HK/China Equity Long-Short

Osbert Tang, CFA

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>We doubt if <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/petrochina-co-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:262:1" rel="noopener">PetroChina (857 HK)</a> can sustain good performance in 2024. On historical patterns, it has never sustained as one of HSI's best-performing stocks for two consecutive years. </li>
<li>Consensus growth forecasts of 4.4% and 4.3% for FY24-25 are likely wrong as this means FY25 will be the 5th straight year of growth. PetroChina does not behave like that. </li>
<li>Crude oil price has got back to the end-2022 level, but PetroChina's share price is still 50% higher. A return to their high correlation before 2023 will lead to underperformance. </li>
</ul>


We doubt if PetroChina (857 HK) can sustain good performance in 2024. On historical patterns, it has never sustained as one of HSI's best-performing stocks for two consecutive years. 
Consensus growth forecasts of 4.4% and 4.3% for FY24-25 are likely wrong as this means FY25 will be the 5th straight year of growth. PetroChina does not behave like that. 
Crude oil price has got back to the end-2022 level, but PetroChina's share price is still 50% higher. A return to their high correlation before 2023 will lead to underperformance. 


PetroChina (857 HK): An Interesting Contrarian View

Asia Pac IPO & Placement Research, China biotech, Aequitas Research

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Asia Pac IPO & Placement Research, China biotech

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.

Quantitative Analysis

<ul>
<li>We analyze the weekly Hong Kong Connect flows with our data engine for holding position as of December 29th.</li>
<li>The top stocks by inflows and outflows were tabulated for all market, HSCEI, mid cap and s/mid cap groups.</li>
<li>We highlight flows for China Mobile, and Tencent Holdings Limited.</li>
</ul>


We analyze the weekly Hong Kong Connect flows with our data engine for holding position as of December 29th.
The top stocks by inflows and outflows were tabulated for all market, HSCEI, mid cap and s/mid cap groups.
We highlight flows for China Mobile, and Tencent Holdings Limited.


Hong Kong Connect Flows (Dec 29th): China Mobile, Tencent

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>The New and Better (5mos old) A-H Premium Tracker has tables, charts, measures galore to track A/H premium positioning, southbound and northbound positioning/volatility in pairs over time, etc.</li>
<li>SOUTHBOUND flows flat/light and NORTHBOUND flows a significant net buy, respectively, but liquid Hs with H/A pairs OUT-perform As on average by 200+bp. </li>
<li>STILL time to go long Hs vs As for the new year. 52wk wide discounts were just last week. Wide A/H premia in renewables space look vulnerable.</li>
</ul>


The New and Better (5mos old) A-H Premium Tracker has tables, charts, measures galore to track A/H premium positioning, southbound and northbound positioning/volatility in pairs over time, etc.
SOUTHBOUND flows flat/light and NORTHBOUND flows a significant net buy, respectively, but liquid Hs with H/A pairs OUT-perform As on average by 200+bp. 
STILL time to go long Hs vs As for the new year. 52wk wide discounts were just last week. Wide A/H premia in renewables space look vulnerable.


A/H Premium Tracker (To 29 Dec 23):  STAY Long Hs Vs As, Wide Premia in Renewables Look Vulnerable

<ul>
<li>SOUTHBOUND flows showing momentum tendencies this past week on a single-stock basis. Hs up vs As quite strongly. Liquid Hs even better.</li>
<li>SOUTHBOUND saw HK$1.2bn of net IN-flows in the 3-day week to 29 Dec. Total flows were HK$88bn.</li>
<li>Bullish end to year for SOUTHBOUND owners but they did not mark the close. They were, however, big buyers of high-div SOEs.</li>
</ul>


SOUTHBOUND flows showing momentum tendencies this past week on a single-stock basis. Hs up vs As quite strongly. Liquid Hs even better.
SOUTHBOUND saw HK$1.2bn of net IN-flows in the 3-day week to 29 Dec. Total flows were HK$88bn.
Bullish end to year for SOUTHBOUND owners but they did not mark the close. They were, however, big buyers of high-div SOEs.


HK Connect SOUTHBOUND Flows (To 29Dec23); CNOOC & Telcos to the BUY Side, Tracker Fund Sold Bigly

<ul>
<li>2023 is the worst year for our "Buy the Worst" strategy as it returned -34.5% YTD, underperforming the HSI by 20.7pp. The two property names are the key drags.</li>
<li>Despite a poor 2023, the strategy has still outperformed the HSI by 17.9pp for 2018-2023. It remains significantly better than buying the winners in the current year.</li>
<li>For 2024, our strategy is to switch to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/li-ning-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6047:1" rel="noopener">Li Ning (2331 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/country-garden-services-holdin" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27343:1" rel="noopener">Country Garden Services (6098 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/wuxi-apptec" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23679:1" rel="noopener">Wuxi Biologics (2269 HK)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zhongsheng-group-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10573:1" rel="noopener">Zhongsheng Group (881 HK)</a>. </li>
</ul>


2023 is the worst year for our "Buy the Worst" strategy as it returned -34.5% YTD, underperforming the HSI by 20.7pp. The two property names are the key drags.
Despite a poor 2023, the strategy has still outperformed the HSI by 17.9pp for 2018-2023. It remains significantly better than buying the winners in the current year.
For 2024, our strategy is to switch to Li Ning (2331 HK), Country Garden Services (6098 HK), Meituan (3690 HK), Wuxi Biologics (2269 HK), and Zhongsheng Group (881 HK). 


"Buy the Worst" HSI Strategy: A Tragic 2023 and What About 2024?

China

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation produces and trades petroleum and petrochemical products. The Company offers gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene, ethylene, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, synthetic resins, and chemical fertilizers. China Petroleum & Chemical markets its products throughout China.

China Shenhua Energy Company Limited is an integrated coal-based energy company focusing on the coal and power businesses in China. The Company also owns and operates an integrated coal transportation network consisting of dedicated rail lines and port facilities.

PetroChina Company Limited operates as an oil and gas company. The Company offers crude oil and oil products exploration, development, production and marketing. PetroChina also markets petrochemical products and derivative chemicals.

Shaanxi Coal Industry Company Limited produces, sells and transports coal. The Company offers coal used by the power, chemical, and metallurgical industries.

Yankuang Energy Group Company Limited operates coal businesses. The Company produces fine coal, blown coal, power coal, and coal chemical products. Yankuang Energy Group also conducts power generation, railway transport, machinery manufacturing, and heating businesses.

China Coal Energy Company Limited mines and processes coal products. The Company produces thermal coal and coking coal products. China Coal Energy also conducts coal chemicals production, coal mining equipment manufacturing, pit mouth power generation, and coal mine design businesses.

China Merchants Energy Shipping Co., Ltd. mainly engages in the Ocean Shipping of Crude Oil and other energy sources such as Coal and Iron Ore. Through its subsidiary CLNG, the Company also provides the Ocean Shipping service of Liquefied Natural Gas.

Huolinhe Opencut Coal Industry Corporation Limited of Inner Mongolia is mainly involved in the production and selling of coal in China.

Huolinhe Opencut Coal Ind Corp Ltd. (002128 CH)

Shanxi Xishan Coal & Electricity Power Co., Ltd. mines and processes coal. The Company also generates electric power.

Guanghui Energy Co., Ltd. is principally engaged in energy development, automotive services and real estate property leasing. The Company is in the business of coal mining and related coal chemical manufacturing. The Company is also engaged in the processing and distributing of granite materials and trading of general merchandise such as plastic doors and windows.

TOTAL S.A. explores for, produces, refines, transports, and markets oil and natural gas. The Company also operates a chemical division which produces polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, rubber, paint, ink, adhesives, and resins. TOTAL operates gasoline filling stations in Europe, the United States, and Africa.

Phillips 66 is a downstream energy company.  The Company's operations include oil refining, marketing and transportation.  Phillips 66's operations also include chemical manufacturing and power generation.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited specializes in the exploration and production of crude oil and gas. The Company has joint ventures in oil fields in Vietnam, Norway, Egypt, Tunisia, Iran and Australia. The Group's other activities include deep sea explorations on the east and west coasts of India, and the exploration of coal bed methane.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation refines, transports, and markets petroleum products. The Company sells its products to resellers and consumers in the mid-west, gulf coast, and southeast United States.

Pioneer Natural Resources Company is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company. The Company engages in onshore oil and gas drilling, exploration and production in the United States.

EOG Resources, Inc. explores for, develops, produces and markets natural gas and crude oil. The Company operates in major producing basins in the United States, Canada, Trinidad, the United Kingdom North Sea, China and, from time to time, select other international areas.

Valero Energy Corporation is an independent petroleum refining and marketing company that owns and operates refineries in the United States, Canada, and Aruba.  The Company produces conventional gasolines, distillates, jet fuel, asphalt, petrochemicals, lubricants, and other refined products as well as diesel fuel, low-sulfur and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, and oxygenates.

Hess Corporation is a global independent energy company engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas.

Kinder Morgan, Inc. of Delaware operates as a pipeline transportation and energy storage company. The Company owns and operates pipelines that transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, carbon dioxide, and other products, as well as terminals that store petroleum products and chemicals and handle bulk materials like coal and petroleum coke.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil and natural gas.  The Company also manufactures and markets a variety of basic chemicals, vinyls and performance chemicals. Occidental also gathers, treats, processes, transports, stores, trades and markets crude oil, natural gas, NGLs, condensate and carbon dioxide (CO2) and generates and markets power.

CNOOC Limited, through its subsidiaries, explores, develops, produces, and sells crude oil and natural gas. The Company focuses in the areas such as Bohai, Western South China Sea, Eastern South China Sea and East China Sea in offshore China. Internationally, the Group has oil and gas assets in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Oceania.

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CNOOC Ltd (883 HK)

PetroChina (857 HK): An Interesting Contrarian View

Doubts arise over PetroChina's ability to sustain good performance in 2024 due to historical patterns, over-aggressive growth forecasts, and a...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Hong Kong Connect Flows (Dec 29th): China Mobile, Tencent

We analyzed the Hong Kong Connect Scheme for last week and highlight flows for China Mobile and Tencent Holdings Limited.

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

A/H Premium Tracker (To 29 Dec 23): STAY Long Hs Vs As, Wide Premia in Renewables Look Vulnerable

Hs outperform their A-shares in the A/H pair universe last week. Liquid names outperform their As by 2+%. Pharmas and Communications do very well....

Travis Lundy

HK Connect SOUTHBOUND Flows (To 29Dec23); CNOOC & Telcos to the BUY Side, Tracker Fund Sold Bigly

HK Connect SOUTHBOUND Flows this week were light on a shortened 3-day week. High-div SOEs like Energy names and the large telcos were significantly...

Travis Lundy

"Buy the Worst" HSI Strategy: A Tragic 2023 and What About 2024?

2023 was bad for the "Buy the Worst" strategy, but it still outperformed the HSI for 2018-2023. In 2024, we will switch to Li Ning, Country Garden...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

PetroChina (857 HK): An Interesting Contrarian View

​Doubts arise over PetroChina's ability to sustain good performance in 2024 due to historical patterns, over-aggressive growth forecasts, and a...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Hong Kong Connect Flows (Dec 29th): China Mobile, Tencent

We analyzed the Hong Kong Connect Scheme for last week and highlight flows for China Mobile and Tencent Holdings Limited.

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

A/H Premium Tracker (To 29 Dec 23): STAY Long Hs Vs As, Wide Premia in Renewables Look Vulnerable

Hs outperform their A-shares in the A/H pair universe last week. Liquid names outperform their As by 2+%. Pharmas and Communications do very well....

Travis Lundy

HK Connect SOUTHBOUND Flows (To 29Dec23); CNOOC & Telcos to the BUY Side, Tracker Fund Sold Bigly

HK Connect SOUTHBOUND Flows this week were light on a shortened 3-day week. High-div SOEs like Energy names and the large telcos were significantly...

Travis Lundy

"Buy the Worst" HSI Strategy: A Tragic 2023 and What About 2024?

​2023 was bad for the "Buy the Worst" strategy, but it still outperformed the HSI for 2018-2023. In 2024, we will switch to Li Ning, Country Garden...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Doubts arise over PetroChina's ability to sustain good performance in 2024 due to historical patterns, over-aggressive growth forecasts, and a...

2023 was bad for the "Buy the Worst" strategy, but it still outperformed the HSI for 2018-2023. In 2024, we will switch to Li Ning, Country Garden...