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Daily Brief ESG: The Essence of the Matter Is the Low Return on Cash Flow Generated by the Company’s Business and more

By | Daily Briefs, ESG

In today’s briefing:

  • The Essence of the Matter Is the Low Return on Cash Flow Generated by the Company’s Business
  • Genting Berhad – ESG Report – Lucror Analytics
  • Huhtamaki – ESG Report – Lucror Analytics


The Essence of the Matter Is the Low Return on Cash Flow Generated by the Company’s Business

By Aki Matsumoto

  • It’s necessary to clearly present cash allocation policy to investors and communicate with them, but unless this policy is convincing and feasible, investors cannot envision an increase in corporate value.
  • Companies that use ROE or ROIC as KPIs and disclose their cost of capital are still limited. The low return on cash flow may be the reason behind this.
  • As TOPIX is correlating more rapidly with nominal GDP than with P/B after 2020, there’s increasing need to communicate to investors that free cash flow will grow through cash allocation.

Genting Berhad – ESG Report – Lucror Analytics

By Leonard Law, CFA

Lucror Analytics’ ESG Scores are based on a 3-tiered scale and are adjusted for Controversies (if applicable).
We assess Genting Berhad’s ESG as “Adequate”, in line with its Environmental, Social and Governance scores. Controversies are “Immaterial” and Disclosure is “Adequate”.


Huhtamaki – ESG Report – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

Lucror Analytics’ ESG Scores are based on a 3-tiered scale and are adjusted for Controversies (if applicable).
We assess Huhtamaki’s ESG as “Adequate”, in line with its Social pillar, while the Environmental and Governance pillars scored “Strong”. Controversies are “Immaterial” and Disclosure is “Strong”.


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Daily Brief ECM: Doosan Robotics IPO – The Positives – More than Doubled Its Revenue and more

By | Daily Briefs, ECM

In today’s briefing:

  • Doosan Robotics IPO – The Positives – More than Doubled Its Revenue
  • VNG: Potential US Listing with the First Vietnamese “VIE” Structure
  • Doosan Robotics IPO Valuation Analysis
  • Millie’s Library IPO Analysis
  • Doosan Robotics IPO – The Negatives – But Losses Continue to Widen
  • Tuhu Car Pre-IPO PHIP Updates – Initially Looking for Growth, Now Searching for Profits
  • SF Holding HK IPO = A Drive to ‘Internationalize’ | Exposure Update | Recent Deals | New Comp Group


Doosan Robotics IPO – The Positives – More than Doubled Its Revenue

By Ethan Aw

  • Doosan Robotics (DOOSANROBO KS) is looking to raise up to US$314m in its Korean IPO. 
  • Doosan Robotics (DR) manufactures and sells collaborative robots (Cobots). The firm’s product portfolio primarily includes different series of robot arms as well as its coffee module 
  • In this note, we will talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

VNG: Potential US Listing with the First Vietnamese “VIE” Structure

By Alec Tseung

  • Vietnam’s tech giant, VNG, filed for US listing last week (valuation TBC).
  • Given the country’s current foreign ownership restriction, the listing will be done via an offshore entity that effectively controls the company through contractual agreements.
  • Investors should be aware of the risk, esp. after previous market concerns surrounding Chinese tech companies’ VIE structure.

Doosan Robotics IPO Valuation Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • Our base case valuation per share of Doosan Robotics is 42,826 won, which is 65% higher than the high end of the IPO valuation range. 
  • We estimate Doosan Robotics to generate sales of 61.7 billion won (up 37.2% YoY) in 2023 and 97.7 billion won (up 58.2% YoY) in 2024. 
  • If Doosan Robotics is compared to Fanuc, Doosan Robotics’ valuation would be much lower. However, one could argue that Doosan Robotics should have higher valuation than Rainbow Robotics.

Millie’s Library IPO Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • Millie’s Library is trying to complete its IPO again in September 2023, after a failed attempt in November 2022. The IPO price range is from 20,000 won to 23,000 won.
  • Founded in 2016, Millie’s Library is a reading platform company that introduced the first monthly e-book subscription service in Korea in October 2017. 
  • Our valuation analysis suggests base case target price of 31,769 won per share, which is 38% higher than the high end of the IPO price range of 23,000 won.

Doosan Robotics IPO – The Negatives – But Losses Continue to Widen

By Ethan Aw

  • Doosan Robotics (DOOSANROBO KS) is looking to raise up to US$314m in its Korean IPO. 
  • Doosan Robotics (DR) manufactures and sells collaborative robots (Cobots). The firm’s product portfolio primarily includes different series of robot arms as well as its coffee module. 
  • In this note, we will talk about the not-so-positive aspects of the deal.

Tuhu Car Pre-IPO PHIP Updates – Initially Looking for Growth, Now Searching for Profits

By Clarence Chu

  • Tuhu Car (2007986D HK) is looking to raise up to US$300m in its upcoming Hong Kong IPO. 
  • Tuhu is an integrated online and offline platform for automotive services in China.
  • We have looked at the firm’s past performance in earlier notes. In this note, we discuss the PHIP updates.

SF Holding HK IPO = A Drive to ‘Internationalize’ | Exposure Update | Recent Deals | New Comp Group

By Daniel Hellberg

  • SF Holding’s HK listing document provides added details of current international revenue 
  • Two recent moves show SF’s intent to raise international sales (and reduce China exposure)
  • As SF Holding courts a global investor base, its comps will become the global express names

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Daily Brief Thematic (Sector/Industry): Ohayo Japan| Equities Start on a Positive Note; JAPAN X: Idemitsu Ramps Up for Solid State Batteries and more

By | Daily Briefs, Thematic (Sector/Industry)

In today’s briefing:

  • Ohayo Japan| Equities Start on a Positive Note; JAPAN X: Idemitsu Ramps Up for Solid State Batteries
  • US Small Banks – New HFD Shows 76% of New Loans Are CRE in Recent Week | CRE Loans at 2.9x Capital
  • [Blue Lotus Sector Update]: In Solar PV Winners Go to One Who Count the Pennies
  • China TMT Update-Bili/XPEV/DiDi/SE/PDD-Xpeng Acquire DiDi’s EV Project/Temu Enters the Philippines
  • The Highlights – Cannabis News for the Week Ending August 25, 2023


Ohayo Japan| Equities Start on a Positive Note; JAPAN X: Idemitsu Ramps Up for Solid State Batteries

By Mark Chadwick

  • OVERSEAS: US Equities start on a postive note with SPX, NDX, SOX all gaining; 10/11 SPX sectors rose; Tech lead as US Yields Fell; China Stocks Surged on Govt Measures
  • JAPAN: NKY Futures +0.4% vs Cash; USDJPY 146.5; NKY records strongest day in Aug; JP Retail turn net buyers; Companies Make promises to boost share px; H2A Rocket Launch Delayed
  • JAPAN X:  Idemitsu Kosan Prepares for All-Solid-State Battery Era with Production Boost. All is is being driven by Toyota-which is leading to way to commercialization of solid state batteries.

US Small Banks – New HFD Shows 76% of New Loans Are CRE in Recent Week | CRE Loans at 2.9x Capital

By Daniel Tabbush

  • HFD for US small banks shows USD2.6bn new CRE loans in week vs USD3.4bn new total loans
  • US small banks have CRE loans at 2.9x capital vs 2.5x in recent periods and less provisions
  • Large term deposits are up from 8.5% to 14.2% of loans from trough to most recent week

[Blue Lotus Sector Update]: In Solar PV Winners Go to One Who Count the Pennies

By Shawn Yang

  • The biggest debate in solar PV technology today is the rapid adoption of N-type solar cells (TopCon), championed by Jinko, vs. the cautious approach… 
  • To prolong the life cycle of the current P-type solar cell (PERC), purposely represented by LONGi; We believe this division is misleading.
  • LONGi’s strategy is far from simply squeeze out the last penny of PERC. We believe it represents a new thinking trying to set LONGi apart of the old investment logic.

China TMT Update-Bili/XPEV/DiDi/SE/PDD-Xpeng Acquire DiDi’s EV Project/Temu Enters the Philippines

By Shawn Yang

  • Bilibili has announced the latest incentive policies for the “Spark Program.”
  • XPEV/DiDi: Xpeng to acquire DiDi’s Smart EV project and establish strategic partnership with DiDi (+/+)
  • SE / PDD: Temu enters the Philippines ( – / +)

The Highlights – Cannabis News for the Week Ending August 25, 2023

By Water Tower Research

  • NVIDIA ended the week -2.02% but is still +215.02% YTD.
  • It was a quiet week for cannabis stocks and the US cannabis MSOS ETF drifted 1.21% lower.
  • Curaleaf (CSE: CURA, OTCQX: CURLF) +3.94% and MariMed (CSE: MRMD, OTCQX: MRMD) +3.30% were among the bright spots, while Ascend (CSE: AAWH, OTCQX: AAWH) -13.14% was hit hard again this week.

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Daily Brief Credit: Greentown China – Earnings Flash – H1 FY 2023 Results – Lucror Analytics and more

By | Credit, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • Greentown China – Earnings Flash – H1 FY 2023 Results – Lucror Analytics
  • Morning Views Asia: Yanlord Land
  • Yuexiu Property – Earnings Flash – H1 FY 2023 Results – Lucror Analytics


Greentown China – Earnings Flash – H1 FY 2023 Results – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

Greentown China has released H1/23 results that were in line with expectations. Contracted sales rose 16% y-o-y, driven by higher ASP (+19%), but offset to a degree by less GFA sold (-1%). The company added CNY 57 bn saleable resources with total GFA of 2.57 mn sqm. Revenue fell 12% to CNY 57 bn, primarily due to a CNY 7.9 bn slide in revenue from property development. Gross profit also decreased 12% to CNY 9.92 bn, with a largely stable margin (16% vs. 16.5% in H1/22).

We believe Greentown will continue its strategy of clearing inventories and delivering homes through H2/23. The company’s ability to deleverage will be impacted by the scale of its land acquisitions. In this regard, Greentown could expend up to 40% of its sales proceeds on acquisitions. That said, the level may be tempered by any further deterioration in the residential housing market.


Morning Views Asia: Yanlord Land

By Charles Macgregor

Lucror Analytics Morning Views comprise our fundamental credit analysis, opinions and trade recommendations on high yield issuers in the region, based on key company-specific developments in the past 24 hours. Our Morning Views include a section with a brief market commentary, key market indicators and a macroeconomic and corporate event calendar.


Yuexiu Property – Earnings Flash – H1 FY 2023 Results – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

Yuexiu Property’s (YXP) H1/23 results were largely in line with expectations. Overall revenue climbed 2.6% y-o-y to CNY 32.1 bn, driven by strong growth in property management, rental income and real estate agency & decoration services. However, sales from property development remained stagnant at CNY 29.8 bn (H1/22: CNY 29.8 bn). The company encountered ongoing margin pressure, largely due to falling profits and margins for the property development business, which we believe is in line with the overall industry trend.

We note positively YXP’s CNY 221 bn in unrecognised sales, which could have positive implications for steady revenue growth in the near to medium term. The company appears to have resilient access to capital markets. Liquidity was boosted as at end-June 2023, by a c. 39% y-o-y increase in cash to CNY 30.3 bn. The debt structure improved, with exposure to ST debt narrowing to 12% of total debt.

The 2023 notes are trading near par (yielding 7-8%). The YUEXIU 2.8 26 are quoted at c. 90.6 (yielding 6.9-7.2%), while the 2031 notes are trading at c. 80 (yielding c. 7.5%). We view the pricing as fair, and maintain our “Hold” recommendation on the YUEXIU curve given the current weak market technicals.


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Daily Brief Australia: CommsChoice Group Ltd and more

By | Australia, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • Comms Group Limited – Growth While Continuing to Invest Globally


Comms Group Limited – Growth While Continuing to Invest Globally

By Research as a Service (RaaS)

  • Comms Group Ltd (ASX:CCG) has reported FY23 earnings and provided a more detailed and narrower range for both revenue and EBITDA guidance in FY24.
  • The result was largely in-line with expectations and with guidance already provided.
  • Revenue increased 27% and adjusted EBITDA ~17% as the onPlatinum acquisition contributed for a full 12-months and investment was made in the Global business for future growth. 

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Daily Brief Event-Driven: China: Huge ETF Inflows & Impact on Stocks and more

By | Daily Briefs, Event-Driven

In today’s briefing:

  • China: Huge ETF Inflows & Impact on Stocks
  • Positioning for the Timing of HLB, the Latest Target in the KOSDAQ Exodus
  • StubWorld: China Conch Plumbs New Lows
  • KOSPI200 Index Rebalance Preview: Increasing Number of Changes in December
  • Vingroup: VinFast’s Valuation Makes No Sense
  • Seven & I: An Update on Investor Activism
  • EQD | Nikkei 225 (NKY) Rising but for How Long?
  • Quiddity Leaderboard ES50 Sep 23: US$1.3bn Flow for Ferrari Likely; Announcement Soon
  • EQT/SUSE: Terms and Spread


China: Huge ETF Inflows & Impact on Stocks

By Brian Freitas

  • Nearly US$20bn has flowed into mainland China listed ETFs since 18 July and could be driven by the National Team supporting the market.
  • Most of the inflows have been focused on large cap indices including CSI 300, STAR50, CSI 500, SSE50, ChiNext and other sectoral and thematic ETFs.
  • The largest impact has been on the SSE STAR50 (STAR50 INDEX) constituents, but that has not stopped the slide in the stocks.

Positioning for the Timing of HLB, the Latest Target in the KOSDAQ Exodus

By Sanghyun Park

  • HLB’s process of selecting a lead underwriter for the KOSPI listing has been witnessed in Yeouido.
  • The price impact becomes most evident on the board approval date as the point at which this impact is most pronounced is substantially accelerated due to the market’s learning effect.
  • There is a strong likelihood that HLB will have its board decision by mid-September, necessitating our preparation for a position setup targeting this timing.

StubWorld: China Conch Plumbs New Lows

By David Blennerhassett


KOSPI200 Index Rebalance Preview: Increasing Number of Changes in December

By Brian Freitas

  • Nearly two-thirds of the way through the review period, we see nine potential changes for the Korea Stock Exchange KOSPI 200 (KOSPI2 INDEX) at the December rebalance.
  • The potential adds are dominated by the Materials sector while the potential deletions are mainly from the Consumer Discretionary sector.
  • The impact on the potential inclusion ranges from 0.14-12 days of ADV while the impact on the potential deletions varies from 3.1-30 days of ADV.

Vingroup: VinFast’s Valuation Makes No Sense

By David Blennerhassett


Seven & I: An Update on Investor Activism

By Oshadhi Kumarasiri

  • Sogo & Seibu’s labor union threatens strike if job protection talks stall. This emphasizes the number of considerations Seven & I Holdings (3382 JP) had to consider during changes.
  • Had ValueAct shown more patience, they might have worked with Seven & I to improve the struggling Eto Yokado supermarkets business.
  • Thus, ValueAct’s investor activism campaign seem unlikely to achieve a full restructuring of underperforming businesses at Seven & I.

EQD | Nikkei 225 (NKY) Rising but for How Long?

By Nico Rosti

  • Rebound on Nikkei 225 INDEX may not last for long, 2-3 weeks tops, it will encounter resistance no later than mid of September (most unfavorable month for stocks gains).
  • Resistance levels to watch vary, depending on number of weeks up. For this week and the next, a new pullback could start from 32476 and 32817.
  • If the index goes =>33000, it means it is rallying and will not correct into September, the rally then could last into October.

Quiddity Leaderboard ES50 Sep 23: US$1.3bn Flow for Ferrari Likely; Announcement Soon

By Janaghan Jeyakumar, CFA

  • The ES50 Index is one of the most highly-tracked indices in mainland Europe and the annual index review takes place in September.
  • The index changes will be confirmed after the close on 1st September 2023.
  • In this insight, we take a final look the names leading the race to become ADDs/DELs for the upcoming index review.

EQT/SUSE: Terms and Spread

By Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

  • EQT offers €16/share to delist SUSE (SUSE GR) (split into consideration and interim dividend) and merge it into a Luxembourg SA. On 24 August, EQT published the offer document.
  • There will be no squeeze-out. The multiples offered (4.8x EV/NTM Fwd Revenue, 14x EV/Fwd NTM EBITDA, source: IBES) are generally consistent with European software companies.
  • With the stock trading at a 3% gross spread, I see limited upside from here and no interloper risk. Annualised spread is 33.4%. Long and tender.

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Daily Brief Singapore: OCBC, CompAsia, Sembcorp Industries, Yanlord Land and more

By | Daily Briefs, Singapore

In today’s briefing:

  • Singapore Stocks Poised to Book Net Institutional Inflows in August
  • Malaysian Recommerce Startup CompAsia Rakes in Series A Funding Led by Gobi Partners
  • QAF, JEP and Sinostar PEC directors acquire more stocks over the week
  • Morning Views Asia: Yanlord Land


Singapore Stocks Poised to Book Net Institutional Inflows in August

By Geoff Howie

  • Singapore stocks have booked net institutional fund inflow for three consecutive weeks ending 25 August.
  • With four trading sessions for the month remaining, August is poised to be the first month local stocks have booked net inflows since Nov 2022.
  • Back in November 2022, UOB posted a 12.4% return and booked the highest net institutional inflow in the Singapore stock market for that month with S$306 million of net inflow.

Malaysian Recommerce Startup CompAsia Rakes in Series A Funding Led by Gobi Partners

By e27

  • Malaysia’s integrated re-commerce startup CompAsia has secured an undisclosed sum in a Series A investment round led by Gobi Partners.
  • This capital will help the startup expand across various touchpoints, bolstering human resources, training, and operational capabilities.
  • Additionally, the funds will be instrumental in optimising the firm’s digital assets and marketing strategies, specifically focusing on penetrating new markets like the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia.

QAF, JEP and Sinostar PEC directors acquire more stocks over the week

By Geoff Howie

  • Share buybacks by primary listed companies 18 – 24 Aug 2023 UOB led the share buyback consideration tally, buying back 360,000 shares at an average price of S$27.93 per share, followed by Sembcorp Industries which bought back 1,095,000 shares at an average price of S$5.35 per share.
  • Between Aug 17 and Aug 23, QAF joint group managing director and executive director Lin Kejian acquired 1,586,000 shares at an average price of S$0.80 per share.

Morning Views Asia: Yanlord Land

By Charles Macgregor

Lucror Analytics Morning Views comprise our fundamental credit analysis, opinions and trade recommendations on high yield issuers in the region, based on key company-specific developments in the past 24 hours. Our Morning Views include a section with a brief market commentary, key market indicators and a macroeconomic and corporate event calendar.


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Daily Brief Equity Bottom-Up: NVIDIA. Revenue On Track For 2.7x YoY Growth in Q3’CY23 and more

By | Daily Briefs, Equity Bottom-Up

In today’s briefing:

  • NVIDIA. Revenue On Track For 2.7x YoY Growth in Q3’CY23
  • IHH Healthcare (IHH MK): Recent Acquisitions Are Positive for Future Growth; Strong 1Q23 Performance
  • China Merchants Bank – New Results: Property Dev. NPLs at 5.5% from 4.1%…  25% Lower Credit Costs
  • PT Nippon Indosari Corpindo (ROTI IJ) – Increasingly Oven Ready
  • New Relic Takeover Valuation Analysis: The Buyout Price Looks Reasonable
  • Merck & Co. Inc.: Setting New Standards in Oncology & Pneumococcal Immunization! – Major Drivers
  • Pinterest Inc.: Embracing Challenges and Emerging as a Dominant Force in Digital Landscape! – Major Drivers
  • Paycom Software Inc.: Sustaining High Margins Amidst Rapid Expansion! – Major Drivers
  • Howmet Aerospace Inc.: 3 Factors Powering Its Dynamic Growth Trajectory Despite Strikes and Supply Chain Hurdles! – Major Drivers
  • Singapore Stocks Poised to Book Net Institutional Inflows in August


NVIDIA. Revenue On Track For 2.7x YoY Growth in Q3’CY23

By William Keating

  • NVIDIA Q2’CY23 revenues of $13.51 billion, up 88% QoQ, up 101% YoY, blowing way past the $11 billion guidance midpoint.
  • Current quarter revenue is expected to be $16.00 billion. This will be a roughly 2.7x increase YoY 
  • Are we in the middle of witnessing a bubble of dot.com era proportions?

IHH Healthcare (IHH MK): Recent Acquisitions Are Positive for Future Growth; Strong 1Q23 Performance

By Tina Banerjee

  • IHH Healthcare (IHH MK) will acquire remaining stake in Indian hospital chain operator Ravindranath GE Medical Associates for RM415M. The transaction is expected to close by 4Q23.
  • IHH is acquiring Bedrock Healthcare for RM245M. Bedrock operates 82-bed hospital in the Malaysian state of Sarawak and has earmarked a vacant land for the construction of a 200-bed hospital.
  • In 1Q23, IHH reported highest ever quarterly revenue of RM5.1B, representing 24% YoY growth on higher patient volume across key markets. Net income nearly triples to RM1.4B.

China Merchants Bank – New Results: Property Dev. NPLs at 5.5% from 4.1%…  25% Lower Credit Costs

By Daniel Tabbush

  • New results detail from CMB shows divergence with credit quality and actual credit costs
  • The bank saw its credit costs decline 25% YoY despite higher Loss and Doubtful Loans YoY
  • Property development NPLs surged from 4.1% to 5.5% at 1H23 HoH, to RMB19.6bn in total

PT Nippon Indosari Corpindo (ROTI IJ) – Increasingly Oven Ready

By Angus Mackintosh

  • PT Nippon Indosari Corpindo (ROTI IJ) booked a strong profit performance in 2Q2023 despite slower sales growth, as return rates normalised and raw material and packaging prices stabilised further. 
  • Sales to Modern Trade led the way in 2Q2023 as post-pandemic consumption habits shifted to those formats, whilst General Trade saw pressure as hawkers and warung owners took holidays
  • ROTI should continue to benefit from lower input costs together with a normalisation of its General Trade Business plus productivity is set to improve markedly in 2H2023.

New Relic Takeover Valuation Analysis: The Buyout Price Looks Reasonable

By Andrei Zakharov

  • Following takeover rumors surrounding New Relic Inc (NEWR US) , private equity firms finally agreed to acquire a US-based low-cost observability provider for ~$6.5B.
  • American private equity firm Francisco Partners and global alternative asset manager TPG offered $87 per New Relic Inc (NEWR US) share in an all-cash transaction.
  • The New Relic Inc (NEWR US) Board of Directors approved the buyout deal, and is expected to close in late 2023 or early 2024.

Merck & Co. Inc.: Setting New Standards in Oncology & Pneumococcal Immunization! – Major Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • Merck delivered an all-around beat in the quarter, making excellent strides in advancing compelling science that will contribute to meeting the world’s most critical unmet medical needs.
  • Concerning their research organization, Merck’s encouraging late-stage pipeline keeps proving beneficial for patients with a wide spectrum of ailments.
  • In oncology, Merck highlighted information from ASCO’s extensive pipeline, including evidence for KEYTRUDA in lung cancer that is in an earlier stage.

Pinterest Inc.: Embracing Challenges and Emerging as a Dominant Force in Digital Landscape! – Major Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • Pinterest delivered an all-around beat in the most recent quarterly result.
  • The company’s strategic focus on core differentiators and visual discovery led to increased user engagement and expansion of the user base.
  • Despite challenges in the advertising environment, Pinterest achieved consistent year-on-year revenue growth and margin expansion.

Paycom Software Inc.: Sustaining High Margins Amidst Rapid Expansion! – Major Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • Paycom Software managed to exceed analyst expectations in terms of revenue and earnings.
  • The company’s initiative to simplify clients’ experiences was evident by introducing tools like Everyday and the Client Action Center.
  • As Paycom continues to execute its strategies and capitalize on its expanding market opportunities, its potential for sustained success remains promising.

Howmet Aerospace Inc.: 3 Factors Powering Its Dynamic Growth Trajectory Despite Strikes and Supply Chain Hurdles! – Major Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • Howmet Aerospace delivered an all-around beat in the most recent quarterly result.
  • Revenues showed significant year-over-year and sequential growth, with a notable highlight in the commercial aerospace sector.
  • Moreover, Howmet maintained a healthy cash balance and generated robust free cash flow.

Singapore Stocks Poised to Book Net Institutional Inflows in August

By Geoff Howie

  • Singapore stocks have booked net institutional fund inflow for three consecutive weeks ending 25 August.
  • With four trading sessions for the month remaining, August is poised to be the first month local stocks have booked net inflows since Nov 2022.
  • Back in November 2022, UOB posted a 12.4% return and booked the highest net institutional inflow in the Singapore stock market for that month with S$306 million of net inflow.

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Daily Brief South Korea: HLB Inc, Tcc Steel, Doosan Robotics, Millie’s Library and more

By | Daily Briefs, South Korea

In today’s briefing:

  • Positioning for the Timing of HLB, the Latest Target in the KOSDAQ Exodus
  • KOSPI200 Index Rebalance Preview: Increasing Number of Changes in December
  • Doosan Robotics IPO – The Positives – More than Doubled Its Revenue
  • Doosan Robotics IPO Valuation Analysis
  • Millie’s Library IPO Analysis
  • Doosan Robotics IPO – The Negatives – But Losses Continue to Widen


Positioning for the Timing of HLB, the Latest Target in the KOSDAQ Exodus

By Sanghyun Park

  • HLB’s process of selecting a lead underwriter for the KOSPI listing has been witnessed in Yeouido.
  • The price impact becomes most evident on the board approval date as the point at which this impact is most pronounced is substantially accelerated due to the market’s learning effect.
  • There is a strong likelihood that HLB will have its board decision by mid-September, necessitating our preparation for a position setup targeting this timing.

KOSPI200 Index Rebalance Preview: Increasing Number of Changes in December

By Brian Freitas

  • Nearly two-thirds of the way through the review period, we see nine potential changes for the Korea Stock Exchange KOSPI 200 (KOSPI2 INDEX) at the December rebalance.
  • The potential adds are dominated by the Materials sector while the potential deletions are mainly from the Consumer Discretionary sector.
  • The impact on the potential inclusion ranges from 0.14-12 days of ADV while the impact on the potential deletions varies from 3.1-30 days of ADV.

Doosan Robotics IPO – The Positives – More than Doubled Its Revenue

By Ethan Aw

  • Doosan Robotics (DOOSANROBO KS) is looking to raise up to US$314m in its Korean IPO. 
  • Doosan Robotics (DR) manufactures and sells collaborative robots (Cobots). The firm’s product portfolio primarily includes different series of robot arms as well as its coffee module 
  • In this note, we will talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Doosan Robotics IPO Valuation Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • Our base case valuation per share of Doosan Robotics is 42,826 won, which is 65% higher than the high end of the IPO valuation range. 
  • We estimate Doosan Robotics to generate sales of 61.7 billion won (up 37.2% YoY) in 2023 and 97.7 billion won (up 58.2% YoY) in 2024. 
  • If Doosan Robotics is compared to Fanuc, Doosan Robotics’ valuation would be much lower. However, one could argue that Doosan Robotics should have higher valuation than Rainbow Robotics.

Millie’s Library IPO Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • Millie’s Library is trying to complete its IPO again in September 2023, after a failed attempt in November 2022. The IPO price range is from 20,000 won to 23,000 won.
  • Founded in 2016, Millie’s Library is a reading platform company that introduced the first monthly e-book subscription service in Korea in October 2017. 
  • Our valuation analysis suggests base case target price of 31,769 won per share, which is 38% higher than the high end of the IPO price range of 23,000 won.

Doosan Robotics IPO – The Negatives – But Losses Continue to Widen

By Ethan Aw

  • Doosan Robotics (DOOSANROBO KS) is looking to raise up to US$314m in its Korean IPO. 
  • Doosan Robotics (DR) manufactures and sells collaborative robots (Cobots). The firm’s product portfolio primarily includes different series of robot arms as well as its coffee module. 
  • In this note, we will talk about the not-so-positive aspects of the deal.

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Daily Brief Macro: CX Daily: Why Fewer Criminal Appeals Cases Are Getting Heard in China and more

By | Daily Briefs, Macro

In today’s briefing:

  • CX Daily: Why Fewer Criminal Appeals Cases Are Getting Heard in China
  • Thailand : The Empire Strikes Back
  • The Week That Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Grab’s Win, ROTI Oven Ready, and Top Thai Picks
  • EUR Inflation Watch – It’s all about energy and food
  • M1 Nugget: European money growth = ouch!


CX Daily: Why Fewer Criminal Appeals Cases Are Getting Heard in China

By Caixin Global

  • Law /In Depth: Why fewer criminal appeals cases are getting heard in China
  • BRICS /: BRICS invites six nations to join as expansion moves into focus
  • Nuclear /: China suspends imports of all Japanese aquatic products

Thailand : The Empire Strikes Back

By Warut Promboon

  • Thailand has finally had Mr. Sretha Thavisin as the 30th Prime Minister (PM) of Thailand on 22-August.
  • The PTP decided to betray its voters to cross  the aisle to join the conservative side.
  • We believe the potential surge in the Thai stock performance should be the time to de-risk.

The Week That Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Grab’s Win, ROTI Oven Ready, and Top Thai Picks

By Angus Mackintosh


EUR Inflation Watch – It’s all about energy and food

By Andreas Steno

  • Hello everyone, and welcome back to our usual inflation outlook for the Euro Area inflation
  • The format will – as always – be short and sweet with loads of charts so you will be well prepared for the upcoming inflation report.
  • The HICP measure in Europe has already started turning deflationary in last month’s report for July (although typical in July due to NSA numbers), with Energy as the main driver on the back of falling Natural Gas prices.

M1 Nugget: European money growth = ouch!

By Andreas Steno

  • We track money growth notoriously at Steno Research and use the growth of money as a forward-looking guiding star for asset allocation.
  • We just received the latest monthly money trends from Europe and they look outright abysmal.
  • Money trends are now negative across M1, M2 and M3 on both a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis in Europe and trends are intensifying.

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Sign Up for Free

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