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

Equity Bottom-Up

<p><strong>The moment of reckoning for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/thai-beverage-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3656:1" rel="noopener">Thai Beverage (THBEV SP)</a> is here</strong>; Phuket Sandbox has given a trial for the tourism reopening, a high and progressing inoculation rate of the tourists' origin countries such as China and Malaysia allow, and the upcoming lifting of quarantine for vaccinated tourists starting November 1st will increase the number of tourists visiting Thailand.</p>
<p>Phuket is the only place in Thailand where alcoholic beverages are allowed to be sold and consumed on-premises but sooner rather than later, the policy will be applied to the whole nation benefiting Thai Beverage. The time to buy <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/thai-beverage-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3656:1" rel="noopener">Thai Beverage (THBEV SP) </a>is now. </p>

The moment of reckoning for Thai Beverage (THBEV SP) is here; Phuket Sandbox has given a trial for the tourism reopening, a high and progressing inoculation rate of the tourists' origin countries such as China and Malaysia allow, and the upcoming lifting of quarantine for vaccinated tourists starting November 1st will increase the number of tourists visiting Thailand.
Phuket is the only place in Thailand where alcoholic beverages are allowed to be sold and consumed on-premises but sooner rather than later, the policy will be applied to the whole nation benefiting Thai Beverage. The time to buy Thai Beverage (THBEV SP) is now. 

Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning, Copley Fund Research

Steven Holden

Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning

Copley Fund Research

Copley Fund Research provide research and data on asset allocation among Global and Emerging Market equity funds.  The analysis details absolute and relative positioning across countries, sectors and industries together with highly granular data on single stock and single fund allocations.  The data is updated monthly with time series going back to January 2011.

Global Research - Analysis of 165 prominent Global equity funds, combined AUM $335bn
GEM Research - Analysis of 127 prominent global EM equity funds, combined AUM $250bn

Asset Allocation - Global and GEM Equity

Cross Asset Strategy

<div>
<p>In this analysis, we provide a detailed overview of investor positioning among 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn.  Highlights:</p>
</div>
<div>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The big four of China &amp; HK, Taiwan, South Korea and India dominate holdings in Asia Ex-Japan.  The 4 countries combined account for 85.4% of total allocations, though all but India are held underweight versus the MSCI Asia Ex-Japan index.</li>
<li>China &amp; HK's weight in Asia Ex-Japan funds stands at a 4-year low of 42.96% having fallen heavily from the high of 52% back in August 2020.</li>
<li>Allocations in Indian stocks hit a new all-time high last month of 13.54%.  India has been the go-to overweight holding since the election of Narendra Modi in 2014, though managers are much more closely aligned to benchmark today.</li>
<li>
<p>Indonesian allocations are close to their lowest levels on record.  Only 82.8% of the Asia Ex-Japan managers in our analysis have exposure to Indonesia,  with Comgest, Barings and Vontobel closing exposure over the last 6-months.</p>
</li>
<li>Information Technology dominates the holdings picture, being both the largest sector holding and the largest sector overweight by some distance.  Opposing this are net underweights in Health Care (-1.61%), Materials (-1.25%) and Financials (-1.17%). </li>
<li>The key antagonist in China's tech crackdown, Consumer Discretionary weights have fallen from a high of 21.35% in October 2020 to 16.84% today.  In tandem, active managers have moved from an overweight of 2.18% to an underweight of -0.12%.  Confidence has certainly taken a knock.</li>
</ul>
<p>Also analyzed in more detail:  Thailand, Health Care, Indian Financials, South Korean Consumer Staples, China Financials, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/baidu-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:179:1" rel="noopener">Baidu (BIDU US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/midea-group-co-ltd-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16185:1" rel="noopener">Midea Group Co Ltd A (000333 CH)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jd-com-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:446:1" rel="noopener">JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US).</a></p>
<p><em>Analysis taken from our Asia Ex-Japan research, covering 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn. </em></p>
</div>


In this analysis, we provide a detailed overview of investor positioning among 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn.  Highlights:



The big four of China &amp; HK, Taiwan, South Korea and India dominate holdings in Asia Ex-Japan.  The 4 countries combined account for 85.4% of total allocations, though all but India are held underweight versus the MSCI Asia Ex-Japan index.
China &amp; HK's weight in Asia Ex-Japan funds stands at a 4-year low of 42.96% having fallen heavily from the high of 52% back in August 2020.
Allocations in Indian stocks hit a new all-time high last month of 13.54%.  India has been the go-to overweight holding since the election of Narendra Modi in 2014, though managers are much more closely aligned to benchmark today.

Indonesian allocations are close to their lowest levels on record.  Only 82.8% of the Asia Ex-Japan managers in our analysis have exposure to Indonesia,  with Comgest, Barings and Vontobel closing exposure over the last 6-months.

Information Technology dominates the holdings picture, being both the largest sector holding and the largest sector overweight by some distance.  Opposing this are net underweights in Health Care (-1.61%), Materials (-1.25%) and Financials (-1.17%). 
The key antagonist in China's tech crackdown, Consumer Discretionary weights have fallen from a high of 21.35% in October 2020 to 16.84% today.  In tandem, active managers have moved from an overweight of 2.18% to an underweight of -0.12%.  Confidence has certainly taken a knock.

Also analyzed in more detail:  Thailand, Health Care, Indian Financials, South Korean Consumer Staples, China Financials, Baidu (BIDU US) , Sea Ltd (SE US) , Midea Group Co Ltd A (000333 CH) and JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US).
Analysis taken from our Asia Ex-Japan research, covering 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn. 


Asia Ex-Japan Positioning:  India & Tech at Record Highs

Smartkarma Research Team, Smartkarma

Smartkarma Research

Smartkarma Research Team

Smartkarma

Smartkarma unites the fragmented investment industry, connecting institutional investors, independent research providers, and corporates within a single network.

Research Reinvented

<p>For our next Smartkarma Webinar, we are thrilled to welcome back Insight Provider <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/kyle-rudden" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:4495" rel="noopener">Kyle Rudden</a>, who continues his series on ESG investing.</p><p>On this session, Kyle will give an overview of the “Metrics and Materiality” issue and debate, explore its implications for Corporate ESG Reporting and ESG Investing, and examine Metrics and Materiality in practice through examples and case studies.</p><p>This webinar is organised jointly by Smartkarma and SGX.</p><h3>The webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, 25 August 2021, 17:00 SGT/HKT.</h3><div class="content-highlight"><h2><a href="https://share.hsforms.com/1H9pFZOB-RF2J00kbvMmxcw2c5gj?zoom_webinar_id=88191048159" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Register for the Webinar here</a></h2></div><p>Kyle Rudden is an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) analyst with an alpha-centric approach to ESG research. After all, ESG investing is, first and foremost, investing. "Alpha-centric" does not mean apathetic, however. Quite the contrary. Kyle believes global sustainability – i.e., environmental stewardship, social equality, and economic prosperity – is imperative, and private-sector capital is its cornerstone. Private-sector capital still has fiduciary responsibilities. Profitability is necessary for sustained impact. The Triple Bottom Line. People, Planet, AND Profit.</p>

For our next Smartkarma Webinar, we are thrilled to welcome back Insight Provider Kyle Rudden, who continues his series on ESG investing.On this session, Kyle will give an overview of the “Metrics and Materiality” issue and debate, explore its implications for Corporate ESG Reporting and ESG Investing, and examine Metrics and Materiality in practice through examples and case studies.This webinar is organised jointly by Smartkarma and SGX.The webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, 25 August 2021, 17:00 SGT/HKT.Register for the Webinar hereKyle Rudden is an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) analyst with an alpha-centric approach to ESG research. After all, ESG investing is, first and foremost, investing. "Alpha-centric" does not mean apathetic, however. Quite the contrary. Kyle believes global sustainability – i.e., environmental stewardship, social equality, and economic prosperity – is imperative, and private-sector capital is its cornerstone. Private-sector capital still has fiduciary responsibilities. Profitability is necessary for sustained impact. The Triple Bottom Line. People, Planet, AND Profit.

Smartkarma Webinar | ESG Metrics and Materiality - What Matters to Whom and Why

<p>For our next Smartkarma Webinar, we are thrilled to welcome back Insight Provider <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/kyle-rudden" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:4495" rel="noopener">Kyle Rudden</a> , who will be sharing insights on the trending issue of Environmental, Social, and Governance Investing. ESG investing is widely seen as a way of investing “sustainably” where investments are made with consideration of the environment and human well-being, as well as the economy. Kyle believes global sustainability is imperative and views private-sector capital as its cornerstone. As such, he supports the various impact-oriented strategies typically associated with ESG investing. However, his views on ESG and investing lean more pragmatic than idealistic, and his research focuses on applying ESG analysis to general investing rather than to "ESG investing" per se. Kyle subscribes to the Triple Bottom Line view of sustainability, where economic and financial metrics are deemed as important as ESG factors.</p><p>This webinar is organised jointly by Smartkarma and SGX.</p><h3>The webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, 14 July 2021, 17:00 SGT/HKT.</h3><div class="content-highlight"><h2><a href="https://share.hsforms.com/1H9pFZOB-RF2J00kbvMmxcw2c5gj?zoom_webinar_id=86937019742" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Register for the Webinar here</a></h2></div><p>Kyle Rudden is an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) analyst with an alpha-centric approach to ESG research. After all, ESG investing is, first and foremost, investing. "Alpha-centric" does not mean apathetic, however. Quite the contrary. Kyle believes global sustainability – i.e., environmental stewardship, social equality, and economic prosperity – is imperative, and private-sector capital is its cornerstone. Private-sector capital still has fiduciary responsibilities. Profitability is necessary for sustained impact. The Triple Bottom Line. People, Planet, AND Profit.</p>

For our next Smartkarma Webinar, we are thrilled to welcome back Insight Provider Kyle Rudden , who will be sharing insights on the trending issue of Environmental, Social, and Governance Investing. ESG investing is widely seen as a way of investing “sustainably” where investments are made with consideration of the environment and human well-being, as well as the economy. Kyle believes global sustainability is imperative and views private-sector capital as its cornerstone. As such, he supports the various impact-oriented strategies typically associated with ESG investing. However, his views on ESG and investing lean more pragmatic than idealistic, and his research focuses on applying ESG analysis to general investing rather than to "ESG investing" per se. Kyle subscribes to the Triple Bottom Line view of sustainability, where economic and financial metrics are deemed as important as ESG factors.This webinar is organised jointly by Smartkarma and SGX.The webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, 14 July 2021, 17:00 SGT/HKT.Register for the Webinar hereKyle Rudden is an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) analyst with an alpha-centric approach to ESG research. After all, ESG investing is, first and foremost, investing. "Alpha-centric" does not mean apathetic, however. Quite the contrary. Kyle believes global sustainability – i.e., environmental stewardship, social equality, and economic prosperity – is imperative, and private-sector capital is its cornerstone. Private-sector capital still has fiduciary responsibilities. Profitability is necessary for sustained impact. The Triple Bottom Line. People, Planet, AND Profit.

Smartkarma Webinar | Foundations of Sustainable/ESG Investing and Finance

ASEAN Insight Provider, CrossASEAN Research

Angus Mackintosh

ASEAN Insight Provider

<p>A  call with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/berli-jucker-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3685:1" rel="noopener">Berli Jucker (BJC TB)</a> management post the company's recent results revealed a more cautious tone given the recent pick-up in COVID-19 cases in the so-called "third wave". </p>
<p>Restaurants remain open and dining in is allowed although not permitted to serve alcohol and bars and nightclubs are shut under the current measures. Alcohol can be sold through retail outlets for consumption at home. Big C and Mini Big continue to sell alcohol through all of their outlets. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/berli-jucker-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3685:1" rel="noopener">Berli Jucker (BJC TB)</a> continued to experience difficult YoY comparisons for its packaging supply chain business, which is focused on glass bottling and aluminium cans, given that there was some stocking upon glass bottles last year in 1Q. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/berli-jucker-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3685:1" rel="noopener">Berli Jucker (BJC TB)</a> consumer supply chain division had a mixed picture given that non-food had a high base last year since tissue sales were very strong in 1Q2020, as was personal care, whilst demand for snacks remained soft.</p>
<p>For the company's healthcare and technical supply chain (H&amp;TSC), it saw a positive performance for the technical side, mainly driven by food additives but the lube business was relatively weaker</p>
<p>The company's core modern supply chain division, which consists mainly of its Big C retail business, continues to see big declines in both sales and SSSG given that January and February last year were relatively normal ahead of the onset of the pandemic. The higher portion of B2B sales to offset competition from traditional trade has negatively impacted margins slightly.</p>
<p>Big C continues to expand its store network with plans to add two new Big C hypermarkets this year and 100 mini-Big C proximity stores. There are also a number of Big C Marketplace stores being converted to other formats including Big C Depot and Food Place.</p>
<p>Omnichannel sales are growing, which include sales through Line and Whatsapp as well as various online channels now account for just under 3% of sales.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/berli-jucker-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3685:1" rel="noopener">Berli Jucker (BJC TB)</a> will continue to face headwinds in 2Q2021, as the third wave impacts mobility and beer sales but YoY comparisons will start to get easier. We continue to see <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/berli-jucker-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3685:1" rel="noopener">Berli Jucker (BJC TB)</a> as an interesting proxy to the consumer recovery, not just in Thailand but also to South East Asia, given its exposure in Vietnam, and Malaysia. It remains cheap relative to peers, with a stronger growth outlook for the next two years.</p>

A  call with Berli Jucker (BJC TB) management post the company's recent results revealed a more cautious tone given the recent pick-up in COVID-19 cases in the so-called "third wave". 
Restaurants remain open and dining in is allowed although not permitted to serve alcohol and bars and nightclubs are shut under the current measures. Alcohol can be sold through retail outlets for consumption at home. Big C and Mini Big continue to sell alcohol through all of their outlets. 
Berli Jucker (BJC TB) continued to experience difficult YoY comparisons for its packaging supply chain business, which is focused on glass bottling and aluminium cans, given that there was some stocking upon glass bottles last year in 1Q. 
Berli Jucker (BJC TB) consumer supply chain division had a mixed picture given that non-food had a high base last year since tissue sales were very strong in 1Q2020, as was personal care, whilst demand for snacks remained soft.
For the company's healthcare and technical supply chain (H&amp;TSC), it saw a positive performance for the technical side, mainly driven by food additives but the lube business was relatively weaker
The company's core modern supply chain division, which consists mainly of its Big C retail business, continues to see big declines in both sales and SSSG given that January and February last year were relatively normal ahead of the onset of the pandemic. The higher portion of B2B sales to offset competition from traditional trade has negatively impacted margins slightly.
Big C continues to expand its store network with plans to add two new Big C hypermarkets this year and 100 mini-Big C proximity stores. There are also a number of Big C Marketplace stores being converted to other formats including Big C Depot and Food Place.
Omnichannel sales are growing, which include sales through Line and Whatsapp as well as various online channels now account for just under 3% of sales.
Berli Jucker (BJC TB) will continue to face headwinds in 2Q2021, as the third wave impacts mobility and beer sales but YoY comparisons will start to get easier. We continue to see Berli Jucker (BJC TB) as an interesting proxy to the consumer recovery, not just in Thailand but also to South East Asia, given its exposure in Vietnam, and Malaysia. It remains cheap relative to peers, with a stronger growth outlook for the next two years.

Berli Jucker (BJC TB) - Stock-Up for Canned Recovery?

Singapore

Thai Beverage Public Company Limited produces a wide range of branded beer and spirits in Thailand.

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Thai Beverage (THBEV SP)

Thai Beverage (THBEV): All Stars Aligned

Phuket is the only place that alcoholic beverages are allowed to be sold on-premises. Soon, the policy will be applied to the whole nation...

Henry Soediarko

Asia Ex-Japan Positioning: India & Tech at Record Highs

In this analysis, we provide a detailed overview of investor positioning among 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn.

Steven Holden

Smartkarma Webinar | ESG Metrics and Materiality - What Matters to Whom and Why

On 25 August, 5pm SGT, join us and Kyle Rudden for an overview of the “Metrics and Materiality” issue and debate in ESG investing. This webinar is...

Smartkarma Research

Smartkarma Webinar | Foundations of Sustainable/ESG Investing and Finance

On 14 July, 5pm SGT, join our webinar with Kyle Rudden, who will be sharing his insights on the trending issue of ESG Investing and the Triple...

Smartkarma Research

Berli Jucker (BJC TB) - Stock-Up for Canned Recovery?

Berli Jucker is an interesting proxy to the consumer recovery in Thailand and South-East Asia, through its packaging, retail, and consumer supply...

Angus Mackintosh

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