Founder & CEO Bond Angle, LLC, Bond Angle, LLC

Vicki Bryan

Founder & CEO Bond Angle, LLC

Bond Angle, LLC

Insightful commentary and analysis on bond markets and market movers, including financial, economic, and industry catalysts and management shenanigans. 

High yield market investment research

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<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/093/375/original/tesla%20GA4%20tent%20%20%20%20source%20%20%20Stephen%20Lam%20Reuters.jpg?1563394610" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="93375"></figure><div class="content-caption">Tesla GA4 tent. Stephen Lam/Reuters</div>CNBC filed a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/15/tesla-workers-in-ga4-tent-describe-pressure-to-make-model-3-goals.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scathing report</a> this week detailing serious problems at the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tesla-motors-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20279:1" rel="noopener">Tesla Motors (TSLA US)</a> GA4 tent, a supposedly temporary solution set up in the parking lot last year to ease Model 3 production constraints at the company's primary manufacturing plant in Fremont, California.Even more troubling, as I long have warned, is that the problems CNBC uncovered really aren't new. Tesla's troubles also are no longer about being a quirky start-up still figuring things out as it goes. This is a $45 billion company now more than sixteen years old and more than a year into full-scale production capability for all of its models that it's expanding across the globe.Tesla denies CNBC's findings, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/tesla-workers-took-shortcuts-used-electrical-tape-model-3-goals-2019-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling Business Insider</a> they are “misleading” and that it has “dedicated teams” that “track every car throughout every shop in the assembly line.”<blockquote>“In order to ensure the highest quality, we review every vehicle for even the smallest refinement before it leaves the factory. Dedicated inspection teams track every car throughout every shop in the assembly line, and every vehicle is then subjected to an additional quality control process towards the end of line. And all of this happens before a vehicle leaves the factory and is delivered to a customer. This applies to all areas of the factory, including our operations at GA4, and it’s why Tesla is able to build the safest and best-performing cars available today,'' the company said in a statement."</blockquote>Gee, who should we believe? If only there was mounting evidence from multiple sources showing Tesla has a long history of serious and escalating problems with its working conditions, plant safety, quality controls, and management oversight which already have cost the company millions of dollars in fines and settlements and yet no signs of being convincingly resolved.Hint: there is. Lots, as I've been warning since last year.Read on for Bond Angle analysis.

Tesla GA4 tent. Stephen Lam/ReutersCNBC filed a scathing report this week detailing serious problems at the Tesla Motors (TSLA US) GA4 tent, a supposedly temporary solution set up in the parking lot last year to ease Model 3 production constraints at the company's primary manufacturing plant in Fremont, California.Even more troubling, as I long have warned, is that the problems CNBC uncovered really aren't new. Tesla's troubles also are no longer about being a quirky start-up still figuring things out as it goes. This is a $45 billion company now more than sixteen years old and more than a year into full-scale production capability for all of its models that it's expanding across the globe.Tesla denies CNBC's findings, telling Business Insider they are “misleading” and that it has “dedicated teams” that “track every car throughout every shop in the assembly line.”“In order to ensure the highest quality, we review every vehicle for even the smallest refinement before it leaves the factory. Dedicated inspection teams track every car throughout every shop in the assembly line, and every vehicle is then subjected to an additional quality control process towards the end of line. And all of this happens before a vehicle leaves the factory and is delivered to a customer. This applies to all areas of the factory, including our operations at GA4, and it’s why Tesla is able to build the safest and best-performing cars available today,'' the company said in a statement."Gee, who should we believe? If only there was mounting evidence from multiple sources showing Tesla has a long history of serious and escalating problems with its working conditions, plant safety, quality controls, and management oversight which already have cost the company millions of dollars in fines and settlements and yet no signs of being convincingly resolved.Hint: there is. Lots, as I've been warning since last year.Read on for Bond Angle analysis.

The Trouble With Tesla's Arrested Development

Investment Advisors, JL Warren Capital

Junheng Li

Investment Advisors

JL Warren Capital

JL Warren Capital LLC is a leading independent equity research firm focused on Chinese companies and listed multinationals in China. We employ a bottom-up research approach that takes great care to avoid the acquisition of material non-public information. Through investigative due diligence including channel surveys and interviews, our research helps clients to pinpoint the dislocations in the market.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

A prolonged decline in new car sales obviously hurts China’s manufacturing sector and is a drag on GDP growth. But the data above does not imply a hard landing in overall discretionary consumption.  In fact, we are seeing a structural shift to used car purchases which has cannibalized demand for new cars.  Consumers are spending on cars, just all new cars.)

A prolonged decline in new car sales obviously hurts China’s manufacturing sector and is a drag on GDP growth. But the data above does not imply a hard landing in overall discretionary consumption.  In fact, we are seeing a structural shift to used car purchases which has cannibalized demand for new cars.  Consumers are spending on cars, just all new cars.)

China Auto Market H1 Review- Decoupling of Auto Sales and Consumer Discretionary Consumption

Equity Analyst, LightStream Research

Aqila Ali

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.

Highlights for June are as follows:
<ul class="">
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tesla-motors-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20279:1" rel="noopener">Tesla Motors (TSLA US)</a> plans to develop its own batteries following the halt in investments in its Gigafactory with Panasonic.</li>
<li>European automakers are striving to compete with the US and Asian players in the EV space and smooth battery production is considered key in achieving their EV aims. Automakers and certain significant investors are financing the ‘Swedish project’, which involves building a battery plant jointly with local battery maker Northvolt, in an attempt to compete with the Gigafactory.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/contemporary-amperex-techn-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24404:1" rel="noopener">CATL (A) (300750 CH)</a> increases investment plans in Europe provoked by aggressive EV targets set by Automakers such as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/volkswagen-ag" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21738:1" rel="noopener">Volkswagen (VOW GR)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bayerische-motoren-werke-ag" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21591:1" rel="noopener">Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag (BMW GR)</a>.</li>
<li>The leading battery players witnessed a relatively steady movement in stock last month, supported by steady movement in the overall markets. Tesla has outperformed the market during the month, but we are still sceptical of the company’s continuous steady performance and view the company’s performance to be highly volatile.</li>
</ul>
<div class="content-caption"> Leading Battery Makers Show a Relatively Steady Movement in Stock 
</div>
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/092/106/original/11.jpg?1562151110" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="92106"></figure>
<div class="content-remarks">
Source: CapIQ
</div>
<div class="content-caption">Market Performance Has Also Been Positive in June</div>
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/092/107/original/12.jpg?1562151129" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="92107"></figure>
<div class="content-remarks">
Source: CapIQ
</div>
Previous Monthly: <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/a-monthly-on-ev-batteries-intense-competition-on-capacity-expansions-and-securing-deals" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:30238" rel="noopener">A Monthly on EV Batteries: Intense Competition on Capacity Expansions and Securing Deals</a>

Highlights for June are as follows:


Tesla Motors (TSLA US) plans to develop its own batteries following the halt in investments in its Gigafactory with Panasonic.
European automakers are striving to compete with the US and Asian players in the EV space and smooth battery production is considered key in achieving their EV aims. Automakers and certain significant investors are financing the ‘Swedish project’, which involves building a battery plant jointly with local battery maker Northvolt, in an attempt to compete with the Gigafactory.

CATL (A) (300750 CH) increases investment plans in Europe provoked by aggressive EV targets set by Automakers such as Volkswagen (VOW GR) and Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag (BMW GR).
The leading battery players witnessed a relatively steady movement in stock last month, supported by steady movement in the overall markets. Tesla has outperformed the market during the month, but we are still sceptical of the company’s continuous steady performance and view the company’s performance to be highly volatile.

 Leading Battery Makers Show a Relatively Steady Movement in Stock 



Source: CapIQ

Market Performance Has Also Been Positive in June


Source: CapIQ

Previous Monthly: A Monthly on EV Batteries: Intense Competition on Capacity Expansions and Securing Deals 

Monthly on EV Batteries: Panasonic Giving Up on Tesla?; Europe in The Limelight For Battery Players

Equity Bottom-Up

In April, only 94 <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tesla-motors-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20279:1">Tesla Motors (TSLA US)</a> cars were imported and 2,658 were registered in China.  The average selling price for the April imported was $52,932 USD, down 43% yoy but up 4% qoq.  The lower ASP indicates that the majority of imported TSLAs were Model 3.   In total, there were only 170 imported cars cleared by China Customs in April.  TSLA accounted for ~55%, vs.  historically 95%+ of total pure EV imports each month.  The rest pure EV models are <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bayerische-motoren-werke-ag" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21591:1">Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag (BMW GR)</a> i3, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/volkswagen-ag" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21738:1">Volkswagen (VOW GR)</a>  Golf, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tata-motors-ltd-spon-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12763:1">Tata Motors Ltd Spon Adr (TTM US)</a> Jaguar I-PACE, all of which are of single/double digits in volume. The extremely low import volume could be caused by the departure from the US and transit logistics.

In April, only 94 Tesla Motors (TSLA US) cars were imported and 2,658 were registered in China.  The average selling price for the April imported was $52,932 USD, down 43% yoy but up 4% qoq.  The lower ASP indicates that the majority of imported TSLAs were Model 3.   In total, there were only 170 imported cars cleared by China Customs in April.  TSLA accounted for ~55%, vs.  historically 95%+ of total pure EV imports each month.  The rest pure EV models are Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag (BMW GR) i3, Volkswagen (VOW GR)  Golf, Tata Motors Ltd Spon Adr (TTM US) Jaguar I-PACE, all of which are of single/double digits in volume. The extremely low import volume could be caused by the departure from the US and transit logistics.

TSLA China Update: April Import and Registration Data

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

Luxurious auto car distribution in China sounds like a great business to have, supported by the rising number of wealthy individuals springing up in various parts of the Middle Kingdom. However, the sector seems to be very fragmented where no single companies is able to have significant market share as none of them has exclusive distribution rights over a particular foreign brand including <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/10795" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10795:1">China Meidong Auto (1268 HK)</a> . The recent share price surge powered by growth expansion from the single city single store initiative (in third and fourth tier cities) may not last long as there is nothing stopping any competitor to expand to these markets when demand still outstrip supply therefore margin is better compared to the first tier cities. However, it also brings the question whether the fresh demand from the new wealth in the third and fourth tier cities have enough depth to sustain China Meidong Auto's sales growth.

Luxurious auto car distribution in China sounds like a great business to have, supported by the rising number of wealthy individuals springing up in various parts of the Middle Kingdom. However, the sector seems to be very fragmented where no single companies is able to have significant market share as none of them has exclusive distribution rights over a particular foreign brand including China Meidong Auto (1268 HK) . The recent share price surge powered by growth expansion from the single city single store initiative (in third and fourth tier cities) may not last long as there is nothing stopping any competitor to expand to these markets when demand still outstrip supply therefore margin is better compared to the first tier cities. However, it also brings the question whether the fresh demand from the new wealth in the third and fourth tier cities have enough depth to sustain China Meidong Auto's sales growth.

China Meidong Auto (1268): Low Inventory to Carry On?

Germany

Mercedes-Benz Group AG operates as an automobile company. The Company designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells a wide range of automotive products such as passenger cars, trucks, vans, and buses. Mercedes-Benz Group also provides financial and other services relating to its automotive businesses.

Porsche Automobil Holding SE is a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, offers development, production, and sale of automobiles along with financial services. Porsche operates worldwide.

Volkswagen AG manufactures and sells vehicles. The Company offers economy and luxury automobiles, sports cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles. Volkswagen serves customers worldwide.

Daimler AG develops, manufactures, distributes, and sells a wide range of automotive products such as passenger cars, trucks, vans, and buses. The Company also provides financial and other services relating to its automotive businesses.

Continental AG manufactures tires, automotive parts, and industrial products. The Company produces passenger cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, bicycle tires, braking systems, shock absorbers, hoses, drive belts, conveyor belting, transmission products, and sealing systems. Continental markets its products worldwide.

HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA develops and manufactures lighting, electronic components, and systems. The Company offers spare parts, chassis, side lights, and accessories, as well as vehicle diagnostics, battery installation, and lighting services. HELLA serves customers worldwide.

Schaeffler AG is an automotive and industrial supplier. The Company's business divisions include engine, transmission and chassis systems, automotive aftermarket, industrial applications, and industrial aftermarket. Schaeffler AG operates worldwide.

ElringKlinger AG manufactures and distributes original equipment and replacement parts for automobiles.  The Company makes cylinder-head gaskets, seals, modules, and elastomer gasket systems, and shielding systems.  ElringKlinger offers engine testing services.  The Company owns real estate properties such as industrial parks and warehouses.

adidas AG manufactures sports shoes and sports equipment. The Company produces products that include footwear, sports apparel, and golf clubs and balls. adidas sells its products worldwide.

Grammer AG manufactures seats for vehicles.  The Company produces seats for tractors, forklifts, construction machinery, automobiles, buses, and railroad cars.  Grammer manufactures in Europe, South America and Asia, and sells its products through subsidiaries, distributors, and licensed ventures worldwide.

PT Astra International Tbk assembles and distributes automobiles, motorcycles, and their related spare parts.  Through its subsidiaries, the Company also operates in the mining, development of plantations, financial and information technology.

NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. manufactures and distributes automobiles and related parts. It also provides financing services. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of products under various brands. The Company manufactures in Japan, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom and many other countries.

Geely Automobile Holdings Limited operates as a passenger vehicles manufacturing company. The Company provides passenger vehicles development, manufacturing, sales, and other services. Geely Automobile Holdings also exports passenger vehicles.

Great Wall Motor Company Limited, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells pick-up trucks and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) in China under branded names. The Company also researches and develops, and manufactures principal automotive parts and components for use in the assembly of pick-up trucks and SUVs.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. develops, manufactures, and distributes motorcycles, automobiles, and power products such as generators and farm machinery. The Company also operates a financial credit business. Honda Motor has manufacturing facilities in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Thailand.

Hyundai Motor Company manufactures, sells, and exports passenger cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles. The Company also sells various auto parts and operates auto repair service centers throughout South Korea. Hyundai Motor provides financial services through its subsidiaries.

Kia Corporation manufactures, sells, and exports passenger cars, mini-buses, trucks and commercial vehicles. The Company also manufactures auto-parts and tools using hybrid electric and fuel cell technology. Kia markets its products worldwide.

Tata Motors Limited manufactures cars and commercial automotive vehicles in India. The Company designs, manufactures and sells heavy commercial, medium commercial and small commercial vehicles including trucks, tankers, vans, buses, ambulances and minibuses. Tata also manufactures small cars and sports utility vehicles.

Suzuki Motor Corporation manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, and their related parts. The Company has production facilities in USA, Japan, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, and Hungary.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited manufactures and exports automobiles. Maruti collaborated with Suzuki of Japan to produce affordable cars for the average Indian.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW) manufactures and sells cars and motorcycles. The Company offers convertible sports cars, sedans, and touring motorcycles with large displacement engines. BMW serves customers worldwide.

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Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) (BMW GR)

The Trouble With Tesla's Arrested Development

CNBC filed a scathing report this week detailing serious problems at the Tesla Motors (TSLA US) GA4 tent, a supposedly temporary solution set up in...

Vicki Bryan

China Auto Market H1 Review- Decoupling of Auto Sales and Consumer Discretionary Consumption

A prolonged decline in new car sales obviously hurts China’s manufacturing sector and is a drag on GDP growth. But the data above does not imply a...

JL Warren Capital

Monthly on EV Batteries: Panasonic Giving Up on Tesla?; Europe in The Limelight For Battery Players

Highlights for June are as follows: Tesla Motors (TSLA US) plans to develop its own batteries following the halt in investments in its...

Aqila Ali

TSLA China Update: April Import and Registration Data

In April, only 94 Tesla Motors (TSLA US) cars were imported and 2,658 were registered in China. The average selling price for the April imported...

JL Warren Capital

China Meidong Auto (1268): Low Inventory to Carry On?

Luxurious auto car distribution in China sounds like a great business to have, supported by the rising number of wealthy individuals springing up...

Henry Soediarko

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