Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>On 19 July, there were local media accounts that L&amp;F Co Ltd (066970 KS) is considering on switching its listing from KOSDAQ to KOSPI. </li>
<li>L&amp;F's main business involves making cathode active materials for rechargeable batteries.</li>
<li>Despite this positive move, we believe the valuations of L&amp;F have become too high. Its operating margins also worsened from 9.6% in 1Q 2022 to 3.0% in 1Q 2023. </li>
</ul>


On 19 July, there were local media accounts that L&amp;F Co Ltd (066970 KS) is considering on switching its listing from KOSDAQ to KOSPI. 
L&amp;F's main business involves making cathode active materials for rechargeable batteries.
Despite this positive move, we believe the valuations of L&amp;F have become too high. Its operating margins also worsened from 9.6% in 1Q 2022 to 3.0% in 1Q 2023. 


L&F Considering On Switching Listing from KOSDAQ to KOSPI

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.

<ul>
<li>In this note, we will look at the Asia Pacific IPO pipeline for 2024, following up with Japan &amp; Korea, after having looked at Hong Kong and India earlier.</li>
<li>This list has been compiled on a best effort basis from tracking the company filings and through various other sources</li>
<li>The deals you see in this note are only a part of our full IPO pipeline tracker. Feel free to drop us a message for additional information on these IPOs.</li>
</ul>


In this note, we will look at the Asia Pacific IPO pipeline for 2024, following up with Japan &amp; Korea, after having looked at Hong Kong and India earlier.
This list has been compiled on a best effort basis from tracking the company filings and through various other sources
The deals you see in this note are only a part of our full IPO pipeline tracker. Feel free to drop us a message for additional information on these IPOs.


Aequitas 2024 Asia IPO Pipeline - Japan & Korea

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>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/posco-dx-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5198:1" rel="noopener">Posco DX (022100 KS)</a> continues to drop following its section transfer from the KOSDAQ market to the KOSPI market. Short interest in the stock nearly halved in December.</li>
<li>There were big net inflows to China ETFs with creations in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/shanghai-shenzhen-csi-300-inde" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22906:1" rel="noopener">CSI 300 Index</a> ETFs and redemptions in ETFs tracking the CSI 500 Index and CSI 1000 Index.</li>
<li>Creations continued in the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ishares-msci-emerging-markets-223f5da3-7054-4e4f-bc55-b7f0852c2581" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31998:1" rel="noopener">iShares Emerging Markets ex China (EMXC US)</a> ETF with units outstanding reaching a new high.</li>
</ul>



Posco DX (022100 KS) continues to drop following its section transfer from the KOSDAQ market to the KOSPI market. Short interest in the stock nearly halved in December.
There were big net inflows to China ETFs with creations in CSI 300 Index ETFs and redemptions in ETFs tracking the CSI 500 Index and CSI 1000 Index.
Creations continued in the iShares Emerging Markets ex China (EMXC US) ETF with units outstanding reaching a new high.


Index Rebalance & ETF Flow Recap: HSCEI, HSCI, KRX New Deal, NIFTY50, NEXT50, CNXBANK

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we highlight the recent pricing gap divergences of the major Korean holdcos and opcos which could provide trading opportunities in 1Q 2024. </li>
<li>We highlight 38 pair trades that involve Korean holdcos and opcos.</li>
<li>Of the 38 pair trades, 26 of them involved holdcos outperforming opcos in the past six months and 12 of them involved opcos outperforming holdcos in the same period.</li>
</ul>


In this insight, we highlight the recent pricing gap divergences of the major Korean holdcos and opcos which could provide trading opportunities in 1Q 2024. 
We highlight 38 pair trades that involve Korean holdcos and opcos.
Of the 38 pair trades, 26 of them involved holdcos outperforming opcos in the past six months and 12 of them involved opcos outperforming holdcos in the same period.


Korean Holdcos Vs Opcos Gap Trading Opportunities in 1Q 2024

<ul>
<li>After market close on 15 December, MBK Partners raised the tender offer price of Hankook &amp; Company by 20% to 24,000 won, which is now 51.4% higher than current price. </li>
<li>With Cho Yang-Rae's recent acquisition of shares, Cho Hyun-beom, Cho Yang-rae, and related parties now own about 45.6% of Hankook &amp; Co, up from 42.9% previously. </li>
<li>MBK Partners has requested an official investigation by the FSS, claiming that Cho Yang-rae and HY have violated the Capital Markets Act by recently purchasing shares of Hankook &amp; Co.</li>
</ul>


After market close on 15 December, MBK Partners raised the tender offer price of Hankook &amp; Company by 20% to 24,000 won, which is now 51.4% higher than current price. 
With Cho Yang-Rae's recent acquisition of shares, Cho Hyun-beom, Cho Yang-rae, and related parties now own about 45.6% of Hankook &amp; Co, up from 42.9% previously. 
MBK Partners has requested an official investigation by the FSS, claiming that Cho Yang-rae and HY have violated the Capital Markets Act by recently purchasing shares of Hankook &amp; Co.


MBK Partners Raises Tender Offer Price of Hankook and Co to 24,000 Won

South Korea

Kakao Corp. provides Internet portal services such as news, free e-mail, and leisure information.  The Company also offers cross-platform mobile messaging application that allows users to exchange messages.

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Kakao Corp (035720 KS)

L&F Considering On Switching Listing from KOSDAQ to KOSPI

Korea Exchange announced today that L&F has met the listing requirement for KOSPI. As a result, the listing of L&F will be changed from KOSDAQ to...

Douglas Kim

Aequitas 2024 Asia IPO Pipeline - Japan & Korea

In this note, we will look at the Asia Pacific IPO pipeline for 2024, following up with Japan & Korea, after having looked at Hong Kong and India...

Sumeet Singh

Index Rebalance & ETF Flow Recap: HSCEI, HSCI, KRX New Deal, NIFTY50, NEXT50, CNXBANK

This recap highlights Insights covering Asian index rebalances (announcements/ forecasts/ IPO Fast Entry/ M&A driven changes). We also highlight...

Brian Freitas

Korean Holdcos Vs Opcos Gap Trading Opportunities in 1Q 2024

In this insight, we highlight the recent pricing gap divergences of the major Korean holdcos and opcos which could provide trading opportunities in...

Douglas Kim

MBK Partners Raises Tender Offer Price of Hankook and Co to 24,000 Won

MBK Partners raised the tender offer price of Hankook & Company by 20% to 24,000 won, which is now 51.4% higher than current price.

Douglas Kim

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