JPM Favoring Asian Insurance Market (Excluding Japan/Australia) in Year of the Horse; Key Selections Include PING AN and CHINA LIFE
Price Changes in Asian Insurers: Asian insurers have seen significant price fluctuations, with Hong Kong/China insurers increasing by an average of 8%, while South Korean insurers have decreased by 2%. JPMorgan suggests that emerging markets in Asia, excluding Japan and Australia, offer better risk-reward opportunities due to stronger fundamentals.
Preference for Life Insurers: JPMorgan favors life insurers over non-life and reinsurers, citing less favorable underwriting cycles and pricing trends for the latter. Key recommendations include PING AN and CHINA LIFE among others.
Investment Ratings and Target Prices: JPMorgan has provided investment ratings and target prices for various insurers, with AIA, CHINA LIFE, and PING AN rated as "Overweight" and target prices set at 107, 40, and 100 HKD respectively.
Short Selling Data: The report includes short selling data for the mentioned stocks, indicating significant short selling activity, particularly for PING AN and CHINA LIFE, with ratios of 20.220% and 17.234% respectively.
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Earnings Announcement Period: The earnings announcement period for Hong Kong/China insurers for FY2025 will start on March 19, led by AIA, PRU, and ZA ONLINE.
Growth Expectations: Citi Research anticipates strong growth in new business value for Chinese life insurers, with China Life, Ping An, and CPIC expected to lead with growth rates of 38%, 32%, and 28%, respectively.
Earnings Forecast: The broker predicts solid earnings growth for FY2025, with significant increases expected for China Taiping, China Life, and NCI, among others.
Short Selling Data: The report includes short selling data for various insurers, indicating varying levels of short selling activity and ratios across different companies.

Stock Performance: PRU (02378.HK) and AIA (01299.HK) experienced declines of 8% and 4% respectively, influenced by weak sales from MANULIFE-S and concerns over AI disruptions.
Short Selling Data: PRU had short selling of $980.80K with a ratio of 1.625%, while AIA saw significantly higher short selling at $515.96M and a ratio of 11.135%.
Goldman Sachs Outlook: Despite recent declines, Goldman Sachs maintains a positive outlook, reiterating a Buy rating for both PRU and AIA, citing an attractive risk-reward profile at current valuations.
Target Prices: Goldman Sachs has set target prices of HKD96 for AIA and HKD150 for PRU, indicating confidence in their growth potential despite market fluctuations.
Market Overview: The DJIA fell 1.3% as tech stocks were sold off, leading to a similar decline in the Hong Kong stock market, where the HSI ended down 1.7% at 26,567.
Financial Sector Performance: Major financial stocks like HSBC and HKEX dropped by 2.7% and 2.1%, respectively, while Bank of East Asia plunged 11% after reporting a significant profit drop and dividend cut.
Commodity and Gold Prices: Gold prices fell below USD 5,000/oz, impacting gold mining stocks, which saw declines of 5.9-7.6%. Oil prices also dropped nearly 3%, affecting major oil companies.
Tech Sector Decline: The tech sector experienced minor declines, with Tencent and Alibaba seeing drops of around 0.7% to 2.0%, while other tech stocks like Meituan and Baidu fell over 3%.

Market Performance: The Hang Seng Index (HSI) fell by 465 points (1.7%) to close at 26,567, while the Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTI) and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) also experienced declines, with market turnover reaching $257.58 billion.
Active Heavyweights: Major stocks like Meituan, Ping An, and HKEX saw significant drops, with Meituan down 3.2% and Ping An down 2.2%. Xiaomi was the only heavyweight to gain, closing up 0.9%.
Notable Declines: Several constituents of the HSI and HSCEI, including Zijin Mining and Sinopec Corp, experienced substantial losses, with Zijin Mining dropping 7.6% and Sinopec Corp down 5.1%.
Gainers and New Highs: Despite the overall market decline, some stocks like Haidilao and WH Group saw gains, with Haidilao up 3.1% and WH Group hitting a new high, closing up 0.9%.

Market Performance: The HSI dropped 484 points (1.8%) to 26,547, with significant declines in financial stocks like HSBC and HKEX, while total half-day turnover reached $128.406 billion.
Chinese Inflation: China's inflation rate for January was reported at 0.2%, lower than the previous 0.8% and below the forecast of 0.4%.
Gold Prices Decline: Gold prices fell below $5,000 per ounce, negatively impacting several gold-related stocks, which saw declines ranging from 3.6% to 5.2%.
AI Stocks Surge: AI-related stocks experienced significant gains, with MINIMAX-WP rising 9.4% and KNOWLEDGE ATLAS surging 11.9% following the launch of new programming models.

Market Performance: The Hang Seng Index (HSI) fell by 484 points (1.8%) to 26,547, while the Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTI) and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) also experienced declines of 1.6% and 1.7%, respectively.
Active Heavyweights: Major stocks like Meituan, Ping An, Alibaba, and Tencent saw significant drops, with Meituan down 4.5% and Tencent down 1.7%, amidst high short selling activity.
Notable Declines: Companies such as Zijin Mining and China Life faced substantial losses, with Zijin Mining dropping 5.2% and China Life down 4.9%, reflecting a broader trend of declining stock prices.
Gainers and Losers: Healthyway Inc. experienced a notable increase of 18.8%, while Mongol Mining and Fit Hon Teng saw significant declines of 13.7% and 11.3%, respectively, indicating volatility in the market.





