Daily Brief Thematic (Sector/Industry): Smartkarma Webinar | Top China Internet Picks and more

In the next installment of our Webinar Wednesdays, we go live with Smartkarma Insight Provider, Shawn Yang as he shares more about his top picks in the Chinese internet space. He’ll be touching on major players in the industry, the latest trends, and business opportunities of these major players.

The webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, 15 February 2023, 17:00 SGT/HKT.

Shawn has extensive experience in internet industry and investment banking and his research findings were published in well-known websites and media outlets. Shawn mainly covers China internet sector; he joined Blue Lotus in October 2015. Shawn has been frequently interviewed by various financial medias like CCTV, Bloomberg, WSJ and CNBC. Prior to joining Blue Lotus, Mr. Yang served as the director of strategy for CMGE, a mobile game company, and was responsible for strategic research and investor relations. Mr. Yang also worked for HSBC Asset Management and Goldman Sachs. Mr. Yang graduated from Tsinghua University with a bachelor’s degree and received his master’s degree from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

• China’s luxury market contracted 10% in 2022, ending a five-year streak of growth as Beijing’s “zero-Covid” policy and a slowing economy hit spending
• Repeated Covid-related lockdowns starting in the second quarter curbed travel and consumption, with shopping mall traffic falling by 30% to 35%
• Sales at Hainan’s duty-free shops operated by state-owned China Duty Free Group Co. Ltd. were expected to drop 30% to 35 billion yuan ($515 million) last year.

• China’s top state assets administration imposed minimum prices for tickets on seven state-owned airlines, slamming the door on ultra-low-cost promotions launched as travel plunged during the pandemic
• The commission put a floor under prices to preserve and increase the value of state-owned assets and to pare operating losses, a senior industry insider said.
• The move is a way for SASAC to exercise its rights as a majority shareholder of the state-owned airlines.

• This article studies the dynamics of the market, the growth drivers, the camping industry chain, and the future opportunities and challenges of China’s camping business.
• After three years of following strict rules and reducing travel as much as possible, Chinese consumers’ desire for outdoor activities, social interactions, and new experiences has never been keener.
• These needs bolstered the flourishing camping business. Search volume for the term “camping” on the Chinese search engine Baidu has climbed to a higher level since May 2021, soared in May 2022, and remains higher than the four-year average level, according to statistics from Baidu Index. 

• GT (Cell and Gene Therapy) is a sector with high growth potential.
• CAR-T, as one of the main CGT currently, presents great value for both doctors and patients.
• This article showcases the industry pain points and opportunities faced in the CAR-T sub-sector.