Market’s experienced a mixed week after fears surrounding IPOs returned to haunt investors. The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1.8% on Monday following investor expectations that reforms of government owned companies will be accelerated. The benchmark index reached its highest level in four months on Tuesday following fresh assurances by the country’s top leadership that it will take steps to boost economic growth. The Shanghai Composite Index declined on Wednesday as fears about new shares sales returned to haunt the markets. The benchmark index suffered its worst decline in two weeks on Thursday.
LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd. LITB reported third-quarter 2015 earnings of 3 cents per share, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 13 cents. China Lodging Group, Limited HTHT has decided to pay a cash dividend of 17 cents per ordinary share or 68 cents per ADS.
Last Week’s Developments
Last Friday, the Shanghai Composite Index closely nearly flat. The benchmark index surged 4.2% over last week, the highest increase since Nov 6 this year. An index of real estate stock registered a weekly increase of 6.4%, posting the highest increase among the industry groups. This was due to the fact that new home prices increase in 33 cities in November compared to 27 in October, according to government data.
The CSI 300 gained 0.3%, with financial and consumer stocks leading the gains. The Hang Seng declined 0.5%, reducing weekly gains to 1.4%. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index declined 0.3%, reducing a weekly surge to 3.5%. China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. ZNH posted weekly gains of 7.9% as airline stocks jumped following a third successive weekly decline in oil prices.
Markets and the Economy This Week
The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1.8% on Monday, increasing to its highest level in three weeks. Stocks of consumer focused companies moved upward. Meanwhile, investor expectations that reforms of government owned companies will be accelerated gained strength.
The CSI 300 increased 2.6%. A gauge of consumer staples companies jumped 5.3%, emerging as the highest gainer among the industry groups. The Hang Seng rose 0.2%. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index moved up 1.2% to close at its highest level in two weeks.
The benchmark index reached its highest level in four months on Tuesday, increasing 0.3%. Fresh assurances by the country’s top leadership that it will take steps to boost economic growth helped stocks post gains. According to statements issued through the official news agency, Xinhua, monetary and stimulus measures will continue to support the economy. Additionally, the government will work to provide monetary conditions which are helpful for carrying out structural reforms.
The CSI 300 increased 0.3%. Gauges of pharma and telecom stocks declined a minimum of 0.4%, emerging as the heaviest losers for the index’s industry groups. The Hang Seng added 0.2%. However, the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index declined 0.2%. The Shanghai property index hit its highest level in four months.
The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.4% on Wednesday, snapping a two day winning streak. Investor sentiment was strong earlier in the day due to year-end purchases of large cap value stocks by investors flush with cash. However, stocks lost out on earlier gains as fears about new shares sales gained strength. The old concern that IPOs would deflect funds from older stocks returned to haunt the bourses.
The CSI 300 declined 0.3%, following losses made by materials stocks. The Hang Seng gained 1%. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index advanced 1.6% touching its highest level in three weeks following gains made by shares of brokerage companies.
The benchmark index suffered its worst decline in two weeks on Thursday, losing 0.7%. Stocks of property and healthcare companies nosedived following fears that gains made recently were excessive in nature. Familiar fears about IPOs also weighed down investor sentiment. Eight companies launched their IPOs this week and are likely to corner funds worth 1.5 trillion yuan ($230 billion).
The CSI 300 lost 1%. A sub index of healthcare stocks declined 1.8%, the highest among the index’s industry groups. The Hang Seng rose 0.4%, gaining for the fourth successive day. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index increased 0.3%, taking weekly gains to 3.3%. However, the Shanghai property index lost 2.4%, lowering monthly gains to 3.6%.
Stocks in the News
Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. QIHU is officially being taken private by a group of investors headed by the company’s chairman and CEO Zhou Hongyi, without altering any terms of the offer made in June. Shares of Qihoo gained 1.7% to close at $73 last Friday.
As per the terms of the deal, shareholders will be offered $77 per ADS (2 ADS equals to three Class A or Class B shares) while Class A & B shares will each be entitled to receive $51.33 in cash without interest. This represents 16.6% premium to the company’s closing price of $66.05 per share as of Jun 16, 2015 when the offer was made.
The price being offered is also 32.7% more than the company’s ADS’ average closing price in the last 30 days before receiving the buyout offer. At Friday’s closing price, the buyout price offers a 5.5% premium.
LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd. reported third-quarter 2015 earnings of 3 cents per share, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 13 cents. Earnings also improved over the loss of 10 cents per share reported in the year-ago quarter.
Revenues decreased 29% year over year to $70.2 million but were higher than management’s guided range of $70 million to $67 million. Revenues also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $69 million. The detrimental impact of year-over-year exchange rate changes was a major reason for the decline in revenue.
The global online retailer’s mobile revenue has increased and now contributes 34.6% of total net revenues. This is a significant improvement compared to the year ago figure of 26.5% and last quarter’s contribution of 32.9%. Logistic platform’s revenue increased 25.6% compared to the last quarter.
China Lodging Group, Limited has decided to pay a cash dividend of 17 cents per ordinary share or 68 cents per ADS. This works out to $2.72 per share on an annualized basis. The total amount to be distributed among shareholders amounts to $126 million in cash and cash equivalents.
Shareholders as of record on Dec 30, 2015 will be eligible for the dividend. The ex-dividend date has been announced as Dec 28, 2015. The dividend’s annual yield is 9.2%.
Trina Solar Limited TSL will restructure its strategic business unit (SBU) in order to improve its global standing in downstream operations. According to a new plan, the SBU will be separated into two units, an international SBU and a Chinese SBU. The international SBU will concentrate on development of PV power plants in important international markets.
Meanwhile, the Chinese SBU will set up ground-mounted power plants in China. This includes sales, development, sales, operation and maintenance as well as engineering procurement construction.
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited YGE has said that it will change the ratio of ordinary shares to American Depositary Shares (ADSs). Currently, one ADS is equivalent to one ordinary share. From Dec 28, 2015, one ADS will be equal to ten ordinary shares.
Every shareholder on record at the close of the day’s trading on that date will have to exchange ten 10 ADSs for one new ADS. The impact of the change in the price of ADSs will also take effect from Dec 28. ADS holders will also be affected in a similar fashion, having to make a reverse exchange.
Performance of Most Actively Traded US-listed Chinese Stocks
The table given below shows the price movements of 10 Chinese companies with the highest three-month average trading volume on U.S. exchanges. Price movements over the last five days and during the last six months have been included.
|
Ticker |
Last 5 Day’s Performance |
6-Month Performance |
|
BABA |
6.5% |
-0.3% |
|
JD |
+6.5% |
-5.9% |
|
VIPS |
+3.8% |
-30.4% |
|
CTRP |
+0.9% |
+165.8% |
|
QIHU |
+2.3% |
+3.9% |
|
SFUN |
+9.8% |
-18.7% |
|
BIDU |
-2.2% |
-7.3% |
|
CMCM |
-2.7% |
-50.4% |
|
YGE |
-0.4% |
-58.5% |
|
MOMO |
+11.9% |
-4.8% |
Next Week’s Outlook:
China’s top leadership has taken cognizance of the current state of the economy. Further, they are determined to boost growth and are ready to undertake measures to ensure that the targets are met. These developments helped stocks post gains during the first two days of this week.
However, stocks declined on the next two days. Fears about a liquidity crunch caused by fresh IPOs are weighing down investor sentiment. Important official data on the services and manufacturing sector is scheduled for release next Thursday. If these reports are positive in nature, they are likely to override the negative sentiment caused by fresh new share sales.
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