Category

Hong Kong

Daily Hong Kong: Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets
  2. Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button
  3. Inventory Clearance and the Semiconductor Cycle
  4. Wanted: A 21st Century Monetary Theory
  5. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Tencent, Kingsoft, and Yichang HEC (2019-01-18)

1. Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets

24200023 15222514611557 rid6

  • LVS shot at Japan license enhanced by his role in lobbying US Justice Department’s reverse opinion on online gambling published last week. Read why in this insight.
  • Owning Sands China makes a strong case based on an ROCE analysis vs. the hospitality sector.
  • Owning both at current trade is one of the screaming bargains in the entire sector

2. Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button

Maoyan Entertainment (EPLUS HK) is the largest online movie ticketing service provider in China. The mid-point of Maoyan’s IPO price range of HK$14.8-20.4 per share implies a market value of $2.5 billion (HK$19.8 billion). Five cornerstone investors have agreed to buy $30 million or 10% of the offering at the IPO mid-point. The cornerstone investors are Imax China Holding (1970 HK), Hylink Digital Solutions, Prestige of The Sun, Welight Capital and Xiaomi Corp (1810 HK)

Our analysis suggests Maoyan is being offered at a material premium to a peer group of major Chinese internet companies. Due to challenging prospects faced by Maoyan as outlined in our previous research, we believe a premium rating is unwarranted. Consequently, we are inclined to sit out this IPO.

3. Inventory Clearance and the Semiconductor Cycle

X

A very normal part of the semiconductor cycle is inventory clearance.  DRAM makers are starting to discuss this in their earnings calls.  What they are NOT telling their investors is how significant this is to the onset of a price collapse, perhaps because they don’t understand it themselves.  This Insight will help readers to learn how and why an inventory clearance helps ratchet a budding oversupply into a full-blown glut.

4. Wanted: A 21st Century Monetary Theory

The globe is facing more than an ordinary business cycle.

Joseph C. Sternberg, editorial-page editor and European political-economy columnist for the Wall Street Journal’s European edition, recently interviewed Claudio Borio, head of the Monetaryand Economic Department of the BIS. Mr. Borio said that politicians have relied far too much on central banks, which are constrained by economic theories that offer little meaningful guidance on how to sustain growth and financial stability. The only tool they have is an interest rate that can affect output in the short run but ends up affecting only inflation in the end.

5. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Tencent, Kingsoft, and Yichang HEC (2019-01-18)

Sector%20flow

In our Discover HK Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of southbound trades via the Hong Kong Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by mainland investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the Hong Kong Connect trade into three groups: component stocks in the HSCEI index, stocks with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion, and stocks with a market capitalization between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion.

In this week’s HK Connect Discovery, we highlight that Tencent topped the weekly inflow by quantum and its shares held by mainland investors via Stock Connect is at one year low. Stocks exposed to mobile game sector experienced inflow too. In addition, we continue to observe that the mainland investors holding on Yichang HEC continue to rise. 

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Daily Hong Kong: Galaxy Entertainment Bullish Set up for a Breakout and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Galaxy Entertainment Bullish Set up for a Breakout
  2. Hanon Systems (018880): Overvalued Stocks in The Low Margin Sector
  3. Global Banks: Why Buy High Into Popular and Fashionable Banks and Markets? Be Contrarian and Buy Low
  4. Uzbekistan Initiation: Value Hidden in Plain Sight
  5. Business Happenings in the Americas that May Be “Below the Radar” – Week Ending January 17, 2019

1. Galaxy Entertainment Bullish Set up for a Breakout

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Galaxy Entertainment Group (27 HK) exhibits some valid chart support in the form of a key low at 61.8% retracement and physical price support at the 40 level. This low should stay in place for 2019.

Price and RSI wedge formations are building steam for an upside breakout. MACD bull divergence and the triangle breakout back in November will provide forward upside energy. MACD triangles are some of the most powerful chart set ups.

Currently at an attractive risk to reward support zone for an entry with a reasonably tight stop.

2. Hanon Systems (018880): Overvalued Stocks in The Low Margin Sector

Hanon%20sys%20balance%20sheet%20growth

The recent negative sales in the Chinese auto industry and Nissan’s case of Carlos Ghosn removal could put additional pressure on the already thin margin of auto supplier industry. One of the Carlos Ghosn early contribution to Nissan was to cut cost and outsource the auto parts maker to a wide variety of suppliers including to Hanon Systems (018880 KS) . Nissan’s new management may want to undo some of Carlos Ghosn’ legacy including changing the selection criteria of parts supplier.

Hanon’s global peers also experienced a decrease in the inventory turnover and most of them have been priced at PER <10 but Hanon is still trading at 24x PER while its sales growth and profitability is still in low single digit? Facing the onset of the slowdown in the Chinese auto industry, won’t it be another headwind for Hanon Systems?

3. Global Banks: Why Buy High Into Popular and Fashionable Banks and Markets? Be Contrarian and Buy Low

Trawling through  >1500 global banks, based on the last quarter of reported Balance Sheets, we apply the discipline of the PH Score™ , a value-quality fundamental momentum screen, plus a low RSI screen, and a low Franchise Valuation (FV) screen to deliver our latest rankings for global banks.

While not all of top decile 1 scores are a buy – some are value traps while others maybe somewhat small and obscure and traded sparsely- the bottom decile names should awaken caution. We would be hard pressed to recommend some of the more popular and fashionable names from the bottom decile. Names such as ICICI Bank Ltd (ICICIBC IN) , Credicorp of Peru, Bank Central Asia (BBCA IJ) and Itau Unibanco Holding Sa (ITUB US) are EM favourites. Their share prices have performed well for an extended period and thus carry valuation risk. They represent pricey quality in some cases. They are not priced for disappointment but rather for hope. Are the constituents of the bottom decile not fertile grounds for short sellers?

Why pay top dollar for a bank franchise given risks related to domestic (let alone global) politics and the economy? Some investors and analysts have expressed “inspiration” for developments in Brazil and Argentina. But Brazilian bonds are now trading as if the country is Investment Grade again. (This is relevant for banks especially). Guedes and co. may deliver on pension/social security reform. If so, prices will become even more inflated. But what happens if they don’t deliver on reform? Why pay top dollar for hope given the ramp up in prices already? Argentina is an even more fragile “hope narrative”. More of a “Hope take 2”. Similar to Brazil, bank Franchise Valuations are elevated. While the current account adjustment and easing inflation are to be expected, the political and social scene will be a challenge. LATAM seems to be “hot” again with investment bankers talking of resilience. But resilience is different from valuation. Banks from Chile, Peru, and Colombia feature in the bottom decile too. If an investor wants to be in these markets and desires bank exposure, surely it makes sense to look for the best value on offer. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores (AVAL CB) may represent one such opportunity.

Our bottom decile rankings feature a great deal of banks from Indonesia. In a promising market such as Indonesia, given bank valuations, one needs to tread extremely carefully to not end up paying over the odds, to not pay for extrapolation. In addition, India is a susceptible jurisdiction for any bank operating there – no bank is “superhuman” and especially not at the prices on offer for the popular private sector “winners”. Saudi Arabia is another market that suddenly became popular last year. We are mindful of valuations and FX.

Does it not make more sense to look at opportunity in the top decile? While some of the names here will be too small or illiquid (mea culpa), there are genuine portfolio candidates. South Korea stands out in the rankings. Woori Bank (WF US) is top of the rankings after a share price plunge related to a stock overhang but this will pass. Hana Financial (086790 KS) , Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK LX) and DGB Financial Group (139130 KS) are portfolio candidates. Elsewhere, Russia and Vietnam rightly feature while Sri Lanka and Pakistan contribute some names despite very real political and macro risks. We would caution on some of the relatively small Chinese names but recommend the big 4 versus EM peers – they are not expensive. In fact some of the big 4 feature in decile 2 of our rankings. There are many Japanese banks here too. And many, like some Chinese lenders, are cheap for a reason. While the technical picture for Japanese banks is bearish, at some stage selective weeding out of opportunity within Japan’s banking sector may be rewarding. The megabanks are certainly not dear. Europe is another matter. Despite valuations, we are cautious on French lenders and on German consolidation narratives – did a merger of 2 weak banks ever deliver shareholder value? The inclusion of two Romanian banks in the top decile is somewhat of a headscratcher. These are perfectly investable opportunities but share prices have been poor of late.

4. Uzbekistan Initiation: Value Hidden in Plain Sight

Som

Uzbekistan’s economy is a frontier market stand out and has a large number of attractive characteristics:

  • Uzbekistan’s stock market trades at a substantial discount to other frontier markets, though the extremely illiquid nature of the market makes it hard to trade.  However, there still is foreign interest in the market.
  • The IMF projects that the economy will grow by 5% during 2018 and 2019, and eventually reach 6% by 2022, though this is still below its historical high. 
  • Market reforms were spearheaded in December 2016 when the newly elected president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev decided to transition towards a market- oriented economy led by private sector growth, as the public sector was unable to create enough jobs.  This represents a significant shift given that Uzbekistan had been a closed, centrally planned economy until 2016.
  • Tourist arrivals grew by 91.6% during H1 2018, and this is poised to improve greater in the future due to the impact of the visa liberalization measures.
  • Twin deficits have remained under control and Uzbekistan is one of few current account surplus frontier markets.
  • Uzbekistan is also very attractive compared to other markets in the frontier space given that its minimum wage is only US$24/month, compared to around $70-75/month in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

The market reforms that the country recently implemented will be a major catalyst for future economic growth and makes investment in this market appealing.  Apart from strong growth, the market is also appealing due to its high foreign exchange reserves ( nearly 2 years of import cover), consistent CA surplus, and stable currency.  My latest frontier and emerging market recap highlights the appeals of markets such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Egypt, while expressing concerns for markets such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan.  Uzbekistan is a suitable addition given its stable macro/political picture, and the main negative factor of this market is the highly inaccessible nature of the equity market.  The ADTV is less than $100,000, which is a far cry from other frontier markets like Romania, Sri Lanka and Kenya.

5. Business Happenings in the Americas that May Be “Below the Radar” – Week Ending January 17, 2019

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Highlights of significant recent happenings include:

  1. Substantive Deep Dive – Canada’s BlackBerry Ltd (BB CN) seeks to be the go-to provider of web Security: Why we believe investors should look at Blackberry as a way to hedge their exposures to the increasing list of companies who are susceptible to adverse impact from security breaches. 
  2. Feeding the Dragon – Chinese buying of US firms brakes abruptly, obliterating the long-term trend, and now Japan has become the second-largest market for outbound M&A globally. Also, South Korean food giant Cj Cheiljedang (097950 KS)  is continuing its aggressive expansion into the U.S. market
  3.  Local News on Global Companies –  Kroger Co (KR US) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT US) take on Amazon.com Inc (AMZN US) with digital grocery store experiment. “Wal Mart Stores (WMT US) plans to have enough online grocery pickup sites to cover 69% of U.S. households by the end of this month. Alphabet Inc Cl C (GOOG US)‘s proposes a “software-defined network” which is a new method of accessing the internet by removing the need for home routers, for the new Toronto neighbourhood it is planning. Mining companies are cutting back operations in largest coal region in the U.S., and Berkshire Hathaway Inc Cl A (BRK/A US), and Union Pacific (UNP US) will be adversely impacted.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Daily Hong Kong: The Burden of Too Big Government and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. The Burden of Too Big Government
  2. Debt Ratios Do Matter
  3. StubWorld: CK Infra/Power Assets, Amorepacific, JCNC
  4. Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate

1. The Burden of Too Big Government

From our very own “Austrian” Leigh Skene:

Wars in old times were made to get slaves. The modern implement of imposing slavery is debt. Ezra Pound

Governments used public sector balance sheets to bail out private financial institutions and assist private companies to emerge from bankruptcy in the GFC. These actions transferred credit risk from the private to the public sector, yet falling nominal interest rates minimised, and in some cases froze, the cost of servicing the mounting government debt until late 2016. Since then, many borrowers have paid rising  interest rates on increasing amounts of debt. Debt service charges are rising faster than nominal GDP in a growing number of nations as a result. It is estimated that the US federal funding requirement will rise from minus US$ 700bn to US$ 2tr in 2022.

2. Debt Ratios Do Matter

Monetary diarrhoea has inflated the debt structure.

The death of the Bretton Woods monetary system in 1971 paved the way for unbridled money printing. The resulting Great Inflation inflicted huge negative real returns on bondholders and stockholders until 1982. Thereafter, many countries, especially EMs, linked their exchange rates to the dollar, resulting in the fastest ever-growth in global foreign exchange reserves. In addition, central bank puts and then extraordinary fiscal and monetary policies turned it into the most virulent asset bubble in history, despite monetary mayhem, exemplified by numerous banking crises and three big stock market drawdowns. 

3. StubWorld: CK Infra/Power Assets, Amorepacific, JCNC

16%20jan%202019%20uw

This week in StubWorld …

Preceding my comments on CKI/PAH, Amorepacific and JCNC are the weekly setup/unwind tables for Asia-Pacific Holdcos.

These relationships trade with a minimum liquidity threshold of US$1mn on a 90-day moving average, and a % market capitalisation threshold – the $ value of the holding/opco held, over the parent’s market capitalisation, expressed as a % – of at least 20%.

4. Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate

Data%20centre%20future%20need%20%28digital%20realty%20slide%29

  • While the amount of real estate needed by data centres is small in comparison with the volumes required for e-commerce, we are seeing that data centres are also impacting the market for industrial real estate in locations around the world. 
  • Cloud and mobile computing, plus the Internet of Things are driving demand in the data center industry. According to Cushman & Wakefield, revenue growth at multi-tenant data centres will be 12% to 14% each year for the next two to five years.
  • The data centres industry is having, and is positioned to continue to have, a material positive impact on pricing for industrial real estate in many markets around the world. 
  • Real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield evaluated ten Asia Pacific markets for a range of factors. Singapore emerged as one of the two most attractive Asia Pacific locations for data centres. Over the past five months, Singapore has seen more than its share of significant data centre announcements. Most recently, Mapletree Industrial Trust disclosed that it would lease one of its buildings to global data centre company Equinix for 25 years.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Daily Hong Kong: Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button
  2. Inventory Clearance and the Semiconductor Cycle
  3. Wanted: A 21st Century Monetary Theory
  4. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Tencent, Kingsoft, and Yichang HEC (2019-01-18)
  5. TRACKING TRAFFIC/Chinese Express & Logistics: Inter-City Pricing -9.1%

1. Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button

Maoyan Entertainment (EPLUS HK) is the largest online movie ticketing service provider in China. The mid-point of Maoyan’s IPO price range of HK$14.8-20.4 per share implies a market value of $2.5 billion (HK$19.8 billion). Five cornerstone investors have agreed to buy $30 million or 10% of the offering at the IPO mid-point. The cornerstone investors are Imax China Holding (1970 HK), Hylink Digital Solutions, Prestige of The Sun, Welight Capital and Xiaomi Corp (1810 HK)

Our analysis suggests Maoyan is being offered at a material premium to a peer group of major Chinese internet companies. Due to challenging prospects faced by Maoyan as outlined in our previous research, we believe a premium rating is unwarranted. Consequently, we are inclined to sit out this IPO.

2. Inventory Clearance and the Semiconductor Cycle

X

A very normal part of the semiconductor cycle is inventory clearance.  DRAM makers are starting to discuss this in their earnings calls.  What they are NOT telling their investors is how significant this is to the onset of a price collapse, perhaps because they don’t understand it themselves.  This Insight will help readers to learn how and why an inventory clearance helps ratchet a budding oversupply into a full-blown glut.

3. Wanted: A 21st Century Monetary Theory

The globe is facing more than an ordinary business cycle.

Joseph C. Sternberg, editorial-page editor and European political-economy columnist for the Wall Street Journal’s European edition, recently interviewed Claudio Borio, head of the Monetaryand Economic Department of the BIS. Mr. Borio said that politicians have relied far too much on central banks, which are constrained by economic theories that offer little meaningful guidance on how to sustain growth and financial stability. The only tool they have is an interest rate that can affect output in the short run but ends up affecting only inflation in the end.

4. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Tencent, Kingsoft, and Yichang HEC (2019-01-18)

Sector%20flow

In our Discover HK Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of southbound trades via the Hong Kong Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by mainland investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the Hong Kong Connect trade into three groups: component stocks in the HSCEI index, stocks with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion, and stocks with a market capitalization between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion.

In this week’s HK Connect Discovery, we highlight that Tencent topped the weekly inflow by quantum and its shares held by mainland investors via Stock Connect is at one year low. Stocks exposed to mobile game sector experienced inflow too. In addition, we continue to observe that the mainland investors holding on Yichang HEC continue to rise. 

5. TRACKING TRAFFIC/Chinese Express & Logistics: Inter-City Pricing -9.1%

Dec exp main

Tracking Traffic/Chinese Express & Logistics is the hub for our research on China’s express parcels and logistics sectors. Tracking Traffic/Chinese Express & Logistics features analysis of monthly Chinese express and logistics data, notes from our conversations with industry players, and links to company and thematic notes. 

This month’s issue covers the following topics:

  1. December express parcel pricing fell by over 9% Y/Y. Average pricing per express parcel fell by 9.1% Y/Y, the worst decline since Q216 (excluding January/February figures distorted by the Lunar New Year holiday). 
  2. Express parcel revenue growth remained well below 20% last month. Weak pricing dragged sector revenue growth down to 17% in December, the 4th consecutive month of sub-20% growth. 
  3. Intra-city pricing (ie, local delivery) was strong in 2018. Relative to weak inter-city pricing (down 3.1% Y/Y in 2018), pricing for intra-city express shipments was firm, rising by 0.1% last year. In fact, average pricing for intra-city express shipments has risen in four of the last five years. 
  4. Underlying domestic transport demand remained firm in December. Although demand for inter-city express shipments appears to be moderating (from high levels), underlying transportation activity in December remained firm. The three modes of freight transport we track (rail, highway, air) in aggregate rose 6.6% Y/Y in December, even as the growth of air freight slowed.  

We retain a negative view of China’s express industry’s fundamentals: demand growth is slowing and pricing for inter-city shipments appears to be falling faster than costs can be cut, leading to margin compression. 

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Daily Hong Kong: Semiconductor WFE Billings Decline Reverses Course in December, First Bullish Signal in Six Months and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Semiconductor WFE Billings Decline Reverses Course in December, First Bullish Signal in Six Months
  2. CStone Pharma (基石药业) IPO: Strong Assembly and Backing (Part 1)
  3. LNG Producers Outperform as More LNG from the US Is Coming into the Market
  4. Dubious Delisting Deals: New Sports, LEAP, China Singyes Solar
  5. Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets

1. Semiconductor WFE Billings Decline Reverses Course in December, First Bullish Signal in Six Months

Screen%20shot%202019 01 25%20at%202.56.29%20pm

On January 24’th 2019, SEMI announced that Wafer Fab Equipment (WFE) billings for North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment amounted to $2.11 billion worldwide in December 2018. This represents an 8.5% MoM increase, although still lower YoY by 12.1%. December’s data marks the reversal of a six month long downtrend in monthly billings, a bullish signal that the WFE segment has bottomed and better times lie ahead. 

This latest billings data coincides with WFE bellwether Lam Research (LRCX US)‘s latest earnings report which slightly exceeded guidance with revenues of $2.5 billion, up 8.7% sequentially. On the call, company executives stated that first quarter CY 2019 would mark the trough from a gross margin perspective, strongly implying that it would be the same for revenues. 

LRCX shares surged 15.7% in overnight trading triggering a rising tide that lifted large swathes of semiconductor stocks, particularly those within the WFE sector. Two swallows don’t necessarily mean it’s Spring, but for now, the markets are betting that it does. 

2. CStone Pharma (基石药业) IPO: Strong Assembly and Backing (Part 1)

Pd l1%20trial

CStone Pharma is raising up to USD 400 million via a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In this insight, we will discuss the following topics:

  • The company’s background
  • Details of pipeline drug candidates
  • Potential market size for the key products
  • Shareholders and investors
  • Summary of our likes and concerns
  • Questions for management meetings

We will leave the discussion of valuation for our next insight.


3. LNG Producers Outperform as More LNG from the US Is Coming into the Market

Ex5

On the back of a growing LNG global trade volume, LNG producers have outperformed the US market and their E&P peers including the oil majors over the last two years. As global LNG production reaches a record 316m tonnes in 2018, a 9.6% increase year on year, new capacity additions set to come online in the next three years will be dominated by the US. This insight will examine how the recent entry of US LNG in the market is transforming the LNG industry and which emerging players are driving the change.

Exhibit 1: LNG Producers Outperform the US Market

Source: Capital IQ. Prices as of 22 of January. Un-weighted indexed composites. Oil Majors: Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP, Total and ENI. Australia LNG: Woodside Energy, Santos, Oil Search. independent E&Ps: oil and gas upstream companies with market value greater than $300m as of 18 April 2018.

4. Dubious Delisting Deals: New Sports, LEAP, China Singyes Solar

Chart

My colleagues strive to cover M&A transactions in Asia-Pac – and further afield – with a market cap >US$100mn and/or when liquidity or the backdrop story warrant comment. This insight is no exception.

In the past two weeks, two companies who form part of the Huarong-CMB network (HCN), as discussed by David Webb, and one company enmeshed in the Enigma network, have received official offers or are have made announcements pursuant to the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers.

Below are brief comments on all three situations. In the case of New Sports, it is a very real deal, with financing in place for the cash option.

It is arguable whether the tanking in CSST shares yesterday after the resumption of trading, increases or lessens the chances of an official Offer unfolding.

5. Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets

24200023 15222514611557 rid6

  • LVS shot at Japan license enhanced by his role in lobbying US Justice Department’s reverse opinion on online gambling published last week. Read why in this insight.
  • Owning Sands China makes a strong case based on an ROCE analysis vs. the hospitality sector.
  • Owning both at current trade is one of the screaming bargains in the entire sector

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Daily Hong Kong: StubWorld: CK Infra/Power Assets, Amorepacific, JCNC and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. StubWorld: CK Infra/Power Assets, Amorepacific, JCNC
  2. Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate
  3. Much Ado About Credit

1. StubWorld: CK Infra/Power Assets, Amorepacific, JCNC

16%20jan%202019%20uw

This week in StubWorld …

Preceding my comments on CKI/PAH, Amorepacific and JCNC are the weekly setup/unwind tables for Asia-Pacific Holdcos.

These relationships trade with a minimum liquidity threshold of US$1mn on a 90-day moving average, and a % market capitalisation threshold – the $ value of the holding/opco held, over the parent’s market capitalisation, expressed as a % – of at least 20%.

2. Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate

Data%20centre%20future%20need%20%28digital%20realty%20slide%29

  • While the amount of real estate needed by data centres is small in comparison with the volumes required for e-commerce, we are seeing that data centres are also impacting the market for industrial real estate in locations around the world. 
  • Cloud and mobile computing, plus the Internet of Things are driving demand in the data center industry. According to Cushman & Wakefield, revenue growth at multi-tenant data centres will be 12% to 14% each year for the next two to five years.
  • The data centres industry is having, and is positioned to continue to have, a material positive impact on pricing for industrial real estate in many markets around the world. 
  • Real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield evaluated ten Asia Pacific markets for a range of factors. Singapore emerged as one of the two most attractive Asia Pacific locations for data centres. Over the past five months, Singapore has seen more than its share of significant data centre announcements. Most recently, Mapletree Industrial Trust disclosed that it would lease one of its buildings to global data centre company Equinix for 25 years.

3. Much Ado About Credit

Sk1

  • Global financing conditions could tighten further
  • Credit demand is deteriorating; credit risks are rising; Eurodollar costs are edging higher
  • A de-escalation in trade tensions and a Fed pause could ease the pain
  • Will Fed recently turning more dovish (possible shift to slower QT & Fed rate cut in 2019?) + concomitant USD drift provide sufficient respite to put a floor under risk assets?

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Daily Hong Kong: LNG Producers Outperform as More LNG from the US Is Coming into the Market and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. LNG Producers Outperform as More LNG from the US Is Coming into the Market
  2. Dubious Delisting Deals: New Sports, LEAP, China Singyes Solar
  3. Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets
  4. Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button
  5. Inventory Clearance and the Semiconductor Cycle

1. LNG Producers Outperform as More LNG from the US Is Coming into the Market

Ex4

On the back of a growing LNG global trade volume, LNG producers have outperformed the US market and their E&P peers including the oil majors over the last two years. As global LNG production reaches a record 316m tonnes in 2018, a 9.6% increase year on year, new capacity additions set to come online in the next three years will be dominated by the US. This insight will examine how the recent entry of US LNG in the market is transforming the LNG industry and which emerging players are driving the change.

Exhibit 1: LNG Producers Outperform the US Market

Source: Capital IQ. Prices as of 22 of January. Un-weighted indexed composites. Oil Majors: Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP, Total and ENI. Australia LNG: Woodside Energy, Santos, Oil Search. independent E&Ps: oil and gas upstream companies with market value greater than $300m as of 18 April 2018.

2. Dubious Delisting Deals: New Sports, LEAP, China Singyes Solar

Chart

My colleagues strive to cover M&A transactions in Asia-Pac – and further afield – with a market cap >US$100mn and/or when liquidity or the backdrop story warrant comment. This insight is no exception.

In the past two weeks, two companies who form part of the Huarong-CMB network (HCN), as discussed by David Webb, and one company enmeshed in the Enigma network, have received official offers or are have made announcements pursuant to the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers.

Below are brief comments on all three situations. In the case of New Sports, it is a very real deal, with financing in place for the cash option.

It is arguable whether the tanking in CSST shares yesterday after the resumption of trading, increases or lessens the chances of an official Offer unfolding.

3. Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets

24200023 15222514611557 rid6

  • LVS shot at Japan license enhanced by his role in lobbying US Justice Department’s reverse opinion on online gambling published last week. Read why in this insight.
  • Owning Sands China makes a strong case based on an ROCE analysis vs. the hospitality sector.
  • Owning both at current trade is one of the screaming bargains in the entire sector

4. Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button

Maoyan Entertainment (EPLUS HK) is the largest online movie ticketing service provider in China. The mid-point of Maoyan’s IPO price range of HK$14.8-20.4 per share implies a market value of $2.5 billion (HK$19.8 billion). Five cornerstone investors have agreed to buy $30 million or 10% of the offering at the IPO mid-point. The cornerstone investors are Imax China Holding (1970 HK), Hylink Digital Solutions, Prestige of The Sun, Welight Capital and Xiaomi Corp (1810 HK)

Our analysis suggests Maoyan is being offered at a material premium to a peer group of major Chinese internet companies. Due to challenging prospects faced by Maoyan as outlined in our previous research, we believe a premium rating is unwarranted. Consequently, we are inclined to sit out this IPO.

5. Inventory Clearance and the Semiconductor Cycle

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A very normal part of the semiconductor cycle is inventory clearance.  DRAM makers are starting to discuss this in their earnings calls.  What they are NOT telling their investors is how significant this is to the onset of a price collapse, perhaps because they don’t understand it themselves.  This Insight will help readers to learn how and why an inventory clearance helps ratchet a budding oversupply into a full-blown glut.

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Daily Hong Kong: Dubious Delisting Deals: New Sports, LEAP, China Singyes Solar and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Dubious Delisting Deals: New Sports, LEAP, China Singyes Solar
  2. Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets
  3. Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button
  4. Inventory Clearance and the Semiconductor Cycle
  5. Wanted: A 21st Century Monetary Theory

1. Dubious Delisting Deals: New Sports, LEAP, China Singyes Solar

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My colleagues strive to cover M&A transactions in Asia-Pac – and further afield – with a market cap >US$100mn and/or when liquidity or the backdrop story warrant comment. This insight is no exception.

In the past two weeks, two companies who form part of the Huarong-CMB network (HCN), as discussed by David Webb, and one company enmeshed in the Enigma network, have received official offers or are have made announcements pursuant to the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers.

Below are brief comments on all three situations. In the case of New Sports, it is a very real deal, with financing in place for the cash option.

It is arguable whether the tanking in CSST shares yesterday after the resumption of trading, increases or lessens the chances of an official Offer unfolding.

2. Meet, Beat or Miss Q4 Estimates, Both Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Are Solid Bets

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  • LVS shot at Japan license enhanced by his role in lobbying US Justice Department’s reverse opinion on online gambling published last week. Read why in this insight.
  • Owning Sands China makes a strong case based on an ROCE analysis vs. the hospitality sector.
  • Owning both at current trade is one of the screaming bargains in the entire sector

3. Maoyan Entertainment IPO Valuation: Press the Skip Button

Maoyan Entertainment (EPLUS HK) is the largest online movie ticketing service provider in China. The mid-point of Maoyan’s IPO price range of HK$14.8-20.4 per share implies a market value of $2.5 billion (HK$19.8 billion). Five cornerstone investors have agreed to buy $30 million or 10% of the offering at the IPO mid-point. The cornerstone investors are Imax China Holding (1970 HK), Hylink Digital Solutions, Prestige of The Sun, Welight Capital and Xiaomi Corp (1810 HK)

Our analysis suggests Maoyan is being offered at a material premium to a peer group of major Chinese internet companies. Due to challenging prospects faced by Maoyan as outlined in our previous research, we believe a premium rating is unwarranted. Consequently, we are inclined to sit out this IPO.

4. Inventory Clearance and the Semiconductor Cycle

X

A very normal part of the semiconductor cycle is inventory clearance.  DRAM makers are starting to discuss this in their earnings calls.  What they are NOT telling their investors is how significant this is to the onset of a price collapse, perhaps because they don’t understand it themselves.  This Insight will help readers to learn how and why an inventory clearance helps ratchet a budding oversupply into a full-blown glut.

5. Wanted: A 21st Century Monetary Theory

The globe is facing more than an ordinary business cycle.

Joseph C. Sternberg, editorial-page editor and European political-economy columnist for the Wall Street Journal’s European edition, recently interviewed Claudio Borio, head of the Monetaryand Economic Department of the BIS. Mr. Borio said that politicians have relied far too much on central banks, which are constrained by economic theories that offer little meaningful guidance on how to sustain growth and financial stability. The only tool they have is an interest rate that can affect output in the short run but ends up affecting only inflation in the end.

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Daily Hong Kong: China Kepei Edu (科培教育) IPO – Regulation Poses Significant Near-Term Risks and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. China Kepei Edu (科培教育) IPO – Regulation Poses Significant Near-Term Risks
  2. Ten Years On – Asia’s Time Is Coming, Don’t Miss The Boat
  3. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: China Tower, Tencent, New China Life (2019-01-11)

1. China Kepei Edu (科培教育) IPO – Regulation Poses Significant Near-Term Risks

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China Kepei Education (1890 HK) is looking to raise up to US$122m in its upcoming IPO. 

Overall, the company has continued to show that its undergraduate program is the driver behind its growth. It grew its 8M 2018 revenue and gross profit both by about 24% YoY. However, there are significant near-term risks if the MOJ Draft for Comments gets implemented. It may result in Kepei registering its schools as for-profit private schools which would shrink its net profit margin.

In this insight, we will provide updates on the company’s 8M 2018 financials and operating performance, the potential impact of policy change and compare its valuation to other listed education peers. We will also run the deal through our framework.

2. Ten Years On – Asia’s Time Is Coming, Don’t Miss The Boat

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We noted in   Ten Years On – Asia Outperforms Advanced Economies Asia’s economies and companies have outperformed advanced country peers in the ten years to 2017.  Growing by 6.8%, real, through the crisis the region is 188% larger in US dollar terms while US dollar per capita incomes 170% higher compared with 2007. In this note we argue even though Asian stock markets have underperformed since 2010 and the bulk of global capital flows have gone to advanced countries, Asia’s time is coming. Valuations are cheap. Growth fundamentals strong. There are few external or internal imbalances. Macroeconomic management has been better than in advanced economies and the scope to ease policy to ward off headwinds in 2019 is greater. China has already started.

3. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: China Tower, Tencent, New China Life (2019-01-11)

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In our Discover HK Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of southbound trades via the Hong Kong Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by mainland investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the Hong Kong Connect trade into three groups: those with a market capitalization of above USD 5 billion, those with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion, and those with a market capitalization between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion.

We see the Financials sector led the outflow by mainland investors last week with 201 million USD of net selling. We also highlight a few companies this week: China Tower (788 HK), Tencent Holdings (700 HK), New China Life Insurance (1336 HK), and Ping An Good Doctor (1833 HK).

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Daily Hong Kong: StubWorld: CK Infra/Power Assets, Amorepacific, JCNC and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. StubWorld: CK Infra/Power Assets, Amorepacific, JCNC
  2. Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate
  3. Much Ado About Credit
  4. Weimob IPO Trading Update – Existing Shareholders to the Rescue
  5. 2018 HK-Connect SouthBound In a Nutshell

1. StubWorld: CK Infra/Power Assets, Amorepacific, JCNC

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This week in StubWorld …

Preceding my comments on CKI/PAH, Amorepacific and JCNC are the weekly setup/unwind tables for Asia-Pacific Holdcos.

These relationships trade with a minimum liquidity threshold of US$1mn on a 90-day moving average, and a % market capitalisation threshold – the $ value of the holding/opco held, over the parent’s market capitalisation, expressed as a % – of at least 20%.

2. Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate

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  • While the amount of real estate needed by data centres is small in comparison with the volumes required for e-commerce, we are seeing that data centres are also impacting the market for industrial real estate in locations around the world. 
  • Cloud and mobile computing, plus the Internet of Things are driving demand in the data center industry. According to Cushman & Wakefield, revenue growth at multi-tenant data centres will be 12% to 14% each year for the next two to five years.
  • The data centres industry is having, and is positioned to continue to have, a material positive impact on pricing for industrial real estate in many markets around the world. 
  • Real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield evaluated ten Asia Pacific markets for a range of factors. Singapore emerged as one of the two most attractive Asia Pacific locations for data centres. Over the past five months, Singapore has seen more than its share of significant data centre announcements. Most recently, Mapletree Industrial Trust disclosed that it would lease one of its buildings to global data centre company Equinix for 25 years.

3. Much Ado About Credit

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  • Global financing conditions could tighten further
  • Credit demand is deteriorating; credit risks are rising; Eurodollar costs are edging higher
  • A de-escalation in trade tensions and a Fed pause could ease the pain
  • Will Fed recently turning more dovish (possible shift to slower QT & Fed rate cut in 2019?) + concomitant USD drift provide sufficient respite to put a floor under risk assets?

4. Weimob IPO Trading Update – Existing Shareholders to the Rescue

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Weimob.com (2013 HK) IPO was priced at the low-end at HKD2.80/share. The retail tranche was 0.79x covered while the institutional tranche was slightly over-subscribed.

I’ve covered most aspects of the deal in my earlier insights: 

In this insight, I’ll provide an update on the deal dynamics, valuations and provide a table with the implied valuations at different share price levels.

5. 2018 HK-Connect SouthBound In a Nutshell

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Since autumn of 2014, the HK-Shanghai Connect, and later the HK-Shenzhen Connect mechanisms have provided means for mainland investors to buy Hong Kong-listed stocks. 

We have been tracking the H/A relationships and the Southbound flows per name on a weekly basis and occasionally writing commentary about it since late 2016. 

This report provides a brief synopsis of the SOUTHBOUND flows into Hong Kong-listed stocks over the course of 2018, by sector, by average percentage change in mainland ownership of HK shares outstanding subject to the Connect mechanisms, and the top and bottom five names per sector per quarter.

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