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>Foreign room in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom (017670 KS)</a> increased above 15% in July and is currently just above 16%. Foreign investors have resumed buying again and foreign room is moving lower.</li>
<li>Foreign room staying above 15% for another month could result in passive buying at the end of November. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom (017670 KS)</a> has outperformed peers over the last few weeks.</li>
<li>Foreign buying over the next month could lead to foreign room dropping below 15% in which case there will be no passive inflows. But the stock could be higher.</li>
</ul>


Foreign room in SK Telecom (017670 KS) increased above 15% in July and is currently just above 16%. Foreign investors have resumed buying again and foreign room is moving lower.
Foreign room staying above 15% for another month could result in passive buying at the end of November. SK Telecom (017670 KS) has outperformed peers over the last few weeks.
Foreign buying over the next month could lead to foreign room dropping below 15% in which case there will be no passive inflows. But the stock could be higher.


SK Telecom (017670 KS): Foreign Room & Passive Inflows

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>KT Corp (030200 KS)'s shares were up 4.1% today to 32,000 won driven by better than expected results in 2Q 2023 and the nomination of a new CEO. </li>
<li>KT has nominated Kim Young-Seop, the former CEO of LG CNS as the new CEO of the company.</li>
<li>KT Corp has attractive valuations. It is trading at only 2.6x EV/EBITDA, 6.7x P/E, and 0.5x P/B in 2023. These valuation multiples are much cheaper than SK Telecom.</li>
</ul>


KT Corp (030200 KS)'s shares were up 4.1% today to 32,000 won driven by better than expected results in 2Q 2023 and the nomination of a new CEO. 
KT has nominated Kim Young-Seop, the former CEO of LG CNS as the new CEO of the company.
KT Corp has attractive valuations. It is trading at only 2.6x EV/EBITDA, 6.7x P/E, and 0.5x P/B in 2023. These valuation multiples are much cheaper than SK Telecom.


KT Corp: A New CEO Nominated and Stronger Than Expected Results in 2Q 2023

<ul>
<li>Foreign investors have been selling <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom (017670 KS)</a> for over a year now. That has taken foreign room from near zero to close to 15% now.</li>
<li>That could mean index inclusion for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom (017670 KS)</a> with timing dependent on when the 15% foreign room threshold is crossed.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom (017670 KS)</a> has performed in line with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kt-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1112:1" rel="noopener">KT Corp (030200 KS)</a> but trades at higher valuations on most parameters.</li>
</ul>


Foreign investors have been selling SK Telecom (017670 KS) for over a year now. That has taken foreign room from near zero to close to 15% now.
That could mean index inclusion for SK Telecom (017670 KS) with timing dependent on when the 15% foreign room threshold is crossed.

SK Telecom (017670 KS) has performed in line with KT Corp (030200 KS) but trades at higher valuations on most parameters.


SK Telecom (017670 KS): Foreign Room Increase Has Implications

<ul>
<li>The Korean government announced today that it will allow a fourth telco in Korea in order to reduce the oligopoly structure dominated by the three existing telcos.</li>
<li>This decision to allow another telco in Korea will have a major negative impact on the existing three telcos in Korea.</li>
<li>On a relative basis, we think that this could have a worse impact than LG Uplus as compared to SK Telecom due to greater price sensitivity of LG Uplus' customers.</li>
</ul>


The Korean government announced today that it will allow a fourth telco in Korea in order to reduce the oligopoly structure dominated by the three existing telcos.
This decision to allow another telco in Korea will have a major negative impact on the existing three telcos in Korea.
On a relative basis, we think that this could have a worse impact than LG Uplus as compared to SK Telecom due to greater price sensitivity of LG Uplus' customers.


The Rise of the Fourth Telco in Korea - Breaking the Oligopoly

ESG Analyst, Who's Good

Heejeong (Hollie) Park

ESG Analyst

ASIA’S FIRST AI-DRIVEN ESG INSIGHT PROVIDER

Who's Good

Using AI technologies and public data, Who’s Good provides objective and up-to-date corporate ESG insights on Asian companies.

WHY WHO'S GOOD

* Time-sensitive: Time is the essence in finance. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can process vast amount of information in a short span of time. Our powerful algorithm offers real-time in-depth corporate ESG analysis with out compromising its quality.
* Objective: We turned to public big data and news big data as source to base our analysis on and to preserve impartiality. We leverage 350 public big data sources and 93 news data sources in Korea to uncover insights.
* Insightful: Who’s Good ESG analysis coverage extends to all listed and non-listed companies in Korea. This allows us to provide a comprehensive insight into the Korean market.
* Global approach to ESG: Our ESG research framework is built on international standards and principles including UN Global Compact, ISO 26000, ICGN and CFA Guidelines on Corporate Governance to meet the global standards.

<ul>
<li>Domestic telecom company faced significant fines for false advertising of 5G, the second-largest penalty ever imposed. </li>
<li>Investigations into the telecom market, dominated by a long-term duopoly, are expanding. </li>
<li>Within KT Group's subcontracting process, allegations of favoritism and manipulation in project allocation are currently under investigation by the prosecution.</li>
</ul>


Domestic telecom company faced significant fines for false advertising of 5G, the second-largest penalty ever imposed. 
Investigations into the telecom market, dominated by a long-term duopoly, are expanding. 
Within KT Group's subcontracting process, allegations of favoritism and manipulation in project allocation are currently under investigation by the prosecution.


KT CORPORATION: Fines, Favoritism, and ESG Risks

South Korea

LG Uplus Corp., an affiliate of LG Group, provides a wide range of personal communications services (PCS) using code division multiple access (CDMA) technology.  The Company offers call forwarding, call and data transfer, call waiting, voice mail, Internet-phone, prepaid call, and authentication text-to-speech (TTS) services.

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LG Uplus Corp (032640 KS)

SK Telecom (017670 KS): Foreign Room & Passive Inflows

SK Telecom's foreign room is over 16% and the stock could see passive buying (and pre-positioning). Foreigners have resumed buying and the stock...

Brian Freitas

KT Corp: A New CEO Nominated and Stronger Than Expected Results in 2Q 2023

KT Corp (030200 KS)'s shares were up 4.1% today to 32,000 won driven by better than expected results in 2Q 2023 and the nomination of a new CEO.

Douglas Kim

SK Telecom (017670 KS): Foreign Room Increase Has Implications

Foreign investors have sold SK Tel for over a year leading to foreign room moving from 0% to nearly 15%. Crossing the 15% threshold could lead to...

Brian Freitas

The Rise of the Fourth Telco in Korea - Breaking the Oligopoly

The Korean government announced today that it will allow a fourth telco in Korea in order to reduce the oligopoly structure dominated by the three...

Douglas Kim

KT CORPORATION: Fines, Favoritism, and ESG Risks

Examining ESG Risks: KT CORPORATION (030200 KS), a leading Korean telecom company, under scrutiny for false 5G ads and favoritism investigation

Heejeong (Hollie) Park

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