Greater China Strategy | Alpha Picks: October Conviction Calls The HSI and MSCI China gained 7.1%/8.2% mom in September on Fed easing and optimism over advancements in semiconductors and AI. We remain positive in the medium term but expect near-term consolidation after the recent strong gains. The best performer of the month was Alibaba (+53.0% mom). With some rotations expected in non-tech stocks, our October calls are: add Galaxy, Jacobson, Ping An, Trip.com and WuXi Bio to BUY; SELL Meituan. ...
Service revenue improved to almost flat (-0.3% YoY from -1.1%), supported by Fibre growth and Postpaid growth offsetting Prepaid weakness. Operationally, Maxis delivered stronger EBITDA growth on cost efficiencies while CelcomDigi was weighed by higher bad debt provisions. Both reiterated their LSD service revenue guidance, implying a stronger second half.
Thai telcos posted LSD service revenue growth, while EBITDA slowed to MSD. TRUE underperformed due to May’s power outage but still guided for 2H recovery on spectrum rental savings despite the guidance downgrade. While risks from soft tourism may persist, sector discipline and its value-based pricing approach remains intact.
Greater China Economics | Inflation China’s August CPI returned to deflation at -0.4% yoy (-0.4ppt), below consensus, led by a sharper fall in food prices (-4.3% yoy) which includes a 16.1% yoy drop in pork prices. In contrast, core CPI rose to a ytd high of 0.9% (+0.1ppt), underpinned by services inflation. PPI deflation eased to -2.9% yoy (+0.7ppt), reflecting upstream stabilisation in mining and raw materials. The CPI-PPI divergence underscores fragile consumer demand. Broader policy supp...
A director at True Corporation Public Company Ltd bought 550,000 shares at 11.300THB and the significance rating of the trade was 78/100. Is that information sufficient for you to make an investment decision? This report gives details of those trades and adds context and analysis to them such that you can judge whether these trading decisions are ones worth following. Included in the report is a detailed share price chart which plots discretionary trades by all the company's directors over the...
Service revenue growth stayed modest with China Telecom improving while peers slowed. EBITDA margins are expanding which drove mid-single digit earnings growth. YTD capex is down 16% YoY ahead of the 9% fall guided for full year. China Telecom will be added to the Hang Seng Index from next week. For investors unable to access this space, we recommend to monitor the developments in China as we see it as a leading indicator for EM telcos more broadly.
GREATER CHINA Strategy Alpha Picks: September Conviction Calls: Add Anta, BYDE and CSCEC to our BUY list, Li Auto and OOIL to our SELL list. Take profit on Innovent, JD Logistics, Lenovo, Sino Biopharm, Tencent and TME. INDONESIA Strategy Alpha Picks: Underperformance In August: Our new Alpha Picks are ASSA, ARCI, BBCA, BBNI, BRMS, MTEL, HRUM and NCKL. MALAYSIA Strategy Alpha Picks: Wake Me Up When September Ends: Our Aug 25 Alpha Picks underperformed marginally. Sep 25 picks: Alpha IVF, Hume ...
Axiata saw an all-around improvement as constant currency EBITDA inflected to growth and underlying EBIT accelerated. YTD EBIT performance (+8.4%) is tracking well against its high-single digit guidance. Leverage is also falling closer to its 2.5x target, aided by the cash proceeds received from the XLSmart merger.
TRUE reported a net profit of Bt2.0b for 2Q25, in line with our forecasts but below consensus by 11%. The stronger net profit was supported by: a) a higher gross profit margin, b) lower-than-expected SG&A-to-sales, c) lower interest expense, d) lesser cost of asset impairment, and e) tax gains. ARPU figures of the mobile and FBB businesses were also impressive. We still like TRUE and expect its improved earnings outlook to continue into 2H25. Maintain BUY with a target price of Bt15.70.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS Sector Retail Staple retailers remain resilient amid economic uncertainty. Results Muangthai Capital (MTC TB/BUY/Bt38.50/Target: Bt52.00) 2Q25: Earnings in line; robust asset quality outlook. True Corporation (TRUE TB/BUY/Bt11.90/Target: Bt15.70) 2Q25: Results in line with our estimates but below consensus. Update Indorama Ventures (IVL TB/BUY/Bt22.40/Target: Bt27.00) 2Q25 Preview: Gearing up for a stronger 2H25 SCGP (SCGP TB/BUY/Bt18.10/Target...
GREATER CHINA Strategy China & Hong Kong Property: CR Land’s acquisition of Shanghai projects points to further consolidation towards SOEs; potential easing of capital transfer will be key focus for Hong Kong market. Results Launch Tech (2488 HK/NOT RATED/HK$12.03): 1H25: Robust overseas and software business growth; step-up in dividend. Update Tencent Holdings (700 HK/BUY/HK$559.00/Target: HK$650.00): 2Q25 results preview: Strong game pipeline and AI-powered adtech as key catalysts. INDONESIA ...
GREATER CHINA Strategy Alpha Picks: August Conviction Calls: Add JBM Healthcare and Lenovo to our BUY list. Take profit on CATL, Han’s Laser, KE Holdings and Longfor. INDONESIA Strategy Alpha Picks: Underperformance In July: Our new Alpha Picks are ASSA, AKRA, ARCI, BBNI, KLBF, MTEL, and MYOR. MALAYSIA Strategy Alpha Picks: Some Opportunities Amid A “Summer Lull”: Our July 25 Alpha Picks outperformed. Aug 25 picks: Coraza, Eco World, Gamuda, Hume Cement, IJM, Inari, RHB and Zetrix. SINGAPORE ...
GREATER CHINA Economics PMI Rebound falters, weighed down by weaker construction and input cost pressures. Sector Automobile Weekly: PV sales pressured by anti-involution initiatives. Maintain MARKET WEIGHT on the sector. Top BUYs: CATL, Geely and Tuopu. Results Budweiser APAC (1876 HK/BUY/HK$8.26/Target: HK$12.00) ...
GREATER CHINA Strategy Alpha Picks: July Conviction Calls: Add CATL, KE Holdings, Longfor, Midea Group, Tencent and TME to our BUY list. Take profit on Prudential. INDONESIA Strategy Alpha Picks: Good Performances In June: Our new Alpha Picks are ANTM, BBCA, ERAA, ICBP, MYOR, MIKA, AMRT and TLKM. MALAYSIA Strategy Alpha Picks: Positioning For Positive US Trade Deals: Our Jun 25 Alpha Picks outperform. Jul 25 picks: Coraza, Duopharma, Eco World, Gamuda, Hume Cement, IJM, Inari and MYEG. SINGAP...
Service revenue trends deteriorated in Q1, impacted by one-offs and ongoing prepaid competition. On an underlying basis, both CelcomDigi and Maxis were stable YoY. Still, EBITDA managed to inflect to positive territory (although barely). Both remained confident in delivering low-single digit service revenue growth in 2025 as they build up their Enterprise segments.
INDONESIA Small/Mid Cap Highlight Energi Mega Persada (ENRG IJ/NOT RATED/Rp328) A clear turning point. MALAYSIA Sector Banking Loans growth improved to 5.3% from 5.1% in May 25. The absence of strong earnings catalysts has prompted us to maintain MARKET WEIGHT. Results Sapura Energy (SAPE MK/BUY/RM0.05/Target: RM0.07) 1QFY26: Core losses are in line on poorer rig utilisation and lu...
Thailand concluded its spectrum auction on Sunday and raised THB 41.3bn (US$ 1.26bn). Overall process was benign and results were as expected – AIS retained its 2100MHz share whilst TRUE won the 2300MHz and 1500MHz band; only the 850MHz was left unsold. Our brief thoughts below.
Thai telcos had a good run in 2024 and the momentum carried into Q1 2025 with steady service revenue and margin growth. However, weaker inbound tourism figures and the tariff overhang have raised concerns, contributing to the downward revision in GDP forecasts (1.8% to 1.1% in 2025).
Service revenue trends slowed in Q1 amid macro headwinds, but EBITDA returned to growth. This continued to drive earnings and therefore dividend growth. With capex continuing to fall in absolute terms, the Chinese telcos continue to look cheap. For investors unable to access this space, we recommend to monitor the developments in China as we see it as a leading indicator for EM telcos more broadly.
TRUE's net profit for 2Q25 is projected to skyrocket 312% yoy and 26% qoq, underpinned by strong broadband revenue growth, lower opex and reduced network impairment. In 2Q25, we expect TRUE’s mobile revenue to decline 1% yoy and qoq to Bt32.3b due to short-term network issues and other headwinds. EBITDA should drop qoq due to revenue pressure. Maintain BUY with a target price of Bt14.50.
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