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>Hang Seng Indexes announces changes to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-hang-seng-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22899:1" rel="noopener">Hang Seng Index</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-china-enterprises-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22900:1" rel="noopener">Hang Seng China Enterprises Index</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-tech-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31367:1" rel="noopener">Hang Seng TECH Index</a>, HSIII Index and HSCI Index (among others) post market close today. </li>
<li>The net round-trip trade across the stocks is estimated to be HK$35bn (US$4.5bn) with big impact in a lot of stocks.</li>
<li>Capping will lead to most inflows to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a> while the largest outflows will be from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd-d7b798e2-202d-4e01-9a1e-799e2ae8f0c7" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28434:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group Holding (9988 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/xiaomi-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24409:1" rel="noopener">Xiaomi Corp (1810 HK)</a>. </li>
</ul>


Hang Seng Indexes announces changes to the Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, Hang Seng TECH Index, HSIII Index and HSCI Index (among others) post market close today. 
The net round-trip trade across the stocks is estimated to be HK$35bn (US$4.5bn) with big impact in a lot of stocks.
Capping will lead to most inflows to Meituan (3690 HK) while the largest outflows will be from Alibaba Group Holding (9988 HK) and Xiaomi Corp (1810 HK). 


Hang Seng Indexes: Announcement Today; Updated Flows (Some Big Ones)

Derivatives and Quantitative Strategist

Gaudenz Schneider

Equity Derivatives

<ul>
<li>The global auto industry faces significant tariff exposure. Option implied volatility offers a forward-looking assessment of risk.</li>
<li>Chinese car makers started to increase in implied volatility more than the other markets at the beginning of February. They now show the highest risk.</li>
<li>Recent implied volatility trends, asymmetric pricing (skew), and the term structure all seem to indicate that the Indian auto sector is the least exposed to international trade relations.</li>
</ul>


The global auto industry faces significant tariff exposure. Option implied volatility offers a forward-looking assessment of risk.
Chinese car makers started to increase in implied volatility more than the other markets at the beginning of February. They now show the highest risk.
Recent implied volatility trends, asymmetric pricing (skew), and the term structure all seem to indicate that the Indian auto sector is the least exposed to international trade relations.


EQD | Volatile Roads: Unveiling Risk in the Asian Auto Industry Through the Options Market

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>The U.S. Department of Defense has designated <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent (700 HK)</a> as a Chinese Military Company. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd-69366efb-cf6b-404d-a0e4-c6b9b2e128dc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17:1" rel="noopener">Tencent Holdings (ADR) (TCEHY US)</a> shares were down nearly 8% overnight.</li>
<li>There is no change to the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List (NS-CMIC) yet. But the overlap between the DoD list and the NS-CMIC list is high.</li>
<li>If added to the NS-CMIC list, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent (700 HK)</a> will be deleted from global indexes and there will be HUGE passive selling from these trackers.</li>
</ul>


The U.S. Department of Defense has designated Tencent (700 HK) as a Chinese Military Company. Tencent Holdings (ADR) (TCEHY US) shares were down nearly 8% overnight.
There is no change to the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List (NS-CMIC) yet. But the overlap between the DoD list and the NS-CMIC list is high.
If added to the NS-CMIC list, Tencent (700 HK) will be deleted from global indexes and there will be HUGE passive selling from these trackers.


Tencent (700 HK): DoD Says Chinese Military Company; Not on NS-CMIC List Yet

<ul>
<li>It has been a decent year for the index rebalance strategy, though there have been some big hiccups along the way.</li>
<li>Forecasting the index changes and impacts has been important, but timing (especially momentum/value regime changes) and hedge selection have also been major factors affecting the returns of the strategy.</li>
<li>As passive AUM continues to increase, we expect focus on the strategy to continue in 2025 with market players taking different approaches to trading the potential and announced index changes.</li>
</ul>


It has been a decent year for the index rebalance strategy, though there have been some big hiccups along the way.
Forecasting the index changes and impacts has been important, but timing (especially momentum/value regime changes) and hedge selection have also been major factors affecting the returns of the strategy.
As passive AUM continues to increase, we expect focus on the strategy to continue in 2025 with market players taking different approaches to trading the potential and announced index changes.


How Has the Index Rebalance Strategy Performed in 2024?

Asia L/S Equity PM/Macro/Thematic Idea Generation

Rikki Malik

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>Sentiment, positioning and valuation provide a similar setup to January 2024</li>
<li>External macro events leading to a better fundamental environment for China</li>
<li>Foreign Investors' disappointment in minimal fiscal stimulus provides an asymmetric opportunity</li>
</ul>


Sentiment, positioning and valuation provide a similar setup to January 2024
External macro events leading to a better fundamental environment for China
Foreign Investors' disappointment in minimal fiscal stimulus provides an asymmetric opportunity


Just when I Thought I Was Out, They Pull Me Back In – Time for Another Tradeable Rally in the HSI?

China

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index is a free-float capitalization-weighted index comprised of H-Shares listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and included in the Hang Seng Mainland Composite Index. The base value of this index is 2000 as of Jan 3, 2000. This index replaced the old HSCE index on Oct. 3, 2001.

Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI INDEX)

Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI INDEX)

Hang Seng Indexes: Announcement Today; Updated Flows (Some Big Ones)

Hang Seng Indexes announces post market close today. There will be changes for the HSI, HSCEI, HSTECH, HSIII and HSCI indices. The net round-trip...

Brian Freitas

EQD | Volatile Roads: Unveiling Risk in the Asian Auto Industry Through the Options Market

Global auto industry faces tariff risk. The option market assigns the highest risk to Chinese car makers. The Indian auto sector appears least...

Gaudenz Schneider

Tencent (700 HK): DoD Says Chinese Military Company; Not on NS-CMIC List Yet

The U.S. DoD has designated Tencent as a Chinese Military Company. The stock is not on the NS-CMIC list yet and could be added later. Addition to...

Brian Freitas

How Has the Index Rebalance Strategy Performed in 2024?

The index rebalance strategy has performed reasonably well this year. Accurate forecasting of index changes and optimal hedge selection have played...

Brian Freitas

Just when I Thought I Was Out, They Pull Me Back In – Time for Another Tradeable Rally in the HSI?

Bloomberg today -Chinese cities removing restrictions on non-Hukou purchases. "China Weighs Removing Major Homebuying Curbs to Boost...

Rikki Malik

Hang Seng Indexes: Announcement Today; Updated Flows (Some Big Ones)

Hang Seng Indexes announces post market close today. There will be changes for the HSI, HSCEI, HSTECH, HSIII and HSCI indices. The net round-trip...

Brian Freitas

EQD | Volatile Roads: Unveiling Risk in the Asian Auto Industry Through the Options Market

​Global auto industry faces tariff risk. The option market assigns the highest risk to Chinese car makers. The Indian auto sector appears least...

Gaudenz Schneider

Tencent (700 HK): DoD Says Chinese Military Company; Not on NS-CMIC List Yet

The U.S. DoD has designated Tencent as a Chinese Military Company. The stock is not on the NS-CMIC list yet and could be added later. Addition to...

Brian Freitas

How Has the Index Rebalance Strategy Performed in 2024?

The index rebalance strategy has performed reasonably well this year. Accurate forecasting of index changes and optimal hedge selection have played...

Brian Freitas

Just when I Thought I Was Out, They Pull Me Back In – Time for Another Tradeable Rally in the HSI?

Bloomberg today -Chinese cities removing restrictions on non-Hukou purchases. "China Weighs Removing Major Homebuying Curbs to Boost...

Rikki Malik

Global auto industry faces tariff risk. The option market assigns the highest risk to Chinese car makers. The Indian auto sector appears least...