External broker reports(aggregated public sources), CMB International

CMB International

External broker reports(aggregated public sources)

Incorporated in Hong Kong, supported by the mainland and targeting in global market, CMB International Capital Corporation Limited (“CMBI”) is an integrated financial institution providing comprehensive and professional services. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Merchants Bank ("CMB"), by leveraging on the Group’s synergy and coordination in domestic and overseas markets, as well as CMB’s strong resources and outstanding social reputation, CMBI and its subsidiaries have been actively implementing diversified business strategies and set up an overall layout of main business segments including Corporate Finance, Asset Management, Wealth Management, Global Markets and Structured Finance, etc. Adhering to the philosophy of “being clients oriented and increasing our own values by the way of creating value for clients”, CMBI endeavors to provide quality and integrated financial services to institutional, corporate and individual customers both domestic and overseas including Hong Kong IPO sponsorship and underwriting, share placement and rights issue for listed companies, financial advisors, bonds issuance services, asset management, direct investment, wealth management, equity sales and trading, etc.

Equity Bottom-Up

China Life Insurance Co H / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>China Life announced 1Q24 results with the VNB YoY reaching the highest growth to 26.3% under new EV assumptions on a comparative basis, surpassing market consensus and our expectation of growth by low-to-mid teens.</li><li>We see the ascending pattern attributable to 1) increased proportion of mid-to-long term regular-paid business given the 10yr+ FYRP +25.4% YoY to RMB25.2bn, taking 33.7% of total FYRP, +5.57pct compared to 1Q23 (Fig.2); 2) cost reductions on bancassurance; and 3) proactive contraction on products’ pricing interest rates.</li><li>Despite a 4.4% YoY decline on first-year premiums, we estimate that the insurer’s VNB margin would sequentially improve over the 2Q-4Q24, thanks to an optimized structure of which the FYSP and total FYSP and short-term premiums were down by -74.9%/-18.6% YoY in 1Q24 (Fig.2). </li></ul>Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.

China Life announced 1Q24 results with the VNB YoY reaching the highest growth to 26.3% under new EV assumptions on a comparative basis, surpassing market consensus and our expectation of growth by low-to-mid teens.We see the ascending pattern attributable to 1) increased proportion of mid-to-long term regular-paid business given the 10yr+ FYRP +25.4% YoY to RMB25.2bn, taking 33.7% of total FYRP, +5.57pct compared to 1Q23 (Fig.2); 2) cost reductions on bancassurance; and 3) proactive contraction on products’ pricing interest rates.Despite a 4.4% YoY decline on first-year premiums, we estimate that the insurer’s VNB margin would sequentially improve over the 2Q-4Q24, thanks to an optimized structure of which the FYSP and total FYSP and short-term premiums were down by -74.9%/-18.6% YoY in 1Q24 (Fig.2). Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.

China Life (2628 HK) - Highest VNB Growth in Years; Net Profit Decline Narrowed on Track

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>The New/Better A-H Premium Tracker has tables, charts, measures galore to track A/H premium positioning, southbound and northbound positioning/volatility in pairs over time, etc.</li>
<li>SOUTHBOUND's consecutive buying streak ended on Monday 25-March, then started again. 20 days straight net buying. NORTHBOUND saw big inflows Friday. A record day I believe.</li>
<li>HK stocks bounced VERY hard. Seemed like big allocation trade. HSCEI +8.7% vs CSI300 +1.2%. In H/A Pairs, liquid pairs saw Hs outperform their A by 4+% on average.</li>
</ul>


The New/Better A-H Premium Tracker has tables, charts, measures galore to track A/H premium positioning, southbound and northbound positioning/volatility in pairs over time, etc.
SOUTHBOUND's consecutive buying streak ended on Monday 25-March, then started again. 20 days straight net buying. NORTHBOUND saw big inflows Friday. A record day I believe.
HK stocks bounced VERY hard. Seemed like big allocation trade. HSCEI +8.7% vs CSI300 +1.2%. In H/A Pairs, liquid pairs saw Hs outperform their A by 4+% on average.


A/H Premium Tracker (To 26 Apr 2024):  Best Week in a LONG Time for Hs Vs As - Time To Get Long H/A

<ul><li>China Life disclosed 3Q results with net profit attributable to shareholders declined by 36.0% YoY in 9M23, indicating a net loss of RMB610mn in 3Q23 (vs a net gain of RMB16.2bn in 3Q22).</li><li>The drop under the old standard was sharper, shown as - 47.8%/-99.1 YoY in 9M/3Q23. We see the 3Q net earnings setback a result of: 1) pressured investment income, with total investment yield down to 2.81%, -1.22pct/- 0.52pct from 9M22/1H23; and 2) enlarged impairment loss on equities of RMB19.7bn in 3Q, versus RMB9.1bn in 2Q (+117% QoQ).</li><li>Despite investment underperformance, the company showed in-line NBV growth by +14.0% YoY in 9M23, driven by +14.8% YoY in first-year premiums (FYP). We estimate that 3Q NBV was down by ~6% YoY, possibly caused by certain demands released in advance before Jul 31. </li></ul>Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.

China Life disclosed 3Q results with net profit attributable to shareholders declined by 36.0% YoY in 9M23, indicating a net loss of RMB610mn in 3Q23 (vs a net gain of RMB16.2bn in 3Q22).The drop under the old standard was sharper, shown as - 47.8%/-99.1 YoY in 9M/3Q23. We see the 3Q net earnings setback a result of: 1) pressured investment income, with total investment yield down to 2.81%, -1.22pct/- 0.52pct from 9M22/1H23; and 2) enlarged impairment loss on equities of RMB19.7bn in 3Q, versus RMB9.1bn in 2Q (+117% QoQ).Despite investment underperformance, the company showed in-line NBV growth by +14.0% YoY in 9M23, driven by +14.8% YoY in first-year premiums (FYP). We estimate that 3Q NBV was down by ~6% YoY, possibly caused by certain demands released in advance before Jul 31. Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.

China Life (2628 HK) – 3Q NP Dragged by Investment Setbacks

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




Related Insights
China Macro: Consumers Remain on the Sidelines, as Their Home Equity Grows 
Glut and Famine: We Might See Snow in China This Summer 
China Macro: PPI Peaks, while CPI Eases Tightening Fears 
China Macro: Exports Disappoint, but It's Still Early in the Game 
Glut and Famine: China's Monetary Conditions a Notch Tighter in May 
ICBC: The Bond Identity | A Zero-Growth Dividend Discount Story 
BOC Aviation (2588 HK): The Stars Don't Look Bigger, but They Do Look Brighter

China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook

<ul><li>China Life delivered strong VNB growth of +19.9% in 1H23, beat market expectation given its more value-focus product strategy in traditional life and annuities amid the first-half trend in savings sales among peers.</li><li>Despite an improved underwriting structure, the insurer’s net profit down by 8.0% in 1H23 (vs +17.8% in 1Q23), translating to -24.4% in 2Q23, primarily hurt by investment loss given a bumpy equity market in 2Q23,</li><li>We believe the interim NP pushback is in short-term, and expect the more balanced product and channel mix to drive the insurer’s long-term value growth amid an industry-wide product shift in 2H2</li></ul>Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.

China Life delivered strong VNB growth of +19.9% in 1H23, beat market expectation given its more value-focus product strategy in traditional life and annuities amid the first-half trend in savings sales among peers.Despite an improved underwriting structure, the insurer’s net profit down by 8.0% in 1H23 (vs +17.8% in 1Q23), translating to -24.4% in 2Q23, primarily hurt by investment loss given a bumpy equity market in 2Q23,We believe the interim NP pushback is in short-term, and expect the more balanced product and channel mix to drive the insurer’s long-term value growth amid an industry-wide product shift in 2H2Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.

China Life (2628 HK) – Outpaced VNB Growth in 1H23

China

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

China Life Insurance Co H (2628 HK)

China Life (2628 HK) - Highest VNB Growth in Years; Net Profit Decline Narrowed on Track

China Life announced 1Q24 results with the VNB YoY reaching the highest growth to 26.3% under new EV assumptions on a comparative basis, surpassing...

CMB International

A/H Premium Tracker (To 26 Apr 2024): Best Week in a LONG Time for Hs Vs As - Time To Get Long H/A

AH Premia have finally turned a corner. Weeks of bouncing back and forth has led to lower premia, especially on average as wider spreads narrow...

Travis Lundy

China Life (2628 HK) – 3Q NP Dragged by Investment Setbacks

China Life disclosed 3Q results with net profit attributable to shareholders declined by 36.0% YoY in 9M23, indicating a net loss of RMB610mn in...

CMB International

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 Life (2628 HK) – Outpaced VNB Growth in 1H23

China Life delivered strong VNB growth of +19.9% in 1H23, beat market expectation given its more value-focus product strategy in traditional life...

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