection Reinsurance (Protection Re] unit which is China Re’s fastest growing business segment; and  *Results Are Turning:  China Re's 3Q20 earnings of CNY 3.4 bn grew nearly threefold YOY, aided by investment gains. Reinsurance premiums increased 93% YOY at 3Q20 while and P&amp;C premium increased 8% over the period. Earnings were strong across all business units. Solvency was also strong across all three major business lines.

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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Event-Driven

At long last, Hang Seng Indexes (HSIL) has released the consultation paper on the "Proposal to enhance 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> as regards continuing to serve as the most representative and important benchmark of the Hong Kong stock market". Market participants have until 24 January to submit their views to the HSIL.There are 5 main proposals in the consultation paper:<ol>
<li>Select constituents by industry group based on a target coverage for each industry group</li>
<li>Increase the number of constituents to between 65 to 80</li>
<li>Removal of the Minimum Listing History requirement for eligible candidates</li>
<li>Maintain a certain number of constituents classified as Hong Kong companies to sustain the level of representation of Hong Kong portion in the index</li>
<li>Lower the weighting cap of individual constituents from 10% to 8%, and increase the weighting cap of WVRs and Secondary Listings from 5% to 8%.</li>
</ol>The simulated one-way turnover of increasing the number of constituents to between 65-80 is estimated at 15-20% and HSIL proposes to implement the transition to the enhanced methodology within one year.In this Insight, we look at the impact on the index from the proposed changes.

At long last, Hang Seng Indexes (HSIL) has released the consultation paper on the "Proposal to enhance the Hong Kong Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX) as regards continuing to serve as the most representative and important benchmark of the Hong Kong stock market". Market participants have until 24 January to submit their views to the HSIL.There are 5 main proposals in the consultation paper:
Select constituents by industry group based on a target coverage for each industry group
Increase the number of constituents to between 65 to 80
Removal of the Minimum Listing History requirement for eligible candidates
Maintain a certain number of constituents classified as Hong Kong companies to sustain the level of representation of Hong Kong portion in the index
Lower the weighting cap of individual constituents from 10% to 8%, and increase the weighting cap of WVRs and Secondary Listings from 5% to 8%.
The simulated one-way turnover of increasing the number of constituents to between 65-80 is estimated at 15-20% and HSIL proposes to implement the transition to the enhanced methodology within one year.In this Insight, we look at the impact on the index from the proposed changes.

HSI Market Consultation - Wide Ranging Changes Proposed

*Partnership With ZhongAn: AIA Group (1299.HK) [AIA] and ZhongAn Online P&amp;C Insurance’ (6060.HK) [ZhongAn] majority owned ZA Tech Global (ZA Tech) subsidiary announced a regional strategic digital partnership. The partnership covers all of AIA’s markets excluding mainland China, and opens new regional sales opportunities for AIA;*Risks Remain: This new partnership, as potentially exciting as it is, in now way offsets the risks AIA is facing in mainland China, Hong Kong, and in its investment portfolio.

*Partnership With ZhongAn: AIA Group (1299.HK) [AIA] and ZhongAn Online P&amp;C Insurance’ (6060.HK) [ZhongAn] majority owned ZA Tech Global (ZA Tech) subsidiary announced a regional strategic digital partnership. The partnership covers all of AIA’s markets excluding mainland China, and opens new regional sales opportunities for AIA;*Risks Remain: This new partnership, as potentially exciting as it is, in now way offsets the risks AIA is facing in mainland China, Hong Kong, and in its investment portfolio.

AIA Group – New Initiative Does Not Offset Risks

*Challenges Ignored: Last week a competitor held a virtual conference with Ping An Insurance (2318.HK) [Ping An Insurance]. In typical fashion, the management of Ping An barely scratched the surface in their discussion of its weakened franchise;   *Only A Discussion On Life and P&amp;C: Management guided that Ping An Life (PAL) will have positive Value of New Business (VONB) growth for 2021, as a beneficiary of health reforms. It sees a number of new digital tools empowering agents in sales and customer development, in addition to improving agency recruitment. For Ping An P&amp;C, management guided that the full-year combined ratio would be “slightly higher” than the 99.1% posted through 3Q20. This means that Ping An P&amp;C likely will be loss making on an operational basis if the combined ratio exceeds 100%; and* Move Along, Nothing To See Here: There was no discussion of the following: 1) Continued weakness in Ping An Life’s results; 2) It being  a finalist to acqure Tahoe Insurance in Hong Kong; 3) technology platform; credit insurance risk; and the capital contrained Ping An Bank.

*Challenges Ignored: Last week a competitor held a virtual conference with Ping An Insurance (2318.HK) [Ping An Insurance]. In typical fashion, the management of Ping An barely scratched the surface in their discussion of its weakened franchise;   *Only A Discussion On Life and P&amp;C: Management guided that Ping An Life (PAL) will have positive Value of New Business (VONB) growth for 2021, as a beneficiary of health reforms. It sees a number of new digital tools empowering agents in sales and customer development, in addition to improving agency recruitment. For Ping An P&amp;C, management guided that the full-year combined ratio would be “slightly higher” than the 99.1% posted through 3Q20. This means that Ping An P&amp;C likely will be loss making on an operational basis if the combined ratio exceeds 100%; and* Move Along, Nothing To See Here: There was no discussion of the following: 1) Continued weakness in Ping An Life’s results; 2) It being  a finalist to acqure Tahoe Insurance in Hong Kong; 3) technology platform; credit insurance risk; and the capital contrained Ping An Bank. 

Ping An Insurance – Avoiding The Hard Questions

China

China Life Insurance Co., Limited offers a wide range of life, accident, and health insurance products and services.

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China Life Insurance Co (Adr) (LFC US)

Ping An Insurance – Hope Is Not A Strategy

PING AN INSURANCE: Ping An reported 2H20 an operating profit decline of 12.2% HOH. Despite bottom-line improvement in Life, results are truly...

Thomas J. Monaco

China Reinsurance – Healthy

CHINA REINSURANCE GROUP: Investor Day Highlights Developments At Protection Reinsurance. Results Are Also Turning With China Re's 3Q20 Earnings...

Thomas J. Monaco

HSI Market Consultation - Wide Ranging Changes Proposed

HSIL has announced the market consultation for the Hang Seng Index. The conclusions should be announced in February. If the market agrees to most...

Brian Freitas

AIA Group – New Initiative Does Not Offset Risks

AIA GROUP: New Partnership With Zhong An Should Help New Customer Acquisition Regionally, But Risks Remain High In Hong Kong, Mainland China, and...

Thomas J. Monaco

Ping An Insurance – Avoiding The Hard Questions

PING AN INSURANCE: Everyone Understands That Ping An Insurance Is Struggling In Every Business Line. Management Refuses To Discuss How They Are...

Thomas J. Monaco

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