Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>For the month of November, 14 new deals (firm and non-binding) were discussed on Smartkarma with an overall announced deal size of ~US$20bn.</li>
<li>The average premium for the new deals announced (or first discussed) in November was ~34%, with a year-to-date average of ~32% (153 deals &amp; total deal size of US$278bn).</li>
<li>This compares to the average premium for all deals in 2020 (158 deals) and 2019 (145 deals) of 31% and 31.5% respectively.</li>
</ul>


For the month of November, 14 new deals (firm and non-binding) were discussed on Smartkarma with an overall announced deal size of ~US$20bn.
The average premium for the new deals announced (or first discussed) in November was ~34%, with a year-to-date average of ~32% (153 deals &amp; total deal size of US$278bn).
This compares to the average premium for all deals in 2020 (158 deals) and 2019 (145 deals) of 31% and 31.5% respectively.


<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/so-young-international-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28025:1" rel="noopener">So-Young (SY US)</a> has announced a preliminary non-binding proposal from its chairman, Xing Jin, of $5.30/ADS - a 22.7% premium to last close. </li>
<li>Xing Jin controls 83.9% of the voting power. If a firm Offer unfolds, which should involve a long-form merger, this is effectively done. </li>
<li>The pressure on Chinese stocks in the US to go private or change listing venue by 2024 is still on.</li>
</ul>



So-Young (SY US) has announced a preliminary non-binding proposal from its chairman, Xing Jin, of $5.30/ADS - a 22.7% premium to last close. 
Xing Jin controls 83.9% of the voting power. If a firm Offer unfolds, which should involve a long-form merger, this is effectively done. 
The pressure on Chinese stocks in the US to go private or change listing venue by 2024 is still on.


Last Week in Event SPACE: Softbank, Sydney Airports, SPH, SingTel, Oil Search, Japex/Inpex, Nippo

<div>
Just plain horrible.
Following an indicative pre-market sell-off of 35%, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/51-job-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:532:1" rel="noopener">51 Job Inc (JOBS US)</a> closed down 19.2%, and is now 20% adrift of the undisturbed price. 
The news? As per 51job's <a href="https://ir.51job.com/ir/php/2021/PreRelease20211108.php?1108" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a>:
<blockquote>
that certain members of the buyer consortium that formed Garnet Faith Limited to acquire the Company ... have been in consultation with Chinese regulators on recent regulatory changes in China that may be applicable to the Company and the Proposed Transaction. The consultation process by these buyer consortium members is currently ongoing and a clear timeline to its completion cannot be provided at this time. 
</blockquote>
</div>
"Recent regulatory changes" emerged shortly after <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/didi-chuxing-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27467:1" rel="noopener">DiDi Global (DIDI US)</a>'s listing in early July, and a broad regulatory crackdown followed, casting a net over sectors from education to technology. As quoted by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spokesperson Zhao Zhiguo back in September: "we are guiding relevant companies to carry out self-examination and rectification".
Late last month State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) proposed a list of responsibilities it wanted internet platforms to uphold. This latest edict primarily targeted large platforms (such as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28434:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (9988 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent (700 HK)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan-dianping" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a>) and that they should (according to a Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-proposes-guidelines-internet-platform-responsibilities-2021-10-29/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a>) "abide by the principles of fairness when offering services and should open their services up to other platform operators. They should not obtain data without users' consent and should be transparent when using big data to recommend products."  The SAMR said these were draft guidelines that were open to public consultation until yesterday.
51job.com is the leading recruitment website/platform in China. Shares rolled over in July as the regulatory oversight on internet platforms ensnared more sectors/companies. 
Yet this latest announcement from 51job provides little new news to what was already known. Timing, admittedly, was not ideal, arriving shortly on the heels of last week's <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001295484/000110465921132333/tm2131363d1_sc13da.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a> that funding for the Offer had progressed.  
The significant price correction yesterday - which could all but be construed as a dealbreak - can ostensibly be put down to short-term investors piling into 51job on the financing news, then turning tail, exiting en-masse after the perceived financing head-fake.  
Yesterday's price movement appears overdone.  The gross spread to terms is now out to 45.8%.
<div>
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/240/535/original/image_87521874221636431612863.png?1636431613" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="240535"></figure>
More below the fold.
</div>


Just plain horrible.
Following an indicative pre-market sell-off of 35%, 51 Job Inc (JOBS US) closed down 19.2%, and is now 20% adrift of the undisturbed price. 
The news? As per 51job's announcement:

that certain members of the buyer consortium that formed Garnet Faith Limited to acquire the Company ... have been in consultation with Chinese regulators on recent regulatory changes in China that may be applicable to the Company and the Proposed Transaction. The consultation process by these buyer consortium members is currently ongoing and a clear timeline to its completion cannot be provided at this time. 


"Recent regulatory changes" emerged shortly after DiDi Global (DIDI US)'s listing in early July, and a broad regulatory crackdown followed, casting a net over sectors from education to technology. As quoted by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spokesperson Zhao Zhiguo back in September: "we are guiding relevant companies to carry out self-examination and rectification".
Late last month State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) proposed a list of responsibilities it wanted internet platforms to uphold. This latest edict primarily targeted large platforms (such as Alibaba Group (9988 HK), Tencent (700 HK), and Meituan (3690 HK)) and that they should (according to a Reuters article) "abide by the principles of fairness when offering services and should open their services up to other platform operators. They should not obtain data without users' consent and should be transparent when using big data to recommend products."  The SAMR said these were draft guidelines that were open to public consultation until yesterday.
51job.com is the leading recruitment website/platform in China. Shares rolled over in July as the regulatory oversight on internet platforms ensnared more sectors/companies. 
Yet this latest announcement from 51job provides little new news to what was already known. Timing, admittedly, was not ideal, arriving shortly on the heels of last week's announcement that funding for the Offer had progressed.  
The significant price correction yesterday - which could all but be construed as a dealbreak - can ostensibly be put down to short-term investors piling into 51job on the financing news, then turning tail, exiting en-masse after the perceived financing head-fake.  
Yesterday's price movement appears overdone.  The gross spread to terms is now out to 45.8%.


More below the fold.


AlphaSituations-Event/Catalyst Driven Research, AlphaSituations

Robert Sassoon

AlphaSituations-Event/Catalyst Driven Research

AlphaSituations

Since its establishment, AlphaSituations has delivered a track record of outperformance with a hit rate of winners of more than 70% of its portfolio of ideas generating annualized average returns of 20%. In January 2022, AlphaSituations was contracted by Water Tower Research, an investor engagement and stakeholder communication platform to provide coverage of Special Situations

In complete contrast to the recent Schedule 13D filing (November 1, 2021) disclosing that  <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/51-job-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:532:1" rel="noopener">51 Job Inc Adr (JOBS US) </a> Founder/CEO Rick Yan and his affiliated entities, members of the Buying Group  had entered into financing agreements with China Merchants Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank putting into place the financing for the Go-Private transaction as contemplated by their commitment letters (disclosed in the press release of June 21, 2021 announcing the agreed transaction), any hope for this Go-Private deal moving quickly to consummation, if at all, appears to have evaporated. In a flash, the spread has widened from 18% to  46%.<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/240/463/original/image_75543846961636410149399.png?1636410151" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="240463"></figure>In this insight, we attempt to read between the lines of a somewhat terse statement concerning regulatory involvement with the deal. It may not be as bad as the market's first take.

In complete contrast to the recent Schedule 13D filing (November 1, 2021) disclosing that  51 Job Inc Adr (JOBS US)  Founder/CEO Rick Yan and his affiliated entities, members of the Buying Group  had entered into financing agreements with China Merchants Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank putting into place the financing for the Go-Private transaction as contemplated by their commitment letters (disclosed in the press release of June 21, 2021 announcing the agreed transaction), any hope for this Go-Private deal moving quickly to consummation, if at all, appears to have evaporated. In a flash, the spread has widened from 18% to  46%.In this insight, we attempt to read between the lines of a somewhat terse statement concerning regulatory involvement with the deal. It may not be as bad as the market's first take.

MergerTalk: Thoughts On Today's Disclosure-Why It Is Not The Deal Killer The Market May Think It Is

China

51job, Inc. provides integrated human resource services in China, with a strong focus on recruitment related services.  The Company's recruitment related services are delivered in both print and online formats.

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51 Job Inc Adr (JOBS US)

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MergerTalk: Thoughts On Today's Disclosure-Why It Is Not The Deal Killer The Market May Think It Is

The somewhat terse statement concerning regulatory involvement with the the JOBS Go-Private deal may not be as bad as the market's first take

Robert Sassoon

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