Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

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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>
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"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%.
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<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.
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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.


Telco/Internet specialist

Kirk Boodry

Redex Research

Equity Bottom-Up

These are our initial thoughts – we will write more about the quarter later – but we wanted to get our initial thoughts on the buyback out.This was a terrible print for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-group-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:315:1" rel="noopener">Softbank Group (9984 JP)</a>  which posted record investment losses for Vision Fund despite some fancy footwork on valuations in the private portfolio. That seems to make the announcement of a ¥1,000bn share buyback less surprising. No doubt it will attract interest as the shares trade near 52-week lows and at the high-end of the holding company discount range but there are some caveats that may temper enthusiasm whilst the longer-term risk is that the buyback is tied to completion of the Nvidia/ARM deal, which still faces regulatory scrutiny.

These are our initial thoughts – we will write more about the quarter later – but we wanted to get our initial thoughts on the buyback out.This was a terrible print for Softbank Group (9984 JP)  which posted record investment losses for Vision Fund despite some fancy footwork on valuations in the private portfolio. That seems to make the announcement of a ¥1,000bn share buyback less surprising. No doubt it will attract interest as the shares trade near 52-week lows and at the high-end of the holding company discount range but there are some caveats that may temper enthusiasm whilst the longer-term risk is that the buyback is tied to completion of the Nvidia/ARM deal, which still faces regulatory scrutiny.   

Softbank Group Q2 21 Results Reaction: Softbank May Intend to Use ARM Proceeds for Buyback

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Hang Seng Indexes will announce the results of the December 2021 review of the Hang Seng Family of Indexes on 19 November. The constituent changes will be effective after the close of trading on 3 December.The review period for the December rebalance ended on 30 September and stocks that have at least 3 month of trading history by the review meeting date are eligible for inclusion in the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-hang-seng-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22899:1" rel="noopener">Hong Kong Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX)</a>.With Hang Seng Indexes looking to get up to 80 <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-hang-seng-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22899:1" rel="noopener">Hong Kong Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX)</a> members by mid-2022, there could be 20 inclusions over the next 3 index rebalances.As of the close on 3 November, index turnover is 1.3% from capping and other changes to the current index constituents. That gives the index committee a lot of room to add some big stocks to the index without increasing the turnover to levels seen at the last two rebalances in June and September.We identify 12 stocks that could be added to the index based on market coverage and the impact of recent regulatory changes. Of the 12 stocks, 8 are higher probability changes and 4 are lower probability.All 12 inclusions will result in a one-way turnover of 6.37% while the inclusion of the 8 high probability changes will result in a one-way turnover of 4.98%.There is large short interest on most of the stocks and index inclusion could set off a round of short covering and could drive the stocks higher.

Hang Seng Indexes will announce the results of the December 2021 review of the Hang Seng Family of Indexes on 19 November. The constituent changes will be effective after the close of trading on 3 December.The review period for the December rebalance ended on 30 September and stocks that have at least 3 month of trading history by the review meeting date are eligible for inclusion in the Hong Kong Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX).With Hang Seng Indexes looking to get up to 80 Hong Kong Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX) members by mid-2022, there could be 20 inclusions over the next 3 index rebalances.As of the close on 3 November, index turnover is 1.3% from capping and other changes to the current index constituents. That gives the index committee a lot of room to add some big stocks to the index without increasing the turnover to levels seen at the last two rebalances in June and September.We identify 12 stocks that could be added to the index based on market coverage and the impact of recent regulatory changes. Of the 12 stocks, 8 are higher probability changes and 4 are lower probability.All 12 inclusions will result in a one-way turnover of 6.37% while the inclusion of the 8 high probability changes will result in a one-way turnover of 4.98%.There is large short interest on most of the stocks and index inclusion could set off a round of short covering and could drive the stocks higher.

Hang Seng Index Rebalance Preview: The Road to 80 Constituents

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

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Kakao Bank's three month lock-up will end on 6th Nov 2021, freeing up another US$1bn worth of shares held by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/netmarble-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22839:1" rel="noopener">Netmarble Corporation (251270 KS)</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 local investors.
We have covered various aspects of the deal in our previous notes:
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<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kakao-bank-ipo-riding-on-parent-s-network-but-boundaries-with-kakao-pay-remain-unclear" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kakao Bank IPO - Riding on parents network but boundaries with Kakao Pay remain unclear</a>, </li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kakao-bank-ipo-pricey-as-it-should-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kakao Bank IPO - Pricey as It Should Be</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kakao-bank-ipo-lack-of-lock-up-and-msci-ftse-index-implications" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kakao Bank IPO - Lack of Lock-Up and MSCI, FTSE Index Implications, and</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kakao-bank-ipo-trading-one-for-instis-closer-look-at-ftse-and-msci-inclusion-remain-buyers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kakao Bank IPO Trading - One for Instis, Closer Look at FTSE and MSCI Inclusion. Remain Buyers</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kakao-bank-msci-done-missed-ftse-by-a-whisker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kakao Bank - MSCI Done, Missed FTSE by a Whisker</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kakao-bank-placement-its-expensive-but-the-discount-is-enticing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kakao Bank Placement - Its Expensive but the Discount Is Enticing</a></li>
</ul>
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In this note, we will talk about the upcoming lock-up expiry.
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Kakao Bank's three month lock-up will end on 6th Nov 2021, freeing up another US$1bn worth of shares held by Netmarble Corporation (251270 KS), Tencent (700 HK) and local investors.
We have covered various aspects of the deal in our previous notes:




Kakao Bank IPO - Riding on parents network but boundaries with Kakao Pay remain unclear, 
Kakao Bank IPO - Pricey as It Should Be
Kakao Bank IPO - Lack of Lock-Up and MSCI, FTSE Index Implications, and
Kakao Bank IPO Trading - One for Instis, Closer Look at FTSE and MSCI Inclusion. Remain Buyers
Kakao Bank - MSCI Done, Missed FTSE by a Whisker
Kakao Bank Placement - Its Expensive but the Discount Is Enticing



In this note, we will talk about the upcoming lock-up expiry.


Kakao Bank Lock-Up - Watch Out for Netmarble Led Blocks

Equity Research in HK and Mainland China

Li Tang

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) published two draft guidelines after market close last Friday, with the first document grouping internet platforms by their function and size, and the second statement listing their responsibilities, in order for internet platforms to standardise their operations, fulfil duties, and safeguard the rights of business operators and end customers on platforms. The public consultation of the two documents will last until 8 November.</li>
<li>We think the size-based grouping is more important than the second guideline which covers responsibilities of internet platforms, as the latter is not issuing new requirements.</li>
<li>We think this guideline is another milestone that sees changes to regulatory measures, refining actions to platforms on different business types and size in future.</li>
<li>We think the draft guidelines would work as a comprehensive checklist for internet platforms, especially the super large entities, which likely include <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a>, Douyin, Alipay, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan-dianping" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a> .</li>
</ul>


The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) published two draft guidelines after market close last Friday, with the first document grouping internet platforms by their function and size, and the second statement listing their responsibilities, in order for internet platforms to standardise their operations, fulfil duties, and safeguard the rights of business operators and end customers on platforms. The public consultation of the two documents will last until 8 November.
We think the size-based grouping is more important than the second guideline which covers responsibilities of internet platforms, as the latter is not issuing new requirements.
We think this guideline is another milestone that sees changes to regulatory measures, refining actions to platforms on different business types and size in future.
We think the draft guidelines would work as a comprehensive checklist for internet platforms, especially the super large entities, which likely include Alibaba Group (BABA US), Douyin, Alipay, and Meituan (3690 HK) .


SAMR Drafts Overarching Guideline to Regulate Internet Platforms

China

Alibaba Group Holding Limited provides online sales services. The Company provides internet infrastructure, electronic commerce, online financial, and internet content services through its subsidiaries. Alibaba Group Holding offers its products and services worldwide.

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Alibaba Group Holding (BABA US)

51job (JOB US): That Was An Overreaction

Trading at a gross spread of 45.8%. I expect this spread to stay wide given the opaqueness of the regulatory overlay, the (likely) vacuum of...

David Blennerhassett

Softbank Group Q2 21 Results Reaction: Softbank May Intend to Use ARM Proceeds for Buyback

Softbank's share buyback may have as much to do with delays to Nvidia/ARM regulatory approval as record losses for Vision Fund in Q2. We look at...

Kirk Boodry

Hang Seng Index Rebalance Preview: The Road to 80 Constituents

The HSI has 60 members and the target is to reach 80 constituents over the next 3 rebalances. There could be a lot of stocks added at the Dec rebal...

Brian Freitas

Kakao Bank Lock-Up - Watch Out for Netmarble Led Blocks

Kakao Bank's three month lock-up will end on 6th Nov 2021, freeing up another US$1bn worth of shares held by Netmarble Corporation (251270 KS),...

Sumeet Singh

SAMR Drafts Overarching Guideline to Regulate Internet Platforms

We think the draft guidelines would work as a comprehensive checklist for internet platforms, especially the super large entities

Li Tang

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