Week in Review
- Asian equities were mostly up this week following US stocks higher on a more dovish tone from the US Fed.
- China’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) came in lower than expected on Wednesday, indicating more work to be done even after better-than-expected GDP and economic indicators last week.
- Some outperformers this week included Kweichow Moutai, which surged after announcing a +20% price increase for some of its products, and electric vehicle (EV) automakers following an announced increase in sales of new energy vehicles of +30% year-over-year (YoY) in October.
- The White House confirmed that Biden and Xi will meet at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference in San Francisco following positive nuclear nonproliferation talks.
Key News
Asian equities ended a strong week higher following US stocks’ jump on Powell’s press conference with Japan off on holiday.
Growth stocks led the way higher in both Mainland China and Hong Kong, as Apple’s
AAPL
Also lifting tech and growth stocks was a release from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on “Guiding Opinions on the Innovation and Development of Humanoid Robots”. The release provides a “strategic roadmap” for the use of humanoid robots in manufacturing. Could this be another potential solution to demographic issues? The release provides goals over the next three-to-five years and mentions the use of robot limbs or “machine bodies”. Technology plays were cited as beneficiaries.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) published a release on economic support with a focus on “expanding domestic demand, especially consumer demand, continuing to expand effective investment and stabilize the fundamentals of foreign investment and foreign trade.” Following last week’s Central Financial Work Conference (CFWC), we should assume more policies will be released.
Australia’s Prime Minister Albanese will visit China, becoming the first Australian PM to visit in seven years. More importantly, foreign investors bought a net $971 million worth of Mainland stocks via Northbound Stock Connect overnight. The Mainland market saw all sectors, except for real estate close higher today. Meanwhile, Hong Kong saw literally all sectors higher. Are investors making a pivot to China as the economy bottoms out? US-China diplomatic relations improving is another clear catalyst.
Micron Technology’s
MU
Hong Kong’s most heavily traded stocks by value were Tencent, which gained +4.85%, Meituan, which gained +2.78%, and Alibaba, which gained +2.92%. Hong Kong-listed internet stocks outperformed their US counterparts yesterday along with EVs and other growth sub-sectors. It was a great way to start the weekend!
The Hang Seng and Hang Seng Tech indexes gained +2.52% and +3.25%, respectively, on volume that increased +27.83% from yesterday, which is 81% of the 1-year average. 434 stocks advanced while 61 stocks declined. Main Board short turnover increased +22.77% from yesterday, which is 76% of the 1-year average (remember that Hong Kong short turnover includes ETF short volume, which is driven by market makers’ ETF hedging). The growth factor and small caps outperformed the value factor and large caps. All sectors were positive, including communication services, which gained +4.31%, consumer discretionary, which gained +2.91%, and technology, which gained +2.74%. All subsectors were positive, led by software, semiconductors, and consumer services. Southbound Stock Connect volumes were light as Mainland investors bought a net $147 million worth of Hong Kong-listed stocks and ETFs. Tencent, Xiaomi, and Kuiashou were small net buys while China Mobile and CNOOC were small net sells within the mutual market access program.
Shanghai, Shenzhen, and the STAR Board gained +0.71%, +1.17%, and +1.80%, respectively, on volume that increased +5.48% from yesterday, which is 92% of the 1-year average. 3,726 stocks advanced while 1,087 declined. The growth factor and small caps outperformed the value factor and large caps. All sectors were positive, except for real estate, which fell -0.22%. The leading sectors on the Mainland overnight were technology, which gained +2.4%, consumer discretionary, which gained +1.42%, and consumer staples, which gained +1.29%. The top-performing subsectors were computer hardware, semiconductors, and office supplies. Meanwhile, highways, ports, and steel were among the worst-performing. Northbound Stock Connect volumes were moderate as foreign investors bought a net $971 million worth of Mainland stocks, including PetroChina, China Merchants Bank, and Mindray, which were all small net buys. Meanwhile, Will Semiconductor was a moderate net sell and CATL and LXJM were small net sells. The Asia Dollar Index gained versus the US dollar, though CNY was flat. Treasury bonds were sold while copper and steel rallied.
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Last Night’s Performance
Last Night’s Exchange Rates, Prices, & Yields
- CNY per USD 7.31 versus 7.31 yesterday
- CNY per EUR 7.82 versus 7.77 yesterday
- Yield on 1-Day Government Bond 1.58% versus 1.63% yesterday
- Yield on 10-Year Government Bond 2.66% versus 2.66% yesterday
- Yield on 10-Year China Development Bank Bond 2.72% versus 2.71% yesterday
- Copper Price +0.28% overnight
- Steel Price +0.83% overnight
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