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.

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Kakao Bank (KB) is South Korea’s largest digital bank. It's a subsidiary of Kakao, which holds a 27.3% stake post listing.</li>
<li>It is a branchless digital bank that only started operations in 2017. As of Sep 21, it had a loan book of US$21bn, deposit base of US$24bn and 17.4m customers.</li>
<li>Even though Kakao started operations only in July 2017, by 2020 it had already garnered more than 1% market share of overall loans and deposits in South Korea.</li>
</ul>


Kakao Bank (KB) is South Korea’s largest digital bank. It's a subsidiary of Kakao, which holds a 27.3% stake post listing.
It is a branchless digital bank that only started operations in 2017. As of Sep 21, it had a loan book of US$21bn, deposit base of US$24bn and 17.4m customers.
Even though Kakao started operations only in July 2017, by 2020 it had already garnered more than 1% market share of overall loans and deposits in South Korea.


2022 High Conviction - Kakao Bank - A Long Way to Go

Equity Analyst, LightStream Research

Oshadhi Kumarasiri

Equity Analyst

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

Alibaba Group Holding  / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Nikkei reports that a high ranking CCP official has suggested that the platforms possessing personal data should return around 20-30% of the revenue generated to the common prosperity cause. </li>
<li>We expect big tech to lose competitiveness as the government takes control of the use of personal data. Meanwhile the Chinese economic slowdown is a double blow to big tech. </li>
<li>If remaining investors lose faith and exit, big tech can trade at around 1.0-1.5x price to book in the next few years.</li>
</ul>


Nikkei reports that a high ranking CCP official has suggested that the platforms possessing personal data should return around 20-30% of the revenue generated to the common prosperity cause. 
We expect big tech to lose competitiveness as the government takes control of the use of personal data. Meanwhile the Chinese economic slowdown is a double blow to big tech. 
If remaining investors lose faith and exit, big tech can trade at around 1.0-1.5x price to book in the next few years.


Blue Lotus Non US Internet research, Blue Lotus Research Institute

Ying Pan

Blue Lotus Non US Internet research

China growth and global non-US Internet equities

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Blue Lotus Research is a Hong Kong Type 4 Licensed investment advisory firm focusing on Chinese growth equities and global non-US Internet equities

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Gaming Sector Update/NTES US: NPPA Releases November Domestic and Imported Game Approvals(+)</li>
<li>3690 HK/Douyin:Douyin Local Life’s Double 11 Sales Increase by 53% YoY, Indicating Rising Consumer Spending in China, Bodes Well for Meituan.(+)</li>
<li>BABA US/PDD US/JD US: Taobao/Tmall launches “Go Bargain” feature (+/+/+)</li>
</ul>


Gaming Sector Update/NTES US: NPPA Releases November Domestic and Imported Game Approvals(+)
3690 HK/Douyin:Douyin Local Life’s Double 11 Sales Increase by 53% YoY, Indicating Rising Consumer Spending in China, Bodes Well for Meituan.(+)
BABA US/PDD US/JD US: Taobao/Tmall launches “Go Bargain” feature (+/+/+)


[Blue Lotus Daily-TMT Update]:Gaming Sector Update/NTES US/3690 HK/Douyin/BABA US/PDD US/JD US/700HK

Greater China Equity Long/Short Analyst

Eric Chen

<ul>
<li>We compared similar growth stage of Alibaba to Pinduoduo, when GMV of both platforms increase from RMB1 trillion to RMB4 trillion, to facilitate better understanding of efficiency edge of Pinduoduo.</li>
<li>Contrary to consensus, Pinduoduo didn’t do better than Alibaba on OPEX (advertising expenditure in particular), but it did extract much greater value from the ecosystem via significantly higher take-rate.</li>
<li>The findings highlight how Pinduoduo aggregate user traffic at surprisingly high cost to beef up merchant competition in terms of cost optimization and user acquisition, with Pinduoduo  reaping greatest value.</li>
</ul>


We compared similar growth stage of Alibaba to Pinduoduo, when GMV of both platforms increase from RMB1 trillion to RMB4 trillion, to facilitate better understanding of efficiency edge of Pinduoduo.
Contrary to consensus, Pinduoduo didn’t do better than Alibaba on OPEX (advertising expenditure in particular), but it did extract much greater value from the ecosystem via significantly higher take-rate.
The findings highlight how Pinduoduo aggregate user traffic at surprisingly high cost to beef up merchant competition in terms of cost optimization and user acquisition, with Pinduoduo  reaping greatest value.


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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>The announcement of the changes to the Hang Seng indices is on 22 November, the capping will use the close on 3 December and implemented at the close 6 December.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a>'s outperformance over the last couple of months will result in capping of the stock weight in all major indices and passives will sell stock.</li>
<li>We estimate passive trackers will need to sell 35m shares (US$866m; 0.64x ADV) of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a> and that number will change over the next 3 weeks depending on performance.</li>
</ul>


The announcement of the changes to the Hang Seng indices is on 22 November, the capping will use the close on 3 December and implemented at the close 6 December.

Meituan (3690 HK)'s outperformance over the last couple of months will result in capping of the stock weight in all major indices and passives will sell stock.
We estimate passive trackers will need to sell 35m shares (US$866m; 0.64x ADV) of Meituan (3690 HK) and that number will change over the next 3 weeks depending on performance.


Meituan (3690 HK): Big Passive Selling in December

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 (9988 HK)

2022 High Conviction - Kakao Bank - A Long Way to Go

Kakao Bank (KB) is South Korea’s largest digital bank. It's a subsidiary of Kakao, which holds a 27.3% stake post listing.

Sumeet Singh

China Considering a Data Tax on Big Tech

Investors are starting to rethink their investments in the Chinese tech space and the idea that investors should avoid Chinese tech stocks amidst...

Oshadhi Kumarasiri

[Blue Lotus Daily-TMT Update]:Gaming Sector Update/NTES US/3690 HK/Douyin/BABA US/PDD US/JD US/700HK

China's gaming sector sees growth in domestic and imported game approvals, Douyin's Double 11 sales surge indicates higher consumer spending, and...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Pinduoduo: Behind Its Efficiency Edge

Comparison between Alibaba and Pinduoduo at similar growth stages reveals Pinduoduo's efficiency edge through higher take-rate despite higher...

Eric Chen

Meituan (3690 HK): Big Passive Selling in December

Meituan's recent underperformance will result in smaller passive selling than originally forecast. Passive trackers are now estimated to sell 27.4m...

Brian Freitas

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2022 High Conviction - Kakao Bank - A Long Way to Go

Kakao Bank (KB) is South Korea’s largest digital bank. It's a subsidiary of Kakao, which holds a 27.3% stake post listing.

Sumeet Singh

China Considering a Data Tax on Big Tech

Investors are starting to rethink their investments in the Chinese tech space and the idea that investors should avoid Chinese tech stocks amidst...

Oshadhi Kumarasiri

[Blue Lotus Daily-TMT Update]:Gaming Sector Update/NTES US/3690 HK/Douyin/BABA US/PDD US/JD US/700HK

​China's gaming sector sees growth in domestic and imported game approvals, Douyin's Double 11 sales surge indicates higher consumer spending, and...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Pinduoduo: Behind Its Efficiency Edge

​Comparison between Alibaba and Pinduoduo at similar growth stages reveals Pinduoduo's efficiency edge through higher take-rate despite higher...

Eric Chen

Meituan (3690 HK): Big Passive Selling in December

Meituan's recent underperformance will result in smaller passive selling than originally forecast. Passive trackers are now estimated to sell 27.4m...

Brian Freitas

China's gaming sector sees growth in domestic and imported game approvals, Douyin's Double 11 sales surge indicates higher consumer spending, and...

Comparison between Alibaba and Pinduoduo at similar growth stages reveals Pinduoduo's efficiency edge through higher take-rate despite higher...