<Midday Update> HSI Falls 301 Points; HSTI Declines 118 Points; XIAOMI Drops More Than 3%; XINYI SOLAR, CNOOC, HK & CHINA GAS, CTG DUTY-FREE, EVERG SERVICES Reach New Peaks
Market Performance: The Hang Seng Index (HSI) fell by 301 points (1.1%) to 26,184, while the Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTI) and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) also experienced declines of 2.0% and 1.1%, respectively.
Active Heavyweights: Major stocks like Xiaomi, Alibaba, Tencent, and Meituan saw significant drops, with short selling ratios indicating high market activity; Xiaomi closed down 3.1%, Alibaba down 2.8%, and Tencent down 2.3%.
Notable Movers: Xinyi Solar and CNOOC were among the few gainers, with Xinyi Solar rising 6.5% to a new high, while Kuaishou and Pop Mart faced substantial losses, dropping 5.7% and 5.5%, respectively.
Short Selling Trends: The short selling activity was notable across various stocks, with Kuaishou and New Oriental showing high ratios, indicating increased bearish sentiment in the market.
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Strategic Partnership Announcement: HK & CHINA GAS has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sinopec (Hong Kong) and Xinxing to form a strategic partnership focused on clean energy initiatives.
Collaboration Areas: The partnership will target key areas including hydrogen energy business promotion, construction of hydrogen fueling stations, liquid hydrogen storage and transportation, and the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Market Overview: The HSI rose by 54 points (0.2%) to 26,830, while the HSCEI fell by 19 points (0.2%) to 9,060, and the HSTECH dropped by 72 points (1.3%) to 5,453, with a total half-day turnover of $195.285 billion.
Tech Sector Performance: Major tech stocks like TENCENT and BIDU-SW saw significant declines of 4.1% and 3.8%, respectively, with TENCENT's turnover nearing $26 billion, while other tech companies also experienced losses.
Banking Sector Gains: Banks such as HSBC and BOC HONG KONG reported gains of 2.3% and 2.5%, respectively, contributing to a positive trend in the banking sector, alongside notable increases in Chinese insurers.
Commodity and Real Estate Stocks: Commodity prices rose, with companies like ZIJIN GOLD INTL and CMOC increasing by over 4%, while Hong Kong homebuilders also saw gains, with HENDERSON LAND and SHK PPT rising by 2.1% and 1.7%.

BofA Securities Coverage: BofA Securities has initiated coverage on HK & CHINA GAS with an Underperform rating and a target price of HKD6.5, despite an improved earnings outlook due to lower gas costs.
Cash Flow Concerns: The report indicates that HK & CHINA GAS' free cash flow is insufficient to cover dividends, which are expected to remain stable in the coming years.

Urban Gas Utility Sector Challenges: The urban gas utility sector is experiencing a slowdown in gas sales growth and a decline in new users, although profit margin expansion has mitigated some negative impacts, according to HSBC Research.
Sales and User Projections: HSBC Research anticipates stable retail gas sales in the second half of 2025, but expects a 16% year-over-year decrease in new users for TG SMART ENERGY in 2025, with gas prices likely increasing due to a hike in August 2024.
Broker Ratings and Target Price Adjustments: Daiwa has upgraded the CN gas industry rating to Neutral and HK & CHINA GAS to Outperform, while maintaining a Buy rating on TG SMART ENERGY but lowering its target price from HKD4.7 to HKD4.
Earnings Forecast Revisions: HSBC Research has revised down its earnings forecasts for TG SMART ENERGY by 6-7% and for HK & CHINA GAS by 7-8% due to reduced contributions from the renewable energy sector.

Company Listing Plans: EcoCeres, a renewable fuel company backed by HK & CHINA GAS, is preparing for a potential Hong Kong listing with Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, and UBS assisting in the process, aiming for a listing within this year.
Previous Listing Considerations: Earlier reports indicated that EcoCeres was considering a European listing, specifically targeting the London Stock Exchange, with plans to raise between US$500 million to US$1 billion and achieve a valuation of US$5 billion.

Earnings Recovery: HK & CHINA GAS has shown improvement in its fundamentals due to a recovery in earnings from its green fuel business, as noted in a Daiwa research report.
Subsidiary Restructuring: The potential spin-off of its subsidiary EcoCeres after 2026 may lead to increased dividends per share, despite EcoCeres reporting a significant net loss last year.
Rating Upgrade: Daiwa has upgraded HK & CHINA GAS's rating from Hold to Outperform, with a revised 12-month target price increased from HKD7.1 to HKD7.7.
Market Outlook: The recovery of sustainable aviation fuel prices and new capacity additions are expected to contribute to HK & CHINA GAS's turnaround in the second half of 2025.





