Asian Insight Provider - Actionable ideas, CrossASEAN Research

Henry Soediarko

Asian Insight Provider - Actionable ideas

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Equity Bottom-Up

One thing that the Indonesian government did right during 2020 is the strict enforcement of IMEI registration in the country. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/erajaya-swasembada-tbk-pt" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18869:1" rel="noopener">Erajaya Swasembada (ERAA IJ)</a> is the key beneficiary to this and the only listed smartphone retailer in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jakarta-stock-exchange-composite-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22914:1" rel="noopener">Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index (JCI INDEX)</a> with a decent market capitalization (USD 610 million). Besides <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/industri-jamu-dan-farmasi-sido-muncul-tbk-pt" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6033:1" rel="noopener">Sido Muncul (SIDO IJ)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/erajaya-swasembada-tbk-pt" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18869:1" rel="noopener">Erajaya Swasembada (ERAA IJ)</a> seems to be another stock that benefited from COVID-19 through work-from-home and home-based-learnings arrangements. 
This year, the share price has been hovering around IDR 2600-2850 level caused by a lack of short-term catalyst.  The IMEI rule has certainly been the key factor for last year's revenue growth but after this, what's next? The short-term outlook for having Erajaya pales in comparison to its long-term prospect therefore after making a 76% return in 6 months, maybe it is time to realized some profit in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/erajaya-swasembada-tbk-pt" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18869:1" rel="noopener">Erajaya Swasembada (ERAA IJ)</a> . 
The long-term prospect remains bullish. As the smartphone penetration in Indonesia is set to increase from 70 to 89% in 2025, Erajaya is set to benefit from this although it is less appealing compared to the 2015 to 2020 period when the smartphone penetration jumped from 29% to 70% (130%).

One thing that the Indonesian government did right during 2020 is the strict enforcement of IMEI registration in the country. Erajaya Swasembada (ERAA IJ) is the key beneficiary to this and the only listed smartphone retailer in Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index (JCI INDEX) with a decent market capitalization (USD 610 million). Besides Sido Muncul (SIDO IJ) , Erajaya Swasembada (ERAA IJ) seems to be another stock that benefited from COVID-19 through work-from-home and home-based-learnings arrangements. 
This year, the share price has been hovering around IDR 2600-2850 level caused by a lack of short-term catalyst.  The IMEI rule has certainly been the key factor for last year's revenue growth but after this, what's next? The short-term outlook for having Erajaya pales in comparison to its long-term prospect therefore after making a 76% return in 6 months, maybe it is time to realized some profit in Erajaya Swasembada (ERAA IJ) . 
The long-term prospect remains bullish. As the smartphone penetration in Indonesia is set to increase from 70 to 89% in 2025, Erajaya is set to benefit from this although it is less appealing compared to the 2015 to 2020 period when the smartphone penetration jumped from 29% to 70% (130%).

Erajaya (ERAA): Lack of Short Term Catalyst but March on Long Term

Equity Analyst, Investi Analyst

Investi Analyst

Equity Analyst

Investment Entrepreneur / Equity Analyst.

<ul><li>Vuzix has been gaining momentum amidst the pandemic as one of the leading companies within the augmented reality smart glasses industry.</li><li>Vuzix has experienced rapid growth with revenues growing over 117% YoY in Q4, 73% YoY for 2020 and market expecting this momentum to continue into 2021.</li><li>Amidst the momentum from Ark Invest, there are key risks and metrics that investors need to keep tracking to ensure this momentum is sustainable.</li><li>This article focuses on analyzing notable highlights from the 2020 earnings report as well as future expectations baked in for 2021.</li></ul>

Vuzix has been gaining momentum amidst the pandemic as one of the leading companies within the augmented reality smart glasses industry.Vuzix has experienced rapid growth with revenues growing over 117% YoY in Q4, 73% YoY for 2020 and market expecting this momentum to continue into 2021.Amidst the momentum from Ark Invest, there are key risks and metrics that investors need to keep tracking to ensure this momentum is sustainable.This article focuses on analyzing notable highlights from the 2020 earnings report as well as future expectations baked in for 2021.

Vuzix Corp.: Earnings Recap And What Investors Can Expect In 2021

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst, Obex Capital Research

Aaron Gabin

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research

Obex Capital Research

“Obex” is Latin for Barriers to Entry. Obex Capital Management’s investment philosophy is driven by an intense focus on which business model’s Barriers to Entry are able to withstand the ever increasing competitive disruption in the TMT and Consumer Sectors.

Meta Platforms (Facebook) / Equity Bottom-Up

Large cap growth stocks have done nothing for 9 months. We think they represent great entry points into 1Q21 earnings. We prefer Facebook and Amazon.<div class="content-highlight">Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.  </div>

Large cap growth stocks have done nothing for 9 months. We think they represent great entry points into 1Q21 earnings. We prefer Facebook and Amazon.Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.  

Whatever Happened to FANG? Why Its Time to Reload on Large Cap Growth

Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Independent Insight Provider

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

*CBA’s Foray Into BNPL Adds Pressure: Tencent Holding’s (700.HK) [Tencent] Afterpay Touch (APT.AU) [Afterpay] FY 1H21 Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) operating results have turned the corner and are close to break-even, by our calculation. The competition is noticing Afterpay’s performance.  Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AU) [CBA] has announced its own BNPL product beginning June 2021 which will pressure Afterpay in its home market; and*Tencent’s Midas Touch: Tencent continues to hit it out of the park with its Afterpay stake. In addition to its superb return on investment of nearly 390% over the past nine months since the stake announcement - -even after giving back some of its gains, this alliance with Australia’s premier financial technology Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) company is paying dividends to Tencent in numerous other ways.

*CBA’s Foray Into BNPL Adds Pressure: Tencent Holding’s (700.HK) [Tencent] Afterpay Touch (APT.AU) [Afterpay] FY 1H21 Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) operating results have turned the corner and are close to break-even, by our calculation. The competition is noticing Afterpay’s performance.  Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AU) [CBA] has announced its own BNPL product beginning June 2021 which will pressure Afterpay in its home market; and*Tencent’s Midas Touch: Tencent continues to hit it out of the park with its Afterpay stake. In addition to its superb return on investment of nearly 390% over the past nine months since the stake announcement - -even after giving back some of its gains, this alliance with Australia’s premier financial technology Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) company is paying dividends to Tencent in numerous other ways. 

Tencent Holdings – Replication Is Flattery

Alpha-Centric ESG Research

Kyle Rudden

I often note that whilst Asia arrived at the ESG party fashionably late, it is making up for lost time, going from idle to full-throttle often by leapfrogging large patches of middle ground. One apropos example is the recent surge in Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) hires by Asian companies.Rather than going a typical route – like having someone in Marketing do double-duty for a year or so to delay shelling out big bucks for a proper CSO – companies such as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-exchange-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1047:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Exchange (SGX SP)</a> and  <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hsbc-holdings-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:516:1" rel="noopener">HSBC Holdings (0005 HK)</a> have recruited some seriously-qualified, executive-level CSOs.Big news, but I wouldn't have bothered with it a few years ago.Until recently, there wasn't much "Chief" or "Officer" to the CSO role. At best, companies hadn't yet figured out what to do with a CSO. At worst, they handed out CSO titles for optics; "greenwashing," as it were. CSOs were idealistic and motivated. Managements and Boards just didn't get it, yet.CSOs have since been excepted as equals into the "C-Suite," having proven their worth and earning a voice in all levels of strategic discourse. Exceptions do exist, the CSO role is varied and continues to evolve, and that "greenwashing" daemon still rears its ugly head every now and again.On the whole, however, CSOs are more influential than ever.From an ESG investing angle, the existence of a CSO has two specific implications: 1) it serves as a barometer of overall ESG commitment, and 2) it is associated with ESG outperformance, and lower ESG risk. For some issuers, it can even portend (portend, not predict) future ESG performance.Recent CSO activity in Asia inspired me to dig deeper. "Deeper" is relative, as the CSO pool in Asia (and elsewhere for that matter) is still very shallow. Nevertheless, this is a comprehensive analysis of the evolving CSO role in Asia – generally, and by cross-sections and topics such as:<ul>
<li>
Results: Correlative or causal, CSOs are linked to better ESG performance and lower risk.</li>
<li>
Country: Singapore and the Philippines have the most CSOs by company-count and size.  </li>
<li>
Sectors: Asian-company CSOs tend to concentrate in large-cap sectors and/or industries.</li>
<li>
Education: CSOs have more advanced degrees, from top universities, than do non-CSOs.</li>
<li>
Gender: Singapore and Thailand have the most female CSOs; Japan and India the least.</li>
</ul>

I often note that whilst Asia arrived at the ESG party fashionably late, it is making up for lost time, going from idle to full-throttle often by leapfrogging large patches of middle ground. One apropos example is the recent surge in Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) hires by Asian companies.Rather than going a typical route – like having someone in Marketing do double-duty for a year or so to delay shelling out big bucks for a proper CSO – companies such as Singapore Exchange (SGX SP) and  HSBC Holdings (0005 HK) have recruited some seriously-qualified, executive-level CSOs.Big news, but I wouldn't have bothered with it a few years ago.Until recently, there wasn't much "Chief" or "Officer" to the CSO role. At best, companies hadn't yet figured out what to do with a CSO. At worst, they handed out CSO titles for optics; "greenwashing," as it were. CSOs were idealistic and motivated. Managements and Boards just didn't get it, yet.CSOs have since been excepted as equals into the "C-Suite," having proven their worth and earning a voice in all levels of strategic discourse. Exceptions do exist, the CSO role is varied and continues to evolve, and that "greenwashing" daemon still rears its ugly head every now and again.On the whole, however, CSOs are more influential than ever.From an ESG investing angle, the existence of a CSO has two specific implications: 1) it serves as a barometer of overall ESG commitment, and 2) it is associated with ESG outperformance, and lower ESG risk. For some issuers, it can even portend (portend, not predict) future ESG performance.Recent CSO activity in Asia inspired me to dig deeper. "Deeper" is relative, as the CSO pool in Asia (and elsewhere for that matter) is still very shallow. Nevertheless, this is a comprehensive analysis of the evolving CSO role in Asia – generally, and by cross-sections and topics such as:

Results: Correlative or causal, CSOs are linked to better ESG performance and lower risk.

Country: Singapore and the Philippines have the most CSOs by company-count and size.  

Sectors: Asian-company CSOs tend to concentrate in large-cap sectors and/or industries.

Education: CSOs have more advanced degrees, from top universities, than do non-CSOs.

Gender: Singapore and Thailand have the most female CSOs; Japan and India the least.


The Rise of the Chief Sustainability Officer in Asia

United States

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related accessories. The Company also offers payment, digital content, cloud and advertising services. Apple Inc.'s customers are primarily in consumer, small & mid-sized business, education, enterprise and government markets worldwide.

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Apple (AAPL US)

Erajaya (ERAA): Lack of Short Term Catalyst but March on Long Term

The short-term outlook for having Erajaya pales in comparison to its long-term prospect therefore after a 76% return in 6 months, maybe it is time...

Henry Soediarko

Vuzix Corp.: Earnings Recap And What Investors Can Expect In 2021

Vuzix has been gaining momentum amidst the pandemic as one of the leading companies within the augmented reality smart glasses industry. Vuzix has...

Investi Analyst

Whatever Happened to FANG? Why Its Time to Reload on Large Cap Growth

Macro tends to control the market in between earnings seasons, when fundamental performance matters less. As we approach 1Q21 earnings in a few...

Aaron Gabin

Tencent Holdings – Replication Is Flattery

TENCENT HOLDINGS: Tencent’s Afterpay BNPL performance is turning heads. Commonwealth Bank of Australia has announced its own BNPL product which...

Thomas J. Monaco

The Rise of the Chief Sustainability Officer in Asia

Chief Sustainability Officers can impact ESG performance and risk-adjusted returns. CSOs are becoming more common anong Asian companies, which are...

Kyle Rudden

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