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Smartkarma Daily Briefs

Daily Brief TMT/Internet: Kokusai Electric , Shinko Electric Industries, Lotes Co, Microstrategy Inc Cl A, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), United Microelectron Sp Adr, Omnicom Group, Vanguard Intl Semiconductor and more

By | Daily Briefs, TMT/Internet

In today’s briefing:

  • Kokusai Electric (6525 JP): Lock-Up Expiry, Index Deletion, Index Inclusion – It’s All Happening
  • Shinko Electric (6967 JP): JIC’s Tender Offer on the Home Stretch
  • Taiwan: Potential Global Index Changes; Last Review Day Today
  • MicroStrategy (MSTR US): A Monetary Good Or Emperor’s New Clothes?
  • TSMC Order Cut Rumors: Keep Calm and Ignore the Rumors.
  • UMC (2303.TT; UMC.US): Earthquake Alters 1Q25 Outlook; 2025 Growth Expected to Low Single Digits YoY
  • United Microelectronics 4Q24 Results: Intel Partnership On Track and Is A Key Model for UMC’s Future
  • Omnicom and IPG Merger of $25.6B Combined Revenue: Market Reaction and Major US Index Implications
  • Tech Supply Chain Tracker (22-Jan-2025): Taiwan startup wins military deal for anti-drone tech.
  • Vanguard (5347.TT): 1Q25 Outlook Could See a Flat QoQ; Shipments for DDIC and PMIC Are Increasing.


Kokusai Electric (6525 JP): Lock-Up Expiry, Index Deletion, Index Inclusion – It’s All Happening

By Brian Freitas


Shinko Electric (6967 JP): JIC’s Tender Offer on the Home Stretch

By Arun George

  • Shinko Electric Industries (6967 JP)’s tender offer from a JIC alliance is at JPY5,920. Today’s update notes that JIC has satisfied the regulatory precondition. 
  • The tender offer is expected to commence in mid-February. The Board will continue to recommend it because it remains attractive. 
  • Deal fatigue (announced in December 2023) and Ibiden’s derating will nudge shareholders to accept. At the last close and for an end-of-March payment, the gross/annualised spread was 0.7%/3.9%.

Taiwan: Potential Global Index Changes; Last Review Day Today

By Brian Freitas

  • There could be 2 adds and 2 deletes for Taiwan in a global index in February. Today is the last trading day ahead of the CNY holidays.
  • Passive trackers will need to trade between US$76m to US$370m of the stocks and impact will vary between 3.2x-7x ADV to trade.
  • Shorts are small in the potential adds and there has been short covering recently, while there has been a big increase in shorts for one of the potential deletes.

MicroStrategy (MSTR US): A Monetary Good Or Emperor’s New Clothes?

By David Blennerhassett

  • Microstrategy Inc Cl A (MSTR US) has a market cap of US$97.7bn, an eye-watering 115% premium to its bitcoin holding of US$45.4bn. Before taking into account debt.
  • Investors are effectively dolling out $2+ for a $1 investment. And that investment is fuelled by new equity (shares are up 743% yoy) and debt. Perpetual preferred shares are next.
  • Sceptics are not in short supply. But neither are backers, such as Capital (7%), Vanguard (6.9%), Susquehanna, Norges and other, arguably, sophisticated players. Right now, the backers are winning.

TSMC Order Cut Rumors: Keep Calm and Ignore the Rumors.

By Nicolas Baratte

  • News or rumors of Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom cutting down CoWoS orders at TSMC have been flying around since last week (Taiwan media, some sell-side analysts).
  • TSMC guided for AI revenues doubling in 2025. Nvidia’s CEO clarified that CoWoS-S orders are declining because CoWoS-L is increasing. This transition has been known for over 1 year.
  • TSMC is converting CoWoS-S to L and adding capacity in Tainan Science Park phase 2 & 3. In 2024, CoWoS-L was ~10% of CoWoS output, increasing to 50-60% in 2025.

UMC (2303.TT; UMC.US): Earthquake Alters 1Q25 Outlook; 2025 Growth Expected to Low Single Digits YoY

By Patrick Liao

  • Shipment: expected to decrease by mid-single-digits QoQ ASP: Remains flat in USD/NTD appreciation may lead to decline for 1Q25 sales. 
  • UMC’s addressable market in 2025 will grow in the low-single-digits YoY, driven by a moderate recovery in consumer applications in mature nodes.  
  • 1Q25 consumer will grow QoQ thanks to higher DTV, DDI, Wi-Fi, and STB demand. Other applications will decline QoQ.

United Microelectronics 4Q24 Results: Intel Partnership On Track and Is A Key Model for UMC’s Future

By Vincent Fernando, CFA

  • UMC Misses 4Q24 Expectations — Gross Margin Dips with Flat QoQ Revenue
  • UMC Guides for 40% Reduction in Capex Budget — We Believe Signals Strategic Shift to Less Capex Intensive Business Model
  • Intel 12nm Partnership Remains on Track and is Key Business Model for Future; UMC Sees Improvement in Consumer Electronics Industry Inventories

Omnicom and IPG Merger of $25.6B Combined Revenue: Market Reaction and Major US Index Implications

By Harry Kalfas

  • The merger between Omnicom Group (OMC US) and Interpublic Group Of Companies (IPG US) aims to create a marketing powerhouse with $25.6 billion in revenue and $750 million in annual synergies.
  • Deal spread narrowed due to Omnicom’s price drop, signalling market caution over post-merger performance.
  • The merger’s close, expected in 2025, will impact major US indices on an intra-quarter basis.

Tech Supply Chain Tracker (22-Jan-2025): Taiwan startup wins military deal for anti-drone tech.

By Tech Supply Chain Tracker

  • Taiwan startup secures military contract for anti-drone tech, expanding manufacturing in mobile sector
  • Dixon sees phone sales spike, eyes display fab with India semiconductor incentive
  • Samsung delays DRAM development, CG Power granted subsidy for OSAT facility, Poland faces US sanctions, Taiwan quake impacts semiconductor production, ByteDance dominates AI chatbot market, Broadcom and Marvell compete in ASIC opportunities

Vanguard (5347.TT): 1Q25 Outlook Could See a Flat QoQ; Shipments for DDIC and PMIC Are Increasing.

By Patrick Liao

  • Usually, the 1st quarter of each year should show a decline for foundry companies, but Vanguard Intl Semiconductor (5347 TT)‘s 1Q25 results could be relatively flat quarter-over-quarter.  
  • Vanguard Intl Semiconductor (5347 TT)‘s demand for Display Driver IC (DDIC) is on the rise, surpassing the growth seen in Power Management IC (PMIC).
  • Despite the potential increase in shipments in 1Q25, the rise in lower-margin products, such as 8″ DDICs for large panels, is notable.

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Daily Brief Health Care: Odyssey Therapeutics, Achieve Life Sciences , CareCloud , Evaxion Biotech A/S, Scilex Holding and more

By | Daily Briefs, Healthcare

In today’s briefing:

  • Odyssey Therapeutics, Inc.(ODTX): Biotech Combating Ulcerative Colitis, or UC, Files for IPO
  • ACHV: Long-Term Exposure Requirement Complete
  • CCLD: Initiating Coverage of a Differentiated Technology-Led Business Solutions Provider Focused on the Healthcare Industry
  • EVAX: Share Ratio Adjustment
  • SCLX: 3Q Earnings Beat Estimates


Odyssey Therapeutics, Inc.(ODTX): Biotech Combating Ulcerative Colitis, or UC, Files for IPO

By IPO Boutique

  • Biotech seeking to transform the standard of care for patients suffering from autoimmune and inflammatory diseases filed its IPO on January 18th
  • Lead program, OD-07656, is currently in a Phase 2a monotherapy trial for ulcerative colitis
  • Potential IPO for Odyssey Therapeutics would be the first half of February

ACHV: Long-Term Exposure Requirement Complete

By Zacks Small Cap Research

  • Achieve Life Sciences is developing cytisinicline for use as a smoking cessation treatment in the United States and rest of world.
  • Topline results from ORCA-2 were reported in April 2022 and for ORCA-3 in May 2023.
  • Results exceeded expectations on safety & efficacy parameters.

CCLD: Initiating Coverage of a Differentiated Technology-Led Business Solutions Provider Focused on the Healthcare Industry

By Zacks Small Cap Research

  • CareCloud, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCLD) is a technology company providing key business solutions to healthcare providers including small practices, large physician groups, and hospitals across the U.S. The company’s platform includes Revenue Cycle Management (RCM), Electronic Health Records (EHR), Practice Management (PM), digital health, and other healthcare business solutions.
  • As of September 30, 2024, CCLD serviced approximately 40,000 providers across ~2,600 medical practices and hospitals.
  • The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in New Jersey.

EVAX: Share Ratio Adjustment

By Zacks Small Cap Research

  • EVAX is a clinical stage company that has proprietary AI models designed to more efficiently and more accurately target much-needed treatments.
  • The company has two streams of possible revenue: from the treatments themselves and from the licensing of the AI technology.
  • The company changed the ADS ratio from 1 ADS representing 10 ordinary shares to 1 ADS from 50 ordinary shares.

SCLX: 3Q Earnings Beat Estimates

By Zacks Small Cap Research

  • SCLX is filling a much-needed area of the health care sector, that of developing non-opioid pain relief products.
  • The company already has commercialized products that are proven to improve patients’ lives.
  • The company announced 3Q2024 earnings that exceeded expectations and continues to look to grow revenues and its portfolio.

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Daily Brief Industrials: SITC International, Quanta Services, SIA Engineering, Deutsche Post and more

By | Daily Briefs, Industrials

In today’s briefing:

  • SITC International (1308 HK): Beating Expectations Again
  • Quanta Services Inc (PWR) – Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024
  • Company Spotlight: SIA Engineering
  • What’s News in Amsterdam – 21 January 2025 (PostNL)


SITC International (1308 HK): Beating Expectations Again

By Osbert Tang, CFA

  • SITC International (1308 HK)‘s positive profit alert beat the FY24 forecast by 12%. It also suggests an acceleration in growth to 1.9-2.1x in 2H24, from +13% in 1H24. 
  • The muted share price performance reflects concerns about an influx of capacity, intra-Asia demand outlook, and freight rate prospects. We refute such worries.
  • It stands on an attractive dividend yield of 11.1% for FY24. Even under conservative earnings forecasts, its 8.1% and 6.6% yields for FY25 and FY26 are appealing.

Quanta Services Inc (PWR) – Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024

By Value Investors Club

Key points

  • Quanta Services has addressed issues and made investments in its electric power infrastructure solutions segment
  • Surge in demand due to regulatory shifts and one-off projects has benefitted Quanta Services, but demand is expected to decrease in 2024
  • Limited total addressable market and unsustainable peak expectations make Quanta Services a compelling short opportunity

This content is sourced through publicly available sources and has been machine generated. Information displayed is for general informational purposes only. This article was originally published 3 months ago on Value Investors Club.


Company Spotlight: SIA Engineering

By Geoff Howie

Company Spotlight: SIA Engineering

What’s News in Amsterdam – 21 January 2025 (PostNL)

By The IDEA!

  • In this edition: • PostNL | post analyst call comment

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Daily Brief Financials: Seoul Guarantee Insurance, Indusind Bank, Capitaland Integrated Commercial Trust, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup Inc, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (Sponsored Adr), New World Development, Royal Bank of Canada, Seneca Financial, Beneficient and more

By | Daily Briefs, Financials

In today’s briefing:

  • Korea’s Financial Regs Drop New IPO Allocation and Delisting Rules: What It Means and What to Expect
  • Quiddity Leaderboard BSE/​​​​SENSEX Jun 25: Two Sensex Changes Could Trigger US$440mn One-Way Flows
  • Asia Real Estate Tracker (21-Jan-2025): Henderson sells Kowloon project to Miramar for $400M.
  • How JPMorgan’s Massive Investments Are Reshaping the Future of Banking! – Major Drivers
  • Citigroup’s Turnaround Playbook: Core Drivers Shaping Future Performance! – Major Drivers
  • Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group’s Ruthless Expense Overhaul
  • Lucror Analytics – Morning Views Asia
  • Royal Bank of Canada (RBC): Capital Markets Pipeline & Growth Trends Fueling Our Bullishness! – Major Drivers
  • BR Review: The Seneca IHT Service
  • BENF: Public Stockholder Enhancement Transactions Set Valuation Floor for the Stock


Korea’s Financial Regs Drop New IPO Allocation and Delisting Rules: What It Means and What to Expect

By Sanghyun Park

  • We might see a liquidity crunch post-listing, with tighter regulations and mandatory holding drying up liquidity, causing more volatile price swings.
  • Big local players with heavy lock-ups will take a large allocation, creating significant overhang risk at the six-month mark. Stronger IPO eligibility boosts costs, pushing funds toward riskier trades.
  • Overall, this feels like a quick fix. Rather than focusing on long-term market improvements, we should focus on the new pricing patterns likely to emerge in the short term.

Quiddity Leaderboard BSE/​​​​SENSEX Jun 25: Two Sensex Changes Could Trigger US$440mn One-Way Flows

By Janaghan Jeyakumar, CFA

  • In this insight, we take a look at the Potential ADDs/DELs for the BSE SENSEX, BSE 100, and BSE 200 Indices in the June 2025 index rebal event.
  • As things stand, there could be two index changes for the SENSEX index.
  • There could be two ADDs/DELs for the BSE 100 Index and four ADDs/DELs for the BSE 200 Index.

Asia Real Estate Tracker (21-Jan-2025): Henderson sells Kowloon project to Miramar for $400M.

By Asia Real Estate Tracker

  • Henderson sells Kowloon project to Miramar Hotel for $400M in a strategic move to shift focus and secure a profitable deal.
  • CapitaLand shifts Tan to commercial REIT and hires Yong to lead Malaysia Trust, showing active leadership changes within the company.
  • CapitaLand India Trust initiates $54M Hyderabad IT Park revamp, signaling a significant investment in the Indian real estate market.

How JPMorgan’s Massive Investments Are Reshaping the Future of Banking! – Major Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s latest financial results reveal a robust performance for the fourth quarter of 2024.
  • The firm reported net income of $14 billion with earnings per share (EPS) of $4.81 on revenue of $43.7 billion, reflecting a year-on-year revenue increase of 10%.
  • The return on tangible common equity (ROTCE) was a solid 21%.

Citigroup’s Turnaround Playbook: Core Drivers Shaping Future Performance! – Major Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • Citigroup has released its fourth quarter earnings for 2024, showcasing a notable rise in net income by almost 40% to $12.7 billion for the full year, indicating positive momentum across key business segments.
  • This performance was coupled with a revenue increase of 5% excluding divestitures, supported by a 17% uptick in fee revenue, and an efficiency ratio improvement by 340 basis points, which highlights the company’s operational improvements.
  • However, certain macroeconomic challenges remain persistent, such as China’s slower-than-anticipated growth and Europe’s underperformance.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group’s Ruthless Expense Overhaul

By Baptista Research

  • Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) presented a mixed set of results for the fiscal year ended in March 2017, with several positives but also notable challenges.
  • The company’s profit attributable to owners of the parent came in at JPY 706.5 billion, an increase of JPY 59.8 billion from the previous year, partly due to the tax effects associated with adopting a consolidated corporate tax system.
  • This tax benefit, however, will not recur, impacting future profitability metrics.

Lucror Analytics – Morning Views Asia

By Leonard Law, CFA

  • In today’s Morning Views publication we comment on developments of the following high yield issuers: New World Development, China Vanke, Vedanta Resources
  • The US market was closed for the Martin Luther King Jr Day holiday yesterday.
  • In China, the one-year and five-year loan prime rates (quoted by commercial banks) have been maintained at 3.10% and 3.60%, respectively.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC): Capital Markets Pipeline & Growth Trends Fueling Our Bullishness! – Major Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) demonstrated robust performance in its 2024 fourth-quarter results, revealing both strengths and potential challenges in its operational and financial outcomes.
  • The bank’s reported earnings stood at $4.2 billion, which includes $265 million from its acquisition of HSBC Canada.
  • Adjusted earnings showed an 18% year-over-year increase to $4.4 billion, driven largely by market appreciation and strong client activities.

BR Review: The Seneca IHT Service

By Hardman & Co

  • The Seneca IHT Service is a non-AIM/unquoted BR product.
  • It will invest in Seneca Secured Lending Limited and/or Seneca Secured Finance Limited, depending on the desired mix of capital and income returns.
  • Both lend on a secured basis in a variety of areas.


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Daily Brief Consumer: Mixue Group, Smithfield Foods, Guming Holdings, Fu Shou Yuan, Kimberly-Clark De Mexico-A, Dowlais Group and more

By | Consumer, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • HKEx Consultation Paper – What Matters for ECM Investors
  • Smithfield Foods (SFD): Terms Set for WH Group’s Spin-Off
  • Guming Holdings (Good Me) IPO: The Bull Case
  • Guming (Good Me) IPO: Key Facts and Financials at First Glance
  • Fu Shou Yuan (1448.HK) – Investment Strategy May Need to Be Adjusted
  • Actinver Research – Kimberly-Clark de Mexico: 4Q24 Preview
  • Dowlais Group Plc (DWL.LN) – Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024


HKEx Consultation Paper – What Matters for ECM Investors

By Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

  • Stock Exchange of Hong Kong issued a consultation paper titled Proposals to Optimise IPO Price Discovery and Open Market Requirements with new mechanisms proposed for the IPO in the future.
  • In this note, we summarize key points for ECM investors and analyze the impact from a historical perspective the impact for ECM investors.
  • We are of the view that overall the changes will benefit ECM investors by reallocating a portion of the profits from cornerstone investors.

Smithfield Foods (SFD): Terms Set for WH Group’s Spin-Off

By IPO Boutique

  • Spin-Off of WH Group’s could raise up to $939 million if priced at the high-end of the range
  • The IPO is set to price on Monday January 27th for a Tuesday, January 28th debut
  • Flash numbers revealed sales for the three months ended December 29, 2024 will range from $3,873 million to $3,953 million (prev. year $3,998 million)

Guming Holdings (Good Me) IPO: The Bull Case

By Arun George

  • Guming Holdings (GUM HK) (Good me), a freshly-made tea store brand, is pre-marketing an HKEx IPO to raise US$300 million, according to press reports. 
  • Guming is China’s largest mid-priced freshly-made tea store brand and the second largest freshly-made brand across all price ranges, regarding GMV in 2023.
  • The bull case rests on a rising market share, strong franchisee profitability, top-tier revenue growth, high margins, cash generation and a strong balance sheet. 

Guming (Good Me) IPO: Key Facts and Financials at First Glance

By Devi Subhakesan

  • Guming Holdings (GUM HK), a leading player in China’s freshly-made branded beverage sector, is widely expected to launch its IPO soon.
  • Guming’s Good Me brand is China’s largest mid-priced freshly-made tea store brand in terms of store count as well as GMV.
  • Guming reported robust revenue and profit growth for first nine months of 2024 led by new store openings, although same-store sales declined due to rising competition and weak consumer spending.

Fu Shou Yuan (1448.HK) – Investment Strategy May Need to Be Adjusted

By Xinyao (Criss) Wang

  • Fu Shou Yuan’s performance in full-year 2024 is likely to fall short of expectations. The current pain point is declining performance growth due to difficulty of expanding beyond Shanghai region.
  • If Fu Shou Yuan’s dividends/stock buybacks are lower-than-expected, we don’t think the stock is worth holding for the long term, since long-term revenue growth rate would fall to single digit.
  • Since high growth is difficult to achieve, it’s better to buy at a low price (e.g. PE of 10x).When valuation bounces back to 15x PE, investors could consider taking profits.

Actinver Research – Kimberly-Clark de Mexico: 4Q24 Preview

By Actinver

  • Amid a more cautious view on FX we are lowering our estimates ahead of results.
  • With c.60% of its raw materials dollarized —and fairly minimal sales exposure to the same currency—, Kimberly-Clark de México is in our view one of the most impacted companies amid recent FX turmoil.
  • We thus lower our 4Q24 estimates onwards at the margin level, while slightly lowering our sales estimates.

Dowlais Group Plc (DWL.LN) – Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024

By Value Investors Club

  • Dowlais Group Plc. has experienced a sharp decrease in share price in the past 18 months
  • Current management is making improvements and conducting a strategic review of their powder metallurgy business
  • Shareholders have the potential to see returns of 100-200% in the near future, making it an attractive investment opportunity

This content is sourced through publicly available sources and has been machine generated. Information displayed is for general informational purposes only. This article was originally published 3 months ago on Value Investors Club.


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Daily Brief Quantitative Analysis: If the NIFTY Relief Rally Takes Off and more

By | Daily Briefs, Quantitative Analysis

In today’s briefing:

  • If the NIFTY Relief Rally Takes Off, Check These Profit Targets


If the NIFTY Relief Rally Takes Off, Check These Profit Targets

By Nico Rosti

  • The NIFTY Index (NIFTY INDEX) may be at the start of a rally that may be a relief rally, or it may turn into something longer-term, later.
  • We focus on the short-term, WEEKLY forecast (1 to 4 weeks usually), the NIFTY is at the end of a correction that we had anticipated in a previous insight.
  • Now we want to see how far this rally can go during the next few weeks, spoiler: NOT FAR! There could be another pullback, after this rally.

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Daily Brief ESG: Keppel Ltd: Part V – Transforming into a Global Asset Manager and more

By | Daily Briefs, ESG

In today’s briefing:

  • Keppel Ltd: Part V – Transforming into a Global Asset Manager


Keppel Ltd: Part V – Transforming into a Global Asset Manager

By Tan Yee Peng

  • Keppel’s Vision 2030, announced in May 2020, envisages that it would become a global asset manager and operator, with Funds Under Management (“FUM”) of S$200bn.
  • In this report we are focusing on Keppel’s private funds, which account for 70% of its current FUM.
  • Based on Keppel’s publicly released materials, Keppel’s strategy to reach their goal is separated into 3 key components.

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Daily Brief Thematic (Sector/Industry): Ohayo Japan | A New Golden Age? and more

By | Daily Briefs, Thematic (Sector/Industry)

In today’s briefing:

  • Ohayo Japan | A New Golden Age?
  • Singapore Market Roundup (20-Jan-2025): Maybank: S-REIT distributions stable by 2H2025, grow FY2026+
  • China Property: A Closer Look At The House Price Dynamics Across 70 Cities (Dec 2024 Data)
  • Gold to Shine Bright on Solid Fundamentals, Seasonality & Sentiments
  • Charted Insights: FII Flows Are Catalyst of Indian Equity Markets
  • Japanese Consumers Update: Price Pressure Reducing Spending but Bonuses Up
  • #89 India Insight: PepsiCo-Tata Launch, Nykaa Fuels M&As, India Targets $1T Exports
  • [Blue Lotus Non-US Internet Weekly, 3/52]: RedNote’s Popularity Can Lift Other Boats Outside China


Ohayo Japan | A New Golden Age?

By Mark Chadwick

  • Donald Trump was inaugurated as U.S. president on Monday, declaring “America’s decline is over.”
  • Markets responded as Trump delayed tariffs on key trading partners, boosting global equities and weakening the dollar
  • Mitsubishi Chemical Group has offered Bain Capital first-refusal rights to acquire its pharmaceutical subsidiary Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma in a deal potentially exceeding ¥500bn

Singapore Market Roundup (20-Jan-2025): Maybank: S-REIT distributions stable by 2H2025, grow FY2026+

By Singapore Market Roundup

  • Maybank forecasts stable S-REIT distributions in the second half of 2025 with growth expected in fiscal year 2026.
  • CGSI remains optimistic on Singtel and KDC despite US artificial intelligence restrictions.
  • UOBKH anticipates higher dividends from DBS and OCBC in the future. Maybank takes a ‘neutral’ stance on the Singapore healthcare sector.

China Property: A Closer Look At The House Price Dynamics Across 70 Cities (Dec 2024 Data)

By Robert Ciemniak

  • The average of the y/y growth rates of new home prices across 70 cities in December 2024 turned less negative -5.7% vs -6.1% for November, continuing the recent trend
  • What lies beneath – a more complex picture across cities, with a continued gap between the new and secondary home prices
  • In this note, we present the REF Data Update on NBS House Prices for December 2024 data released last Friday

Gold to Shine Bright on Solid Fundamentals, Seasonality & Sentiments

By Amrutha Raj

  • CME Gold Futures delivered remarkable returns, climbing 13.5% in 2023 and soaring to a record 27% gain in 2024.
  • Gold serves as a hedge against trust deficits, driven by geopolitical tensions, rising fiscal deficits, and fears of inflation and currency depreciation, making it a reliable refuge during economic uncertainty. 
  • The GLD ETF saw strong inflows in 2025, adding USD 579.22 million to its AUM, reaching USD 76.74 billion, despite some brief outflows post-election.

Charted Insights: FII Flows Are Catalyst of Indian Equity Markets

By Nimish Maheshwari

  • Post-COVID, a popular narrative suggests that domestic institutional investors (DIIs) now wield greater influence in the Indian equity markets. 
  • While factual to an extent, this narrative misinterprets the broader reality. 
  • As a current account-deficit country, India relies heavily on foreign institutional investor (FII) inflows to ensure macroeconomic stability and sustain its risk appetite.

Japanese Consumers Update: Price Pressure Reducing Spending but Bonuses Up

By Michael Causton

  • What is the current consumer environment for brands and retailers? Households are increasingly worried about inflation and have already begun to cut back on spending significantly. 
  • With further international turmoil, inflation caused by a weak Yen and high import costs, depressed sentiment may not be going away soon.
  • One counter to this is bonuses which rose in December. Many companies say they need to pay more to keep staff from taking jobs elsewhere as the labour shortage worsens.

#89 India Insight: PepsiCo-Tata Launch, Nykaa Fuels M&As, India Targets $1T Exports

By Sudarshan Bhandari

  • Pepsico Inc (PEP US)  and Tata Consumer Products (TATACONS IN)  have partnered to launch a fusion snack, combining Kurkure with Ching’s Secret Schezwan Chutney.
  • India aims for $1 trillion in exports by 2030, with $250 billion from the engineering sector, including automobiles and equipment. Infrastructure, energy transition, and innovation are key growth drivers.
  • India’s beauty and personal care industry is heading into a consolidation phase, with M&As on the rise. Nykaa’s successful buyouts and challenges faced by D2C brands are fueling this trend.

[Blue Lotus Non-US Internet Weekly, 3/52]: RedNote’s Popularity Can Lift Other Boats Outside China

By Ying Pan

  • This week, JD.com launched its social gift feature more tightly integrated with Weixin than Alibaba. We believe Tencent’s social gift feature will mainly serve as an advertising layer within e-commerce;
  • Consumption data is so so and heavily reliant on subsidies. More service-subsidies are needed from the government; 
  • Outbound travel likely to cede to domestic during this CNY, benefiting local hotel chains like Atour.

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Daily Brief ECM: Eco-Shop Marketing Pre-IPO: Malaysia’s Leading Dollar-Store and more

By | Daily Briefs, ECM

In today’s briefing:

  • Eco-Shop Marketing Pre-IPO: Malaysia’s Leading Dollar-Store


Eco-Shop Marketing Pre-IPO: Malaysia’s Leading Dollar-Store

By Nicholas Tan

  • Eco-Shop Marketing (ECO MY)  is looking to raise about US$226m in its upcoming Malaysia IPO.
  • ES is the largest dollar chain in Malaysia, as per the number of stores it operates. The firm operates an extensive network of stores across Malaysia.
  • In this note, we look at the firm’s past performance.

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Daily Brief Credit: Lucror Analytics – Morning Views Asia and more

By | Credit, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • Lucror Analytics – Morning Views Asia


Lucror Analytics – Morning Views Asia

By Leonard Law, CFA

  • In today’s Morning Views publication we comment on developments of the following high yield issuers: China Vanke, Reliance Industries, Greenko Energy
  • In the US, industrial production came in above estimates at 0.9% m-o-m in December (0.3% e / 0.2% revised p), supported by higher civilian aircraft production after the Boeing strike was resolved. Separately, housing starts surged 15.8% m-o-m (3.0% e / -3.7% revised p) to 1.5 mn units in December.
  • Meanwhile, building permits declined 0.7% m-o-m (-2.2% e / 5.2% p) to 1.48 mn in the same month.

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