Daily Briefs

17LIVE is a leading pure-play live streaming platform in Asia with key markets in Japan and Taiwan. Its business lines include Liver live streaming, V-Liver live streaming and other businesses such as in-app games and live commerce. 17LIVE is accessible globally and has fostered a diverse live streaming ecosystem with a loyal and engaged user community, as well as a deep pool of live streamers.

The Smartkarma team spoke to 17Live’s Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Jiang Honghui, in an exclusive corporate webinar. Honghui sheds light on the company’s impressive journey and future growth outlook within the vibrant live streaming space.

You can view the webinar via the link below. 

• 2024 witnessed an unprecedented rise in financial crimes, including an 8x surge in Indian banking fraud, massive cryptocurrency heists, and large-scale corporate fraud like Evergrande’s $78 billion scandal.
• These scams exposed vulnerabilities in technology, governance, and public awareness, underscoring the urgent need for robust regulatory frameworks, enhanced corporate accountability, and public education.
• The evolving sophistication of financial crimes highlights the necessity for vigilance, technological resilience, and proactive measures by individuals, businesses, and governments to mitigate risks in an interconnected world.

• In this insight, we provide our screening process methodology for picking top small cap stocks in KOSPI in 2025. 
• We used a 7 step process to narrow down a list of 30 stocks in KOSPI including market cap, ROE, sales growth, P/E, P/B, and Smartscore.  
• The top five stocks on the Korean small cap stocks screen include Binggrae, Innocean Worldwide, Hanil Holding, Miwon Chemicals, and Daechang Forging.

• SEBI uncovered insider trading during the HDFC-HDFC Bank merger, implicating a Deloitte employee and his associate, who profited Rs. 8.19 lakh using call options and confidential merger details.
• This case highlights the increasing sophistication of insider trading tactics and reinforces the critical need for stricter compliance to protect investor trust and ensure market transparency.
• The case demonstrates SEBI’s growing reliance on advanced analytics to identify market anomalies, ensuring accountability even in complex trading schemes involving proxy accounts and derivative instruments.

• Mainland China investors continued to increase their purchases of Hong Kong shares through the southbound connect platform after Trump’s win. Mainland investors bought a record HK$800B of HK shares in 2024.
• Weimob Inc. (2013 HK) announced it is connecting its Weimob mini-programs to Tencent’s (700 HK) WeChat mini-shop. This move further integrates the SaaS company into Tencent’s ecosystem.
• Wuxi Biologics (2269 HK) announced a license agreement with US-based Aadi Bioscience (AADI US).  Also, Wuxi was not included in the Senate version of the BioSecure legislation improving investor sentiment.

• Leaked Mediatek Chip Specs? — Talk of a “Qualcomm Killer”
• Hon Hai in the New York Times — Why Foxconn is Investing in Texas & Thailand
• TSMC’s Arizona 4nm Production On Track to Start 2H25E — Still Expected to Be 30% Higher Cost vs. Taiwan and That’s Okay

• Triveni Engineering & Industries (TRE IN)’s acquisition of Sir Shadi Lal Enterprise Limited is expected to add to the bottom line as it is located in the same region.
• The resumption of the molasses-based Ethanol plant would benefit as the previous year’s company closed operations early due to non-availability of cane.
• The demerger of the turbine is expected to be the major value-creation proposition.

• Cisarua Mountain Dairy stands out as a rising star amongst consumer staples in Indonesia driven by strong growth in both dairy through Cimory and premium foods through the Kanzler brand.
• The company will continue to benefit from lower raw material costs, as it buys six months ahead and is investing in promotions to drive the growth of new products.
• CMRY has launched Cimory Bites and Crispy Nuggets Spicy which will drive near terns growth, along with a focus on General Trade and MCM channels. Valuations are attractive versus growth.

• In this insight, we focus on the textile industry dynamics in India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, particularly focusing on the “Bangladesh Plus One” sourcing strategy.
• Textile stocks have surged significantly, with an average increase of 13% in one month and 50% year-to-date, driven by investment narratives.
• Despite optimism in India, Bangladesh and Vietnam maintain competitive advantages, particularly in labor costs and export-oriented policies, affecting India’s market share.

• Playa Hotels & Resorts reported third-quarter 2024 results that exceeded expectations, driven by steady performance in the Yucatan and Dominican Republic segments and improving demand in the Pacific Coast and Jamaica.
• The company achieved owned resort EBITDA of $36.6 million in the quarter, which included a benefit from business interruption insurance proceeds of approximately $700,000, compared to $1 million in the same period last year.
• The company’s results reflected the impact of external factors such as Hurricane Barrel, construction disruptions, and travel advisories.