
In today’s briefing:
- Laopu Gold (6181 HK): Global Index Inclusion Likely Derailed by Full Circulation
- Evolution Mining (EVN AU): Global Index Inclusion in May as Gold Rallies
- Hanwha Ocean (042660 KS) Placement: Index Implications; Stock Appears Wildly Overvalued
- CATL H Share Listing: AH Discount Views
- ASX200 (AS51 INDEX) Outlook: Rallying Out of a Bear Market Amid Passive Flows And Sector Strength
- Smartpay (SPY NZ/SMP AU): Three Is No Crowd as a Third Bid Lands at NZ$1.20
- Last Week in Event SPACE: Toyota, Rio Tinto, Hainan Meilan, Fujitsu General
- (Mostly) Asia-Pac M&A: Ainsworth Game, Bright Smart, PointsBet, Dickson Concepts, Canvest, Shibaura
- Oisix: Major Growth Expected in Foodtech
- Crude Awakening: Shell’s Possible Bid to Refine BP’s Future

Laopu Gold (6181 HK): Global Index Inclusion Likely Derailed by Full Circulation
- Laopu Gold (6181 HK) was on track to be added to a global index given its large H-share market cap and a free float that was close to 20%.
- Completion of the full circulation in April pushed H-share market cap higher while free float market cap remained the same. Crucially, free float dropped below 15%.
- Laopu Gold (6181 HK) could miss index inclusion in May, while inclusion in August will need some selling from non-float investors following lock-up expiry in June.
Evolution Mining (EVN AU): Global Index Inclusion in May as Gold Rallies
- Evolution Mining‘s stock price has moved higher over the last year as Gold has gone on a big run. The increased market cap should result in a global index inclusion.
- Evolution Mining (EVN AU) has performed in line with its peers over the last year and trades in line with the group on most valuation parameters.
- Positioning has jumped in Evolution Mining (EVN AU) and its peers over the last couple of months. The index inclusion could result in outperformance over the next few weeks.
Hanwha Ocean (042660 KS) Placement: Index Implications; Stock Appears Wildly Overvalued
- Korea Development Bank is looking to sell 13m shares of Hanwha Ocean (042660 KS). That is US$740m at the top end of the marketed range and 4x ADV.
- Following the sale, Korea Development Bank will still own over 15% of the company and that will be an overhang for the stock. Plus the stock appears wildly overvalued.
- There will be limited buying from passive trackers at the time of the placement with bigger passive flows coming through in June and August.
CATL H Share Listing: AH Discount Views
- Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) (300750 CH), the world’s largest supplier of EV and ESS batteries, is set to launch an H Share listing to raise US$5 billion.
- In CATL H Share Listing: The Investment Case, a leading market position, forecasted return to growth, peer-leading profitability, cash generation, peer-leading FCF margin and an attractive valuation are highlighted.
- In this note, I examine the likely discount CATL will offer its H Shares compared to the A Shares.
ASX200 (AS51 INDEX) Outlook: Rallying Out of a Bear Market Amid Passive Flows And Sector Strength
- Over the past three weeks, the S&P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) has staged one of the strongest rebounds since the early April Trump-tariff shock, rallying approximately +15% from its 16-month low.
- Several factors are driving the rally: recent passive flow activity, as highlighted by Brian Freitas but also broad-based sector strength, with notable gains in energy, healthcare, and consumer staples.
- Despite a positive outlook, our models indicate the index is currently OVERBOUGHT. This insight breaks down the key details.
Smartpay (SPY NZ/SMP AU): Three Is No Crowd as a Third Bid Lands at NZ$1.20
- On 2 May, Smartpay Holdings (SPY NZ) disclosed receiving a third non-binding scheme proposal from another international strategic at NZ$1.20 (A$1.12), 20% premium to the Tyro Payments (TYR AU) offer.
- Smartpay previously disclosed a NZ$1.00 cash/scrip bid from Tyro and an undisclosed offer from an international strategic (rumoured to be Shift4 Payments (FOUR US)).
- Smartpay was susceptible to bids due to the RBA’s surcharge review, but the shareholder structure necessitates an attractive offer. The NZ$1.20 offer is attractive.
Last Week in Event SPACE: Toyota, Rio Tinto, Hainan Meilan, Fujitsu General
- Toyota Chair TOYODA made a proposal to take over Toyota Industries (6201 JP), not because he loves forklifts etc; but an opportunistic way to buy a large block of Toyota.
- Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO AU) shareholders voted down Palliser’s proposal to review its dual-company structure. That was the right outcome.
- Hainan Meilan (357 HK)‘s H-share Offer price of HK$10.62/share is not compelling; but it’s not meant to be, as the SPA Buyer and Seller are ultimately controlled by Hainan SASAC.
(Mostly) Asia-Pac M&A: Ainsworth Game, Bright Smart, PointsBet, Dickson Concepts, Canvest, Shibaura
- I tally 49 – mostly firm, mostly Asia-Pac – transactions currently being discussed and analysed on Smartkarma.
- Four new deals discussed on Smartkarma this week: Ainsworth Game (AGI AU), Bright Smart Securities (1428 HK), Hainan Meilan International Airport (357 HK), and of course, Toyota Industries (6201 JP).
- Key updates/news took place on: PointsBet Holdings (PBH AU), Gold Road Resources (GOR AU), Dickson Concepts Intl (113 HK), Canvest Environmental Protection Group (1381 HK), and Shibaura Electronics (6957 JP).
Oisix: Major Growth Expected in Foodtech
- Given Japan’s growing interest in food-based health solutions, multiple players are looking to build businesses in the field across gut health and dietary solutions for the old and infirm.
- Oisix, the leading online food retailer has developed an incubator for start ups in this area.
- It is hoping to create a mini silicon valley for food tech businesses.
Crude Awakening: Shell’s Possible Bid to Refine BP’s Future
- Shell–BP deal offers strong industrial logic, with $70B in synergies justifying a 40–50% premium while delivering robust EPS accretion and strategic energy transition alignment.
- Regulatory hurdles are real but manageable, with anticipated divestitures in UK/EU fuel retail and limited structural issues in the U.S.
- Multiple financing structures are viable; a 60/40 cash-stock mix preserves leverage discipline, limits dilution, and enhances deal feasibility from a risk-arb perspective.