Derivatives and Quantitative Strategist

Gaudenz Schneider

Equity Derivatives

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/xiaomi-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24409:1" rel="noopener">Xiaomi (1810 HK)</a> reported 2Q25 results on 19 Aug, beating expectations. This Insight analyzes price reactions in Hong Kong and two overseas markets.</li>
<li>
Highlights: Implied volatility dropped sharply post-earnings, both across the term structure and skew.</li>
<li>
Why it matters: With Xiaomi’s implied volatility now at historically cheap levels, investors may find opportunities in long-volatility strategies ahead of the next earnings in November.</li>
</ul>



Xiaomi (1810 HK) reported 2Q25 results on 19 Aug, beating expectations. This Insight analyzes price reactions in Hong Kong and two overseas markets.

Highlights: Implied volatility dropped sharply post-earnings, both across the term structure and skew.

Why it matters: With Xiaomi’s implied volatility now at historically cheap levels, investors may find opportunities in long-volatility strategies ahead of the next earnings in November.


Xiaomi (1810 HK): Earnings Recap & Volatility Dynamics

<ul>
<li>
<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 (9988 HK)</a> will announce quarterly results on Friday, August 29, 7:30 p.m. Hong Kong Time.  In the lead-up, options strategies on the Hong Kong Exchange showcase a variety of approaches.</li>
<li>
Highlights: Recent option trades show a bias towards bullish sentiment. Two strategies using weekly options expiring soon after the earnings announcement are explored.</li>
<li>
Why Read: This review offers real-market insight into how sophisticated participants are positioning ahead of Tencent’s earnings.</li>
</ul>



Alibaba (9988 HK) will announce quarterly results on Friday, August 29, 7:30 p.m. Hong Kong Time.  In the lead-up, options strategies on the Hong Kong Exchange showcase a variety of approaches.

Highlights: Recent option trades show a bias towards bullish sentiment. Two strategies using weekly options expiring soon after the earnings announcement are explored.

Why Read: This review offers real-market insight into how sophisticated participants are positioning ahead of Tencent’s earnings.


Alibaba (9988 HK): Top Trades Ahead of Earnings

HK/China Equity Long-Short

Osbert Tang, CFA

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>The A-H share premium has narrowed by an average of 35pp YTD. Despite the recent A-share recovery, the premium remains depressed relative to the start of the year.</li>
<li>Aggressive players may keep playing the leaders in the trend - the Chinese insurers like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-life-insurance-co-ltd-9f877d22-7cf7-4b00-b525-cec71139f369" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5794:1" rel="noopener">China Life (2628 HK)</a> and securities companies like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/guolian-securities-co-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:535:1" rel="noopener">Guolian Minsheng Securities H (1456 HK)</a>. </li>
<li>Conservative players, however, may look at the laggards in AH premium contraction like the Chinese banks - <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/industrial-and-commercial-bank-of-china-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1119:1" rel="noopener">ICBC (H) (1398 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-merchants-bank-co-ltd-3388a037-4214-4997-b45d-520518cfdb57" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10987:1" rel="noopener">China Merchants Bank H (3968 HK)</a>. </li>
</ul>


The A-H share premium has narrowed by an average of 35pp YTD. Despite the recent A-share recovery, the premium remains depressed relative to the start of the year.
Aggressive players may keep playing the leaders in the trend - the Chinese insurers like China Life (2628 HK) and securities companies like Guolian Minsheng Securities H (1456 HK). 
Conservative players, however, may look at the laggards in AH premium contraction like the Chinese banks - ICBC (H) (1398 HK) and China Merchants Bank H (3968 HK). 


China Strategy: Trading the A-H Premium Stocks

<ul>
<li>
Context: Volatility cones chart implied volatility against historical percentiles across the term structure, providing a clear framework to evaluate whether options are trading cheap or rich.</li>
<li>
Highlight: Several high-profile HK stocks currently show historically cheap implied volatility. With some of them trading near 52-week highs, now may be an opportune time to hedge.</li>
<li>
Why Read: Spot opportunities, assess regime shifts, and manage risk effectively — volatility cones turn complex data into actionable insights for traders and investors.</li>
</ul>



Context: Volatility cones chart implied volatility against historical percentiles across the term structure, providing a clear framework to evaluate whether options are trading cheap or rich.

Highlight: Several high-profile HK stocks currently show historically cheap implied volatility. With some of them trading near 52-week highs, now may be an opportune time to hedge.

Why Read: Spot opportunities, assess regime shifts, and manage risk effectively — volatility cones turn complex data into actionable insights for traders and investors.


Volatility Cones: Opportunities Across 8 Hong Kong Stocks

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>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-telecom-corp-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1015:1" rel="noopener">China Telecom (H) (728 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jd-logistics-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31500:1" rel="noopener">JD Logistics (2618 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pop-mart-international-group-l" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29016:1" rel="noopener">Pop Mart (9992 HK)</a> will be added 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 (HSI INDEX)</a> at the close on 5 September.</li>
<li>Estimated one-way turnover is 2.5% and the estimated round-trip trade is HK$11.25bn (US$1.44bn). The official capping will be done based on closing prices from 2 September.</li>
<li>At 88 constituents, we near the 100-index member target. The target is likely to be reached by early-2027 - maybe 2026 given mainland companies listing of H-shares on the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-exchanges-clearing" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:490:1" rel="noopener">HKEX</a>.</li>
</ul>



China Telecom (H) (728 HK), JD Logistics (2618 HK) and Pop Mart (9992 HK) will be added to the Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX) at the close on 5 September.
Estimated one-way turnover is 2.5% and the estimated round-trip trade is HK$11.25bn (US$1.44bn). The official capping will be done based on closing prices from 2 September.
At 88 constituents, we near the 100-index member target. The target is likely to be reached by early-2027 - maybe 2026 given mainland companies listing of H-shares on the HKEX.


Hang Seng Index (HSI) Rebalance: Pop Mart, China Telecom, JD Logistics Added to Get to 88 Members

Hong Kong

The Hang Seng Index is a free-float capitalization-weighted index of a selection of companies from the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. The components of the index are divided into four subindices: Commerce and Industry, Finance, Utilities, and Properties. The index was developed with a base level of 100 as of July 31, 1964.

Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX)

Xiaomi (1810 HK): Earnings Recap & Volatility Dynamics

Xiaomi beats 2Q25 expectations, triggering a drop in implied volatility and highlighting potential opportunities for investors in long-volatility...

Gaudenz Schneider

Alibaba (9988 HK): Top Trades Ahead of Earnings

As Alibaba heads into 29 August earnings, option markets reveal activity from near-term spreads to longer-dated positioning. This Insight unpacks...

Gaudenz Schneider

China Strategy: Trading the A-H Premium Stocks

The A-H share premium has narrowed by 35pp YTD, with Chinese insurers and securities companies leading the trend for aggressive players, while...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Volatility Cones: Opportunities Across 8 Hong Kong Stocks

Spot opportunities and manage risk in HK stocks reporting soon: Meituan (27 Aug), Ping An Ins. (27 Aug), Alibaba (29 Aug), BYD (29 Aug). Several...

Gaudenz Schneider

Hang Seng Index (HSI) Rebalance: Pop Mart, China Telecom, JD Logistics Added to Get to 88 Members

Pop Mart, JD Logistics, China Telecom added to get to 88 index members. Estimated one-way turnover is 2.5% and the round-trip trade is HK$11.25bn....

Brian Freitas

Xiaomi (1810 HK): Earnings Recap & Volatility Dynamics

Xiaomi beats 2Q25 expectations, triggering a drop in implied volatility and highlighting potential opportunities for investors in long-volatility...

Gaudenz Schneider

Alibaba (9988 HK): Top Trades Ahead of Earnings

As Alibaba heads into 29 August earnings, option markets reveal activity from near-term spreads to longer-dated positioning. This Insight unpacks...

Gaudenz Schneider

China Strategy: Trading the A-H Premium Stocks

​The A-H share premium has narrowed by 35pp YTD, with Chinese insurers and securities companies leading the trend for aggressive players, while...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Volatility Cones: Opportunities Across 8 Hong Kong Stocks

Spot opportunities and manage risk in HK stocks reporting soon: Meituan (27 Aug), Ping An Ins. (27 Aug), Alibaba (29 Aug), BYD (29 Aug). Several...

Gaudenz Schneider

Hang Seng Index (HSI) Rebalance: Pop Mart, China Telecom, JD Logistics Added to Get to 88 Members

Pop Mart, JD Logistics, China Telecom added to get to 88 index members. Estimated one-way turnover is 2.5% and the round-trip trade is HK$11.25bn....

Brian Freitas

The A-H share premium has narrowed by 35pp YTD, with Chinese insurers and securities companies leading the trend for aggressive players, while...