Chief Economist

Diana Choyleva

Enodo Economics

Enodo Economics is an independent macroeconomic forecasting company that untangles complexity, challenges the consensus, and makes sense of the future. Our focus is on China – one of the most misunderstood economies in the world, but one of the most important to figure out.  Enodo’s chief economist, Diana Choyleva, has been analysing China for almost 20 years, while Enodo’s team boasts a combined 140 years’ experience covering China’s economy, politics and markets. 

Macroeconomics

<h2>China News That Matters</h2><ul>
<li>Even better than PMQs!</li>
<li>US and China agree: you’re the main threat</li>
<li>I’m forever blowing…</li>
<li>Minting tycoons, and keeping them in check</li>
<li>The world’s longest undersea rail tunnel</li>
</ul><div class="content-remarks"><p>In my weekly digest China News That Matters, I will give you selected summaries, sourced from a variety of local Chinese-language and international news outlets, and highlight why I think the news is significant. These posts are meant to neither be bullish nor bearish, but help you separate the signal from the noise.</p></div>

China News That Matters
Even better than PMQs!
US and China agree: you’re the main threat
I’m forever blowing…
Minting tycoons, and keeping them in check
The world’s longest undersea rail tunnel
In my weekly digest China News That Matters, I will give you selected summaries, sourced from a variety of local Chinese-language and international news outlets, and highlight why I think the news is significant. These posts are meant to neither be bullish nor bearish, but help you separate the signal from the noise.

Asia Consumer Research, Investory

Devi Subhakesan

Asia Consumer Research

ASIA CONSUMER: INSIGHTS AND INVESTMENT IDEAS

Investory

Investory is a Singapore-based boutique independent equity research firm founded in January 2017 with a primary focus on consumption themes across Asia-Pacific.

We aim to generate investible ideas based on consumption trends and outlook. We screen our ideas on several parameters - product potential, long-term growth and management commitment being the most critical.  We follow a fundamental analysis approach in our stock selection process and are not restricted by market cap.

We aspire to grow into a leading source of unbiased research, free of conflict of interest, for investors yearning for independent and disciplined analysis. 

We also undertake bespoke research mandates to support our Institutional clients’ investment needs.

Our team comprises of professionals with extensive experience in the Asian equity markets, in areas ranging from research, servicing institutional clients and investment management.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<p><strong>Emerging Asia -</strong> notably China and India -  is witnessing a  steady expansion in the Male grooming sector as men's habits around personal care is shifting - led by a confluence of social, economic and <strong>compelling demographic factors</strong>. Expect this trend to gather more momentum as image-conscious young men adopt a wider array of personal care products. Skincare products that address specific needs/concerns of male customers will drive the early stage of segment growth; light cosmetics are picking up demand too. Companies that are quick to identify and address the demand with male-specific products/brands stand to gain from early mover advantage given male customers, reportedly, are far more brand loyal compared to female counterparts.</p>
<p><strong>What is original in this report?</strong> We discuss the social, economic and <strong>compelling demographic </strong>factors driving the shift and growth in the Male grooming sector in China and India. We look at the emerging trends across segments and in both the markets to arrive at a pecking order in terms of investment potential. We have scanned the personal care and cosmetics products landscape to shortlist brands and companies that offer a male-specific product range. A brief on select companies - private and listed -  are presented for further investment analysis and evaluation. </p>

Emerging Asia - notably China and India -  is witnessing a  steady expansion in the Male grooming sector as men's habits around personal care is shifting - led by a confluence of social, economic and compelling demographic factors. Expect this trend to gather more momentum as image-conscious young men adopt a wider array of personal care products. Skincare products that address specific needs/concerns of male customers will drive the early stage of segment growth; light cosmetics are picking up demand too. Companies that are quick to identify and address the demand with male-specific products/brands stand to gain from early mover advantage given male customers, reportedly, are far more brand loyal compared to female counterparts.
What is original in this report? We discuss the social, economic and compelling demographic factors driving the shift and growth in the Male grooming sector in China and India. We look at the emerging trends across segments and in both the markets to arrive at a pecking order in terms of investment potential. We have scanned the personal care and cosmetics products landscape to shortlist brands and companies that offer a male-specific product range. A brief on select companies - private and listed -  are presented for further investment analysis and evaluation. 

Male Grooming in Asia: Blooming Prospects. Skincare to Drive Growth

IPO and L/S equity, 2015 Starmine top stock picker, Global Equity Research Ltd

Rickin Thakrar

IPO and L/S equity, 2015 Starmine top stock picker

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

Equity Bottom-Up

<p>Sea limited reported 4Q20 results on Tuesday before the US market open. Sea generated another quarter of triple-digit growth while sporting a robust balance sheet. Our new estimates imply further strong growth in 2021. Moreover, Sea announced a decision to invest in vertical businesses through an investment management arm – we believe to enhance its payments business. We believe this is not dissimilar to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent Holdings (700 HK)</a> operating model with its tremendous success in its payments business. Our thoughts on this and the latest results are below.</p>

Sea limited reported 4Q20 results on Tuesday before the US market open. Sea generated another quarter of triple-digit growth while sporting a robust balance sheet. Our new estimates imply further strong growth in 2021. Moreover, Sea announced a decision to invest in vertical businesses through an investment management arm – we believe to enhance its payments business. We believe this is not dissimilar to the Tencent Holdings (700 HK) operating model with its tremendous success in its payments business. Our thoughts on this and the latest results are below.

Sea Limited 4Q Results: Angling to Be the Next Tencent?

Telco/Internet specialist

Kirk Boodry

Redex Research

<p><a target="_blank"></a>Coupang is by far the leader in one of the most compelling markets for eCommerce globally and one of the most attractive of the Vision Fund portfolio companies. But it is expensive: the $30 max offer price implies a 5x appreciation in value from its last private funding round in 2018 and a FY21 EV/sales multiple of 2.6x almost on par with Amazon which is a global leader in both eCommerce and cloud.  We value Coupang below the range at $26 using a 9-year DCF driven by 17% revenue CAGR and an 8% terminal OP margin.    </p><p>This report includes our initial forecasts, valuation, a summary of the investment highlights and a list of questions we would ask on the roadshow.</p><h2><strong>Highlights</strong></h2><p><strong>Coupang dominates a very attractive eCommerce market. </strong> Korea scores high on two measures of eCommerce predictive success, Internet penetration and population density and Coupang is by-far the leading provider. It helps that global competition has been unable to gain traction whilst traditional retailers are smaller scale relative to other markets.</p><p><strong>eCommerce demand has accelerated as Covid-19 accelerates augments a secular shift in retail sales to online platforms. </strong> Revenue growth expanded from 71% in Q4 19 to 100% in Q4 20 but expanding growth was a feature through 2019 as well. eCommerce penetration of c. 25% may have nearly doubled in FY20 although some of that demand shift may revert as the impact of Covid-19 fades.</p><p><strong>The company is flirting with profitability. </strong>Operating margins have moved from -30% in FY16 to -4% in FY20 with corresponding improvement in EBITDA (-30% to -3%).  In our model, we assume Coupang breaks even in FY21 although higher share-based compensation and/or higher spending as it puts IPO proceeds to work could extend that.</p><p><strong>But it is still burning a lot of cash.  </strong>Coupang might be close to break-even operationally but it has largely spent the money it received from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-group-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:315:1" rel="noopener">Softbank Group (9984 JP)</a>  in 2018. Over the last three years, $2.7bn has gone out the door including c. $800mn in FY20 alone (our measure of operating cash flow).</p><p><strong>Comparable valuations and relative changes to valuation highlight the premium valuation. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/coupang" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28425:1" rel="noopener">Coupang (CPNG US)</a> </strong> max offer price values the company similarly to Amazon on FY21 EV/sales (2.7x v 2.8x) but the latter is a global leader and not just in eCommerce but cloud too. Similarly, Coupang’s value appreciation from its last private funding and March 2020 lows has outpaced peer group, sometimes significantly.</p>

Coupang is by far the leader in one of the most compelling markets for eCommerce globally and one of the most attractive of the Vision Fund portfolio companies. But it is expensive: the $30 max offer price implies a 5x appreciation in value from its last private funding round in 2018 and a FY21 EV/sales multiple of 2.6x almost on par with Amazon which is a global leader in both eCommerce and cloud.  We value Coupang below the range at $26 using a 9-year DCF driven by 17% revenue CAGR and an 8% terminal OP margin.    This report includes our initial forecasts, valuation, a summary of the investment highlights and a list of questions we would ask on the roadshow.HighlightsCoupang dominates a very attractive eCommerce market.  Korea scores high on two measures of eCommerce predictive success, Internet penetration and population density and Coupang is by-far the leading provider. It helps that global competition has been unable to gain traction whilst traditional retailers are smaller scale relative to other markets.eCommerce demand has accelerated as Covid-19 accelerates augments a secular shift in retail sales to online platforms.  Revenue growth expanded from 71% in Q4 19 to 100% in Q4 20 but expanding growth was a feature through 2019 as well. eCommerce penetration of c. 25% may have nearly doubled in FY20 although some of that demand shift may revert as the impact of Covid-19 fades.The company is flirting with profitability. Operating margins have moved from -30% in FY16 to -4% in FY20 with corresponding improvement in EBITDA (-30% to -3%).  In our model, we assume Coupang breaks even in FY21 although higher share-based compensation and/or higher spending as it puts IPO proceeds to work could extend that.But it is still burning a lot of cash.  Coupang might be close to break-even operationally but it has largely spent the money it received from Softbank Group (9984 JP)  in 2018. Over the last three years, $2.7bn has gone out the door including c. $800mn in FY20 alone (our measure of operating cash flow).Comparable valuations and relative changes to valuation highlight the premium valuation. Coupang (CPNG US)  max offer price values the company similarly to Amazon on FY21 EV/sales (2.7x v 2.8x) but the latter is a global leader and not just in eCommerce but cloud too. Similarly, Coupang’s value appreciation from its last private funding and March 2020 lows has outpaced peer group, sometimes significantly.

Coupang IPO and Softbank Group - A Vision Fund Jewel Emerges but It Is Pricey

ASEAN Insight Provider, CrossASEAN Research

Angus Mackintosh

ASEAN Insight Provider

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

<div class="content-highlight">
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> released a set of what can be described as blowout 4Q2020 and FY2020 results, with +103% growth YoY in total GAAP revenues in 4Q2020, +111% growth in total GAAP Digital Entertainment Revenues, and a spectacular +178% YoY growth in e-commerce revenues for 4Q2020. What was also highly encouraging was the company's guidance for FY2021, which seems well-ahead of analyst expectations, which will likely need to play catch up.</p>
</div>
<p>The digital entertainment business saw a continued growth of its user base both in terms of quarterly active users and quarterly paying active users.</p>
<p>Bookings for the digital entertainment business were US$1bn, up +111% whilst adjusted EBITDA came in at US$663.5m, up by +149.1% YoY.</p>
<p>The company's self-developed game <em>Free Fire </em>was the most downloaded mobile game globally in 2020, maintaining its pole position for the second year running.</p>
<p>In the e-commerce business, the company registered a +135% growth in gross orders to 1,0233.2m and +113% growth in gross merchandise orders (GMV) to US$11.9bn.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> is also seeing increasing adoption of its Sea Money offerings with its mobile wallet generating US$2.9bn in transaction value in 4Q2020 and 23.2m quarterly paying users.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> has also acquired a 100% stake in Composite Capital Management, a Hong Kong licensed global investment management firm founded and led by David Ma. This will effectively become an incubator for the company's investments.</p>
<p>The company has also recently appointed Dr Yan Shuicheng as its Chief Science Officer to build and lead Sea AI Labs. He is a leading expert in developing artificial intelligence, with a key focus on computer vision, machine learning, and multimedia analysis.</p>
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<section class="figure">For FY2021 guidance, the company is expecting significant sales growth for both digital entertainment and e-commerce, which suggests numbers significantly above current analyst expectations.</section>


Sea Ltd (SE US) released a set of what can be described as blowout 4Q2020 and FY2020 results, with +103% growth YoY in total GAAP revenues in 4Q2020, +111% growth in total GAAP Digital Entertainment Revenues, and a spectacular +178% YoY growth in e-commerce revenues for 4Q2020. What was also highly encouraging was the company's guidance for FY2021, which seems well-ahead of analyst expectations, which will likely need to play catch up.

The digital entertainment business saw a continued growth of its user base both in terms of quarterly active users and quarterly paying active users.
Bookings for the digital entertainment business were US$1bn, up +111% whilst adjusted EBITDA came in at US$663.5m, up by +149.1% YoY.
The company's self-developed game Free Fire was the most downloaded mobile game globally in 2020, maintaining its pole position for the second year running.
In the e-commerce business, the company registered a +135% growth in gross orders to 1,0233.2m and +113% growth in gross merchandise orders (GMV) to US$11.9bn.
Sea Ltd (SE US) is also seeing increasing adoption of its Sea Money offerings with its mobile wallet generating US$2.9bn in transaction value in 4Q2020 and 23.2m quarterly paying users.
Sea Ltd (SE US) has also acquired a 100% stake in Composite Capital Management, a Hong Kong licensed global investment management firm founded and led by David Ma. This will effectively become an incubator for the company's investments.
The company has also recently appointed Dr Yan Shuicheng as its Chief Science Officer to build and lead Sea AI Labs. He is a leading expert in developing artificial intelligence, with a key focus on computer vision, machine learning, and multimedia analysis.



For FY2021 guidance, the company is expecting significant sales growth for both digital entertainment and e-commerce, which suggests numbers significantly above current analyst expectations.

Sea Ltd (SE US) - Metamorphosis in Motion

China

Tencent Holdings Limited operates as an investment holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, provides Internet and mobile value-added services (VAS), online advertising, and e-commerce transactions. Tencent Holdings offers services to users worldwide.

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Tencent (700 HK)

NPC/ US-China/ Bubbles/ Jack Ma/ Taiwan

In my weekly digest, I will give you selected summaries, sourced from a variety of local Chinese-language and international news outlets, and...

Diana Choyleva

Male Grooming in Asia: Blooming Prospects. Skincare to Drive Growth

Steady expansion in the Male grooming sector in China & India is led by a generational shift in grooming habits and not a passing fad. Only a few...

Devi Subhakesan

Sea Limited 4Q Results: Angling to Be the Next Tencent?

Sea limited reported 4Q20 results on Tuesday before the US market open. Sea generated another quarter of triple-digit growth while sporting a...

Rickin Thakrar

Coupang IPO and Softbank Group - A Vision Fund Jewel Emerges but It Is Pricey

Coupang's IPO is a win for the company and its largest holder Softbank but the max offer price of $30 is too pricey - we think it is worth closer...

Kirk Boodry

Sea Ltd (SE US) - Metamorphosis in Motion

Sea Ltd continues to achieve higher than expected rates of growth both for its digital entertainment and e-commerce business, with digital...

Angus Mackintosh

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