ASEAN Insight Provider, CrossASEAN Research

Angus Mackintosh

ASEAN Insight Provider

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Private Capital Markets

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/carousell-pte-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28154:1" rel="noopener">Carousell Pte Ltd (1040620D SP)</a> is South East Asia's largest  "classifieds marketplace" and it claims to make selling as easy as taking a photo and buying as simple as chatting. The traffic through Carousell is impressive but the question is can it monetize this huge potential?
Founded in August 2012, Carousell began in Singapore and is now one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing classifieds marketplaces, with a presence in eight markets across South East Asia, together with Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Carousell offers through classified listings a diverse range of products across a variety of categories, including lifestyle, gadgets, and fashion accessories but has been moving to more profitable and big-ticket areas, such as autos, property, and job ads.
The company is backed by a number of large-sized investors including <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/telenor-asa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22258:1" rel="noopener">Telenor ASA (TEL NO)</a>, Rakuten Ventures <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/rakuten-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31:1" rel="noopener">Rakuten Inc (4755 JP)</a>, Naver, Sequoia Capital (India), OLX, and most recently STIC investments giving the company strong backing with the most recent valuation at US$1.1bn, sealing its entry to the unicorn club. 
The company was reportedly exploring a potential listing in the US through a SPAC listing which could value the company at as much as US$1.5bn but management has said that it is considering all options to grow the company including an IPO. Carousel this year appointed a former <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/razer-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24380:1" rel="noopener">Razer Inc (1337 HK)</a> executive Edwin Chan as its CFO. Chan oversaw a gaming hardware company’s public listing in Hong Kong in 2017. We see this company as one of the most ESG-friendly investments available given its exposure to the circular economy.

Carousell Pte Ltd (1040620D SP) is South East Asia's largest  "classifieds marketplace" and it claims to make selling as easy as taking a photo and buying as simple as chatting. The traffic through Carousell is impressive but the question is can it monetize this huge potential?
Founded in August 2012, Carousell began in Singapore and is now one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing classifieds marketplaces, with a presence in eight markets across South East Asia, together with Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Carousell offers through classified listings a diverse range of products across a variety of categories, including lifestyle, gadgets, and fashion accessories but has been moving to more profitable and big-ticket areas, such as autos, property, and job ads.
The company is backed by a number of large-sized investors including Telenor ASA (TEL NO), Rakuten Ventures Rakuten Inc (4755 JP), Naver, Sequoia Capital (India), OLX, and most recently STIC investments giving the company strong backing with the most recent valuation at US$1.1bn, sealing its entry to the unicorn club. 
The company was reportedly exploring a potential listing in the US through a SPAC listing which could value the company at as much as US$1.5bn but management has said that it is considering all options to grow the company including an IPO. Carousel this year appointed a former Razer Inc (1337 HK) executive Edwin Chan as its CFO. Chan oversaw a gaming hardware company’s public listing in Hong Kong in 2017. We see this company as one of the most ESG-friendly investments available given its exposure to the circular economy.

Carousell - Champion of the Circular Economy

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Index Rebalance

In this weeks recap, we look at:<ul>
<li>the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/santos-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:711:1" rel="noopener">Santos Ltd (STO AU)</a> / <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/oil-search-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:773:1" rel="noopener">Oil Search Ltd (OSH AU)</a> merger and the impact on the S&amp;P/ASX 100 and <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>the spread on the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12:1" rel="noopener">Keppel Corp (KEP SP)</a> / <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> deal and potential index flows</li>
<li>the listing of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hyundai-heavy-industries-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33808:1" rel="noopener">Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180 KS)</a> and the potential Fast Entry into the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/korea-stock-exchange-kospi-200-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26021:1" rel="noopener">Korea Stock Exchange Kospi 200 Index (KOSPI2 INDEX)</a> </li>
<li>the potential changes to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/stock-exchange-of-thailand-set-50-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31493:1" rel="noopener">Stock Exchange of Thailand SET 50 Index (SET50 INDEX)</a> at the December rebalance</li>
<li>the potential changes to the <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 (HSTECH INDEX)</a> at the December rebalance</li>
<li>the potential changes to the Hang Seng Composite Index (HSCI) at the December and March rebalances</li>
</ul>There are no major index events in the coming week - there were enough in the last week!There were substantial inflows to onshore China ETFs in the last week, while there was finally an outflow (albeit a small one) from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kraneshares-csi-china-internet-fund" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28208:1" rel="noopener">KraneShares CSI China Internet Fund (KWEB US)</a>.

In this weeks recap, we look at:
the Santos Ltd (STO AU) / Oil Search Ltd (OSH AU) merger and the impact on the S&amp;P/ASX 100 and S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) 
the spread on the Keppel Corp (KEP SP) / Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) deal and potential index flows
the listing of Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180 KS) and the potential Fast Entry into the Korea Stock Exchange Kospi 200 Index (KOSPI2 INDEX) 
the potential changes to the Stock Exchange of Thailand SET 50 Index (SET50 INDEX) at the December rebalance
the potential changes to the Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH INDEX) at the December rebalance
the potential changes to the Hang Seng Composite Index (HSCI) at the December and March rebalances
There are no major index events in the coming week - there were enough in the last week!There were substantial inflows to onshore China ETFs in the last week, while there was finally an outflow (albeit a small one) from KraneShares CSI China Internet Fund (KWEB US). 

Index Rebalance & ETF Flow Recap: STO/OSH, KEP/SPH, HHI, SET50, HSTECH, HSCI

Event-Driven

On 30 March, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> announced that it was undergoing a strategic review to consider options for its various businesses. On 6 May, the company announced that it would be transferring its media business to a not-for-profit entity.Then, on 2 August, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12:1" rel="noopener">Keppel Corp (KEP SP)</a> announced that it was proposing to acquire <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> ex the media business and then delist and privatise SPH. Under the terms of the Scheme, for each share of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> held, shareholders will receive cash of S$0.668, 0.596 units of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:192:1" rel="noopener">Keppel REIT (KREIT SP)</a> and 0.782 units of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sph-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5994:1" rel="noopener">SPH REIT (SPHREIT SP)</a>.The offer valued <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> at S$2.0987/share (a 11.63% premium to the close of S$1.88/share for SPH) using the closing prices for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:192:1" rel="noopener">Keppel REIT (KREIT SP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sph-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5994:1" rel="noopener">SPH REIT (SPHREIT SP)</a>. Since then, the offer value has dropped to S$2.0507/share while <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> has moved higher to S$1.94/share.On 10 September, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> shareholders voted in favour of the spin-off of the media business. This paves the way for the next EGM and Scheme Meeting where <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> shareholders will vote on the proposed privatisation by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12:1" rel="noopener">Keppel Corp (KEP SP)</a>.<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> still trades at a 5.4% discount to the offer value and is lower from the 3.1% discount at the close on 31 August. With around 3 months to go before the privatisation is complete (if voted through), there is good value is arbitraging the spread.

On 30 March, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) announced that it was undergoing a strategic review to consider options for its various businesses. On 6 May, the company announced that it would be transferring its media business to a not-for-profit entity.Then, on 2 August, Keppel Corp (KEP SP) announced that it was proposing to acquire Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) ex the media business and then delist and privatise SPH. Under the terms of the Scheme, for each share of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) held, shareholders will receive cash of S$0.668, 0.596 units of Keppel REIT (KREIT SP) and 0.782 units of SPH REIT (SPHREIT SP).The offer valued Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) at S$2.0987/share (a 11.63% premium to the close of S$1.88/share for SPH) using the closing prices for Keppel REIT (KREIT SP) and SPH REIT (SPHREIT SP). Since then, the offer value has dropped to S$2.0507/share while Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) has moved higher to S$1.94/share.On 10 September, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) shareholders voted in favour of the spin-off of the media business. This paves the way for the next EGM and Scheme Meeting where Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) shareholders will vote on the proposed privatisation by Keppel Corp (KEP SP).Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) still trades at a 5.4% discount to the offer value and is lower from the 3.1% discount at the close on 31 August. With around 3 months to go before the privatisation is complete (if voted through), there is good value is arbitraging the spread.

Keppel Corp / SPH: One Step Closer to Privatisation

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Last Week in Event SPACE: Shinsei Bank, Hongkong Land, SOHO China, Bank Rakyat, Oil Search, JCNC

Travis Lundy

On Friday 9 September, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> shareholders voted to approve the Media Business Spinoff and the Proposed Restructuring which will allow SPH to spin off the various media assets and some supporting assets it has heretofore controlled into a new non-profit Company Limited by Guarantee.The idea is that the "lifting" of the restrictions of the Newspaper Printing and Presses Act (“NPPA”) would then provide SPH "with greater financial flexibility to tailor its capital and shareholding structure to unlock and maximise value for all shareholders."As discussed first in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/singapore-press-own-time-own-target-restructuring-lor-come-i-clap-for-you" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:51141" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Own Time Own Target Restructuring Lor... (Come I Clap For You)</a>, the upside did not seem huge. A few months later SPH decided that the rest of the business would be taken over by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12:1" rel="noopener">Keppel Corp (KEP SP)</a> in return for a basket of cash, units of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sph-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5994:1" rel="noopener">SPH REIT (SPHREIT SP)</a> and units in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:192:1" rel="noopener">Keppel REIT (KREIT SP)</a>. This was discussed in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/alamak-sph-restructuring-restructured-as-keppel-bo-jios-sph-holders" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:55370" rel="noopener">Alamak! SPH Restructuring Restructured as Keppel Bo Jios SPH Holders</a>, and at that, the upside did not seem huge. The price jumped from a div-adjusted S$1.88/share before the Keppel news to S$1.92/unit to close some of the gap. The remaining spread is now quite small at a bit less than 10cts on a forward div-adjusted basis, or about 5%.<section class="figure"><figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/229/249/original/Screenshot+2021-09-11+at+2.04.22+PM.png?1631340279" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="229249"></figure></section>From the day before the Keppel announcement until now, the value of the non-cash portion of the Consideration (i.e. the 0.596 units of KREIT and the 0.782 units of SPH REIT) have fallen 2.55% in value while the value of an equal weighted Peer Basket of REITs has fallen 2.45%. That tells you that despite the first-day drop in the value of SPH REIT and Keppel REIT resulting from market participants' expectation that hedging pressure on those two REITs would cause them to underperform the market, the underperformance has been minimal. I expect the high cost of borrow and relative illiquidity of S-REITs has limited the appeal of the arb to arbitrageurs.Now we wait for the EGM to approve the distribution of SPH REIT units and the Scheme Meeting to dispose of the SPH business in return for KREIT units and cash. That should happen in the October/November timeframe.In the meantime, we check progress of the arb, and what the value of the Consideration is compared to a comparable Peer Basket.

On Friday 9 September, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) shareholders voted to approve the Media Business Spinoff and the Proposed Restructuring which will allow SPH to spin off the various media assets and some supporting assets it has heretofore controlled into a new non-profit Company Limited by Guarantee.The idea is that the "lifting" of the restrictions of the Newspaper Printing and Presses Act (“NPPA”) would then provide SPH "with greater financial flexibility to tailor its capital and shareholding structure to unlock and maximise value for all shareholders."As discussed first in Singapore Press Own Time Own Target Restructuring Lor... (Come I Clap For You), the upside did not seem huge. A few months later SPH decided that the rest of the business would be taken over by Keppel Corp (KEP SP) in return for a basket of cash, units of SPH REIT (SPHREIT SP) and units in Keppel REIT (KREIT SP). This was discussed in Alamak! SPH Restructuring Restructured as Keppel Bo Jios SPH Holders, and at that, the upside did not seem huge. The price jumped from a div-adjusted S$1.88/share before the Keppel news to S$1.92/unit to close some of the gap. The remaining spread is now quite small at a bit less than 10cts on a forward div-adjusted basis, or about 5%.From the day before the Keppel announcement until now, the value of the non-cash portion of the Consideration (i.e. the 0.596 units of KREIT and the 0.782 units of SPH REIT) have fallen 2.55% in value while the value of an equal weighted Peer Basket of REITs has fallen 2.45%. That tells you that despite the first-day drop in the value of SPH REIT and Keppel REIT resulting from market participants' expectation that hedging pressure on those two REITs would cause them to underperform the market, the underperformance has been minimal. I expect the high cost of borrow and relative illiquidity of S-REITs has limited the appeal of the arb to arbitrageurs.Now we wait for the EGM to approve the distribution of SPH REIT units and the Scheme Meeting to dispose of the SPH business in return for KREIT units and cash. That should happen in the October/November timeframe.In the meantime, we check progress of the arb, and what the value of the Consideration is compared to a comparable Peer Basket.

SPH Shareholders Approve Spinoff - There's Still a Spread To Earn

Singapore

Singapore Press Holdings is a diversified company that primarily invests in and manages properties, including retail malls and student accommodation, and operates aged care facilities. It previously held a significant media business, publishing newspapers, magazines, and books across various platforms. The company was founded in Singapore on August 4, 1984, with its headquarters in Singapore.

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Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)

Carousell - Champion of the Circular Economy

Carousell is South-East Asia's largest classifieds marketplace which recently entered the uniform club with a valuation of US$1.1bn. It is a unique...

Angus Mackintosh

Index Rebalance & ETF Flow Recap: STO/OSH, KEP/SPH, HHI, SET50, HSTECH, HSCI

This recap highlights Insights covering the index rebalance space in Asia as well as announcements that could result in index changes. We also look...

Brian Freitas

Keppel Corp / SPH: One Step Closer to Privatisation

SPH shareholders have voted in favour of the spin-off of the media business. This paves the way for the next EGM to vote on the privatisation by...

Brian Freitas

Last Week in Event SPACE: Shinsei Bank, Hongkong Land, SOHO China, Bank Rakyat, Oil Search, JCNC

The weekend is here! Pour yourself a coffee, grab a comfortable seat, and sift through a brief summary of insights on various events discussed...

David Blennerhassett

SPH Shareholders Approve Spinoff - There's Still a Spread To Earn

SPH shareholders approve the Media Biz spinoff, now there are ~4mos left until payout (assuming EGM/Scheme Mtg in Oct/Nov gives the thumbs up)....

Travis Lundy

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