Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>On 11 January, it was announced that Kakao Entertainment (103260 KS) has attracted large scale investments from Saudi Arabia's Sovereign Fund (Public Investment Fund - PIF) and GIC (Singapore).</li>
<li>Maekyung Business Daily reported that PIF and GIC combined invested about 1.1 trillion won to 1.2 trillion won in Kakao Entertainment, valuing the company at about 10 trillion won.</li>
<li>This major investment in Kakao Entertainment by PIF and GIC should have a positive impact on Kakao Corp (035720 KS), the controlling shareholder of the company.</li>
</ul>


On 11 January, it was announced that Kakao Entertainment (103260 KS) has attracted large scale investments from Saudi Arabia's Sovereign Fund (Public Investment Fund - PIF) and GIC (Singapore).
Maekyung Business Daily reported that PIF and GIC combined invested about 1.1 trillion won to 1.2 trillion won in Kakao Entertainment, valuing the company at about 10 trillion won.
This major investment in Kakao Entertainment by PIF and GIC should have a positive impact on Kakao Corp (035720 KS), the controlling shareholder of the company.


PIF and GIC Combined Invest About 1.2 Trillion Won in Kakao Entertainment

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing, Clepsydra Capital

Sanghyun Park

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing

Clepsydra Capital

Investigate special situations, pairs, and index rebalancing trades in Korea.

<ul>
<li>KT's foreign room has been rising since early September last year. If this trend continues, it will likely approach the inclusion borderline of 15% within a month or two.</li>
<li>This trend is expected to continue for the time being as the tough relationship between the KT CEO and the government seems unlikely to be resolved in the short term.</li>
<li>The February inclusion is pretty tight, but May seems like we could be looking out for it.</li>
</ul>


KT's foreign room has been rising since early September last year. If this trend continues, it will likely approach the inclusion borderline of 15% within a month or two.
This trend is expected to continue for the time being as the tough relationship between the KT CEO and the government seems unlikely to be resolved in the short term.
The February inclusion is pretty tight, but May seems like we could be looking out for it.


Foreign Ownership Limit Stocks in Korea: KT Is Again in the Limelight

<ul>
<li>More than 20 trillion won (US$16 billion) worth of deals are up for M&amp;As in 2023.</li>
<li>However, due to high interest rates and differences on valuations among buyers and sellers, the M&amp;A market in Korea is likely to continue to be weak in 2023.</li>
<li>In this insight, we discuss 24 companies that are up for M&amp;As this year in Korea, including Hanon Systems, SK Shieldus, and K Car.</li>
</ul>


More than 20 trillion won (US$16 billion) worth of deals are up for M&amp;As in 2023.
However, due to high interest rates and differences on valuations among buyers and sellers, the M&amp;A market in Korea is likely to continue to be weak in 2023.
In this insight, we discuss 24 companies that are up for M&amp;As this year in Korea, including Hanon Systems, SK Shieldus, and K Car.


Korea M&A Outlook in 2023: What's for Sale?

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>On 17 October, the Korean government made a final official decision to have the BTS members serve in the mandatory military service.</li>
<li>We believe this will have a major negative impact on the sales and profits of HYBE in the next several years.</li>
<li>As a result of the Korean government formalizing the BTS members to enlist in the military, we believe that HYBE's share price could fall more than 50% from current levels.</li>
</ul>


On 17 October, the Korean government made a final official decision to have the BTS members serve in the mandatory military service.
We believe this will have a major negative impact on the sales and profits of HYBE in the next several years.
As a result of the Korean government formalizing the BTS members to enlist in the military, we believe that HYBE's share price could fall more than 50% from current levels.


HYBE: Korean Govt Mandates BTS Members to Enlist in Military - 50% Further Downside Risk Ahead

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we discuss a pair trade of going long on CJ ENM and going short on HYBE. </li>
<li>CJ ENM's valuations are much more attractive and offer higher value as compared to HYBE. CJ ENM shares are trading at EV/EBITDA of 2.7x versus 10.9x for HYBE in 2023. </li>
<li>The Korean government is likely to require BTS members to conscript for military service which is likely to lead to sharp decline in earnings estimates for HYBE.</li>
</ul>


In this insight, we discuss a pair trade of going long on CJ ENM and going short on HYBE. 
CJ ENM's valuations are much more attractive and offer higher value as compared to HYBE. CJ ENM shares are trading at EV/EBITDA of 2.7x versus 10.9x for HYBE in 2023. 
The Korean government is likely to require BTS members to conscript for military service which is likely to lead to sharp decline in earnings estimates for HYBE.


Korea Consumer Discretionary: A Pair Trade (Long CJ ENM and Short HYBE)

South Korea

CJ ENM, Ltd. retails clothes, kitchen utensils, home appliances, and jewelry.  The Company sells its merchandise through TV home shopping channels, catalogs, and the Internet shopping mall.  CJ ENM operates cable television business through a subsidiary.

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CJ ENM (035760 KS)

PIF and GIC Combined Invest About 1.2 Trillion Won in Kakao Entertainment

Maekyung Business Daily reported on 11 January that PIF (Saudi Arabia) and GIC combined invested about 1.2 trillion won in Kakao Entertainment,...

Douglas Kim

Foreign Ownership Limit Stocks in Korea: KT Is Again in the Limelight

This post examines Korea's foreign ownership-restricted stocks and discusses potential momentum trading opportunities for KT.

Sanghyun Park

Korea M&A Outlook in 2023: What's for Sale?

In this insight, we discuss 24 companies that are up for M&As this year in Korea, including Hanon Systems, SK Shieldus, and K Car.

Douglas Kim

HYBE: Korean Govt Mandates BTS Members to Enlist in Military - 50% Further Downside Risk Ahead

As a result of the Korean government formalizing the BTS members to enlist in the military, we believe that HYBE's share price could fall more than...

Douglas Kim

Korea Consumer Discretionary: A Pair Trade (Long CJ ENM and Short HYBE)

In this insight, we discuss a pair trade of going long on CJ ENM and going short on HYBE. CJ ENM's valuations are much more attractive and offer...

Douglas Kim

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