Founder Evidente. Top rated quantitative analyst, Evidente

Sam Ferraro

Founder Evidente. Top rated quantitative analyst

Evidente

Evidente is an independent financial education firm that delivers innovative financial advice to wholesale investors, including active long only funds, hedge funds, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds, in Australia and globally.  Drawing on academic research in asset pricing, behavioural finance and portfolio construction, Evidente provides wholesale investors with commercial solutions to stock selection and asset allocation decisions across equities and other asset classes.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>This post provides an update of Evidente&rsquo;s currency model.&nbsp; Under-valuation of the A$/US$ has now reached an extreme, while the Big Mac index also points to deep A$/US$ under-valuation.&nbsp; ASX listed US$ earners have performed poorly despite the renewed deprecation of the A$ over the past six months.&nbsp;</li><li>I also assess the investment case against Brambles, which generates around half of its revenue in North America.&nbsp; The company will be undergoing a capex hump at a time when its marginal return on capital has been deteriorating to the point of recently turning negative.&nbsp;</li><li>I examine its remuneration scheme and conclude that the fact that the board, ESG advisory firms and institutional investors endorse complex and opaque Long Term Incentive plans of this kind, suggests that the bloated corporate governance industry has a long way to go to achieving adequate alignment of interests between senior executives and shareholders.</li></ul>

This post provides an update of Evidente&rsquo;s currency model.&nbsp; Under-valuation of the A$/US$ has now reached an extreme, while the Big Mac index also points to deep A$/US$ under-valuation.&nbsp; ASX listed US$ earners have performed poorly despite the renewed deprecation of the A$ over the past six months.&nbsp;I also assess the investment case against Brambles, which generates around half of its revenue in North America.&nbsp; The company will be undergoing a capex hump at a time when its marginal return on capital has been deteriorating to the point of recently turning negative.&nbsp;I examine its remuneration scheme and conclude that the fact that the board, ESG advisory firms and institutional investors endorse complex and opaque Long Term Incentive plans of this kind, suggests that the bloated corporate governance industry has a long way to go to achieving adequate alignment of interests between senior executives and shareholders.

A$ buy signal strengthens | Investment case against Brambles

<ul><li>Most active funds tout their ability to discriminate between good and poor quality management, and accordingly weight their portfolios towards businesses that they consider to be well managed.&nbsp; In the past decade, portfolio managers have also boasted of their ability to identify and invest in companies that score strongly across environment, governance and social (ESG) dimensions.</li></ul><ul><li>In the second instalment of Evidente's Dissecting Quality series, I show that management quality and corporate governance matter more for complex companies, where shareholders face high monitoring costs. To that end, I develop a systematic model of complexity and agency costs for the ASX200 based on eight company specific factors.</li><li>Some of the industrials that make up the top 20 complex stocks include: Qantas, Amcor, Computershare, Seek and Brambles. Investors can use the model to integrate their assessments of company management and corporate governance. In particular, investors should avoid complex stocks that score poorly across management quality and governance practices.</li></ul>

Most active funds tout their ability to discriminate between good and poor quality management, and accordingly weight their portfolios towards businesses that they consider to be well managed.&nbsp; In the past decade, portfolio managers have also boasted of their ability to identify and invest in companies that score strongly across environment, governance and social (ESG) dimensions.In the second instalment of Evidente's Dissecting Quality series, I show that management quality and corporate governance matter more for complex companies, where shareholders face high monitoring costs. To that end, I develop a systematic model of complexity and agency costs for the ASX200 based on eight company specific factors.Some of the industrials that make up the top 20 complex stocks include: Qantas, Amcor, Computershare, Seek and Brambles. Investors can use the model to integrate their assessments of company management and corporate governance. In particular, investors should avoid complex stocks that score poorly across management quality and governance practices.

Dissecting Quality: When Does Management Quality and Corporate Governance Matter Most?

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

<ul>
<li>The review period for the June rebalance of the S&amp;P/ASX family of indices ends tomorrow and we expect two changes for the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX)</a>. </li>
<li>Impact of passive trading on the stocks varies between 4.3-11 days of ADV. Short interest on the potential adds is small while there are significant shorts on the potential deletes.</li>
<li>We expect there is pre-positioning on at least three of the four stocks. In some cases that is small, while it could be a lot larger in other stocks.</li>
</ul>


The review period for the June rebalance of the S&amp;P/ASX family of indices ends tomorrow and we expect two changes for the S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX). 
Impact of passive trading on the stocks varies between 4.3-11 days of ADV. Short interest on the potential adds is small while there are significant shorts on the potential deletes.
We expect there is pre-positioning on at least three of the four stocks. In some cases that is small, while it could be a lot larger in other stocks.


S&P/​​​​​​​ASX Index Rebalance Preview: Potential Changes, Impact, Shorts & Positioning

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ventia-services-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:34917:1" rel="noopener">Ventia (VNT AU)</a> completed an A$300m placement overnight with Apollo and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cimic-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20030:1" rel="noopener">CIMIC Group Ltd (CIM AU)</a> selling around 14% of the shares outstanding at a small discount to the close.</li>
<li>The placement will significantly increase <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ventia-services-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:34917:1" rel="noopener">Ventia (VNT AU)</a>'s float and make the stock a high probability inclusion to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX)</a> at the June rebalance.</li>
<li>We now expect two changes to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX)</a> in June and the impact on the stocks is over 5.5 days of ADV to trade.</li>
</ul>



Ventia (VNT AU) completed an A$300m placement overnight with Apollo and CIMIC Group Ltd (CIM AU) selling around 14% of the shares outstanding at a small discount to the close.
The placement will significantly increase Ventia (VNT AU)'s float and make the stock a high probability inclusion to the S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) at the June rebalance.
We now expect two changes to the S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) in June and the impact on the stocks is over 5.5 days of ADV to trade.


Ventia (VNT AU) - Placement Could Lead to ASX200 Inclusion in June

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

<ul>
<li>
<strong><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/maca-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11390:1" rel="noopener">MACA Ltd (MLD AU)</a></strong> recently announced a friendly off-market cash offer from fellow contractor Thiess, at A$1.025/share, a 28.1% premium to previous close.</li>
<li>The Offer is subject to limited conditions, including FIRB , ACCC sign-off, no prescribed occurrences, no issue of convertible securities, derivatives, or other rights, and 90% minimum acceptances.</li>
<li>The Offer has unanimous support from MACA's board. Applications to FIRB and the ACCC have already been submitted. The announcement suggests MACA remains open to alternative approaches.</li>
</ul>



MACA Ltd (MLD AU) recently announced a friendly off-market cash offer from fellow contractor Thiess, at A$1.025/share, a 28.1% premium to previous close.
The Offer is subject to limited conditions, including FIRB , ACCC sign-off, no prescribed occurrences, no issue of convertible securities, derivatives, or other rights, and 90% minimum acceptances.
The Offer has unanimous support from MACA's board. Applications to FIRB and the ACCC have already been submitted. The announcement suggests MACA remains open to alternative approaches.


Australia

CIMIC Group Ltd. operates in the infrastructure, resources, and property markets. The Company constructs roads, tunnels and bridges, water pipelines and desalination plants, commercial and industrial buildings, resorts and residential precincts, as well as land reclamation, and offshore oil and gas structures, and provides contract mining services.

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CIMIC Group Ltd (CIM AU)

A$ buy signal strengthens | Investment case against Brambles

This post provides an update of Evidente’s currency model. Under-valuation of the A$/US$ has now reached an extreme, while the Big Mac index also...

Sam Ferraro

Dissecting Quality: When Does Management Quality and Corporate Governance Matter Most?

Most active funds tout their ability to discriminate between good and poor quality management, and accordingly weight their portfolios towards...

Sam Ferraro

S&P/ASX Index Rebalance Preview: Potential Changes, Impact, Shorts & Positioning

There could be 2 changes for the ASX200 in June. Impact is high on most stocks. Shorts are small on the adds & very high on the deletes. There...

Brian Freitas

Ventia (VNT AU) - Placement Could Lead to ASX200 Inclusion in June

Apollo & CIMIC sold 14% of Ventia yesterday. That increases Ventia's float and should result in ASX200 inclusion in June. The placement was...

Brian Freitas

MACA: Thiess's Friendly Cash Offer

You have a firm, unanimously backed Offer. Trading around a 3.3% gross spread to term. I'd get involved here. A competing Offer cannot be ruled out.

David Blennerhassett

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

A$ buy signal strengthens | Investment case against Brambles

This post provides an update of Evidente’s currency model. Under-valuation of the A$/US$ has now reached an extreme, while the Big Mac index also...

Sam Ferraro

Dissecting Quality: When Does Management Quality and Corporate Governance Matter Most?

Most active funds tout their ability to discriminate between good and poor quality management, and accordingly weight their portfolios towards...

Sam Ferraro

S&P/​​​​​​​ASX Index Rebalance Preview: Potential Changes, Impact, Shorts & Positioning

There could be 2 changes for the ASX200 in June. Impact is high on most stocks. Shorts are small on the adds & very high on the deletes. There...

Brian Freitas

Ventia (VNT AU) - Placement Could Lead to ASX200 Inclusion in June

Apollo & CIMIC sold 14% of Ventia yesterday. That increases Ventia's float and should result in ASX200 inclusion in June. The placement was...

Brian Freitas

MACA: Thiess's Friendly Cash Offer

You have a firm, unanimously backed Offer. Trading around a 3.3% gross spread to term. I'd get involved here. A competing Offer cannot be ruled out.

David Blennerhassett

S&P/ASX Index Rebalance Preview: Potential Changes, Impact, Shorts & Positioning