Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>Australia's ASIC releases the aggregated short position data four business days after the reporting day. Data in this insight is up to 27th March, published ~9AM on the 2nd April.</li>
<li>The largest industry net increase in the past week was into "Diversified Metals &amp; Mining"; the largest industry net decrease was out of "Diversified Banks". Net shorts increased A$1.7bn week-on-week.</li>
<li>Companies mentioned in this regular weekly report include: <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bhp-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:147:1" rel="noopener">BHP (BHP AU)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nextdc-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8570:1" rel="noopener">Nextdc (NXT AU)</a><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nextdc-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8570:1" rel="noopener"></a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/flight-centre-travel-group-l" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7537:1" rel="noopener">Flight Centre Travel (FLT AU)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/web-travel-group-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17059:1" rel="noopener">WEB Travel  (WEB AU)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bapcor-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8433:1" rel="noopener">Bapcor (BAP AU)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/wisetech-global-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22669:1" rel="noopener">Wisetech Global (WTC AU)</a>
</li>
</ul>


Australia's ASIC releases the aggregated short position data four business days after the reporting day. Data in this insight is up to 27th March, published ~9AM on the 2nd April.
The largest industry net increase in the past week was into "Diversified Metals &amp; Mining"; the largest industry net decrease was out of "Diversified Banks". Net shorts increased A$1.7bn week-on-week.
Companies mentioned in this regular weekly report include: BHP (BHP AU), Nextdc (NXT AU), Flight Centre Travel (FLT AU), WEB Travel  (WEB AU), Bapcor (BAP AU), and Wisetech Global (WTC AU)



Aussie Shorts (27th Mar 2026): BHP, Nextdc, Flight Centre, WEB Travel, Bapcor, Wisetech Global

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>A number of developments in the past week were a stark reminder that&nbsp;Australia&rsquo;s exports to China&nbsp;are undergoing a revolution thanks to inexorable&nbsp;rise of China's middle class.&nbsp;&nbsp;At a time when BHP dropped to a decade low, the news-flow in Australia focussed on &nbsp;the growing shortage on supermarket shelves of Bellamy&rsquo;s baby formula, while overseas arrivals from China continue to surge.&nbsp;</li><li>Chinese demand for&nbsp;Australia's agri-food products, vitamins, wine, tourism, higher education and other non-commodity goods and&nbsp;services&nbsp;will continue to grow strongly and help diversify our export basket.&nbsp; In an environment where the aggregate supply of growth in Australia is low, the rise of China's middle class is a powerful and seductive investment theme that offers strong growth prospects to Australia's non-commodity exporters.</li><li>The key macro announcement in Australia in the past week was the stronger than expected employment print for the month of October.&nbsp; Expectations of a December rate cut have consequently diminished.&nbsp; Evidente has been of the view that given the spare capacity in the economy and labour market, the RBA should deliver more monetary stimulus.&nbsp; One strong monthly employment outcome is not sufficient to alter my view that labour market conditions are slack and that another rate cut is necessary.</li></ul>

A number of developments in the past week were a stark reminder that&nbsp;Australia&rsquo;s exports to China&nbsp;are undergoing a revolution thanks to inexorable&nbsp;rise of China's middle class.&nbsp;&nbsp;At a time when BHP dropped to a decade low, the news-flow in Australia focussed on &nbsp;the growing shortage on supermarket shelves of Bellamy&rsquo;s baby formula, while overseas arrivals from China continue to surge.&nbsp;Chinese demand for&nbsp;Australia's agri-food products, vitamins, wine, tourism, higher education and other non-commodity goods and&nbsp;services&nbsp;will continue to grow strongly and help diversify our export basket.&nbsp; In an environment where the aggregate supply of growth in Australia is low, the rise of China's middle class is a powerful and seductive investment theme that offers strong growth prospects to Australia's non-commodity exporters.The key macro announcement in Australia in the past week was the stronger than expected employment print for the month of October.&nbsp; Expectations of a December rate cut have consequently diminished.&nbsp; Evidente has been of the view that given the spare capacity in the economy and labour market, the RBA should deliver more monetary stimulus.&nbsp; One strong monthly employment outcome is not sufficient to alter my view that labour market conditions are slack and that another rate cut is necessary.

Weekly Impressions - Australia's Export Revolution to China's Rising Middle Class

<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?

<ul><li>Australians' long held fascination with land is part of the national psyche.&nbsp; In a speech delivered overnight, RBA Deputy Governor Philip Lowe shows why.&nbsp;&nbsp;Land accounts for one-third of Australia's national assets and that higher land values - not dwellings - have driven residential property markets higher in recent decades.</li><li>Booming land values reflect favourable demand side influences, including strong growth in population and household incomes, while zoning restrictions have meant that the supply response to higher prices has been muted.&nbsp; With slower expected future income growth and increased concerns about future housing costs, the response to higher housing prices looks to be smaller than it was previously.</li><li>Nonetheless, Mr Lowe acknowledges that that a reduction in the household savings ratio is &lsquo;probably appropriate&rsquo; as the economy re-balances from a terms of trade and mining investment booms.&nbsp; Against this backdrop, I re-iterate my positive view on discretionary retailers.&nbsp; Key stocks to buy: HVN, JBH, DSH, GWA, MYR and PMV.</li></ul>

Australians' long held fascination with land is part of the national psyche.&nbsp; In a speech delivered overnight, RBA Deputy Governor Philip Lowe shows why.&nbsp;&nbsp;Land accounts for one-third of Australia's national assets and that higher land values - not dwellings - have driven residential property markets higher in recent decades.Booming land values reflect favourable demand side influences, including strong growth in population and household incomes, while zoning restrictions have meant that the supply response to higher prices has been muted.&nbsp; With slower expected future income growth and increased concerns about future housing costs, the response to higher housing prices looks to be smaller than it was previously.Nonetheless, Mr Lowe acknowledges that that a reduction in the household savings ratio is &lsquo;probably appropriate&rsquo; as the economy re-balances from a terms of trade and mining investment booms.&nbsp; Against this backdrop, I re-iterate my positive view on discretionary retailers.&nbsp; Key stocks to buy: HVN, JBH, DSH, GWA, MYR and PMV.

Australia's land obsession - Reiterate postive view on discretionary retailers

Macroeconomics

In a blog post last year, I wrote of the lost decade for discretionary retailers; expected profitability was little changed from ten years earlier.&nbsp;A number of structural and cyclical headwinds continued to adversely impact the sector, including the persistently strong Australian dollar, consumer caution associated with the financial crisis and increased competition from e-tailers.&nbsp;In this post, I argue that signs of a less cautious consumer are emerging.&nbsp;There is downside risk to the household saving ratio as households become more optimistic about the future, durable goods spending continues to recover and consumer sentiment should benefit from the positive reaction to the Federal Budget.&nbsp;Against this backdrop, I recommend investors neutralise their under-weight bets in discretionary retailers, with a view to moving overweight as more signs of a less cautious consumer emerge.&nbsp;Getting the sector call right is more important than stock selection, but we highlight stocks that offer the strongest upside, including Echo, GUD, Harvey Norman, Premier Investment and Super Retail.

In a blog post last year, I wrote of the lost decade for discretionary retailers; expected profitability was little changed from ten years earlier.&nbsp;A number of structural and cyclical headwinds continued to adversely impact the sector, including the persistently strong Australian dollar, consumer caution associated with the financial crisis and increased competition from e-tailers.&nbsp;In this post, I argue that signs of a less cautious consumer are emerging.&nbsp;There is downside risk to the household saving ratio as households become more optimistic about the future, durable goods spending continues to recover and consumer sentiment should benefit from the positive reaction to the Federal Budget.&nbsp;Against this backdrop, I recommend investors neutralise their under-weight bets in discretionary retailers, with a view to moving overweight as more signs of a less cautious consumer emerge.&nbsp;Getting the sector call right is more important than stock selection, but we highlight stocks that offer the strongest upside, including Echo, GUD, Harvey Norman, Premier Investment and Super Retail.

A less cautious consumer: Good news for discretionary retailers (finally!)

Australia

Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd operates as a retail travel agency in Australia.  The Company operates close to 1200 outlets throughout Australia and internationally including New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa, Canada and the United Kingdom. The Company's agencies and brands include Flight Centre, Travel Associates and Student Flights.

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Flight Centre Travel (FLT AU)

Aussie Shorts (27th Mar 2026): BHP, Nextdc, Flight Centre, WEB Travel, Bapcor, Wisetech Global

Net shorts increased A$1.7bn week-on-week. Companies mentioned in this regular weekly report include: BHP, Nextdc, Flight Centre Travel, WEB...

David Blennerhassett

Weekly Impressions - Australia's Export Revolution to China's Rising Middle Class

A number of developments in the past week were a stark reminder that Australia’s exports to China are undergoing a revolution thanks to...

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

Australia's land obsession - Reiterate postive view on discretionary retailers

Australians' long held fascination with land is part of the national psyche. In a speech delivered overnight, RBA Deputy Governor Philip Lowe...

Sam Ferraro

A less cautious consumer: Good news for discretionary retailers (finally!)

In a blog post last year, I wrote of the lost decade for discretionary retailers; expected profitability was little changed from ten years...

Sam Ferraro

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