Emerging ASEAN stock valuation has likely overpriced the trade threat posed by the incoming Trump Administration. This has created a value opportunity that has priced a catastrophe akin to the COVID pandemic which is unlikely to play out. The forward PE ratio for the Dow Jones Emerging ASEAN Titans 100 Index is almost at COVID-19 lows. The valuation of the index also hit a low late in 2016, when Donald Trump was elected to the Presidency the first time. In tis article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses why the region could be a sweet spot for value investing, given the growth trajectory and drivers in Emerging ASEAN, which could be benefited rather than suffered from US tariffs.

Jan 07, 2025

US equities sentiment is now maximum bullish despite great policy uncertainties – altogether posing considerable risk to late-cycle momentum chasers. The US economy had barely cooled down before it was stimulated by 100 basis points in rate cuts in just three months from September 2024. The cuts started just when the US economy was rebounding. More importantly, they came after US inflation started picking up again. In fact, the US stock market is now in the grip of “Trumpian euphoria” because market expects the incoming administration will likely be supportive of even stronger growth, through more debt and deficits and extreme economic nationalism. The imminent risk now is that the US will have to pay more for its borrowings despite its dominance of the global debt market. This is not about other countries bypassing the Dollar in trade. It is about inflation – which will likely be worsened by President-elect Trump’s inflationary policies – and the term premia. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses why US equities are in a bubble, drivers behind the Trumpian Euphoria 2.0, and that the stubborn or even revived inflation are credible risks in 2025.

Dec 24, 2024

The latest developments in the battery industry continue to favour the world’s biggest players. Apart from their gains from the robust growth in EV sales, the latest developments in battery technology also work in their favour, given their significant investments in R&D spending. Over the next five years or so, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and ternary (NCM) lithium batteries will remain the mainstream products in the mass and high-end segments respectively. These are the products that CATL and BYD lead globally. Beyond that, CATL and BYD are already moving rapidly in the area of solid-state batteries (SSBs), a potentially disruptive technology. In this article, we discuss about why the Chinese battery makers will continue to dominant the global market and benefit from their technological advancements that revolutionize the energy storage landscape.

Nov 15, 2024

The third quarter ended with a bang for mainland Chinese stocks, as twin announcements from China’s central bank and top fiscal policymakers gave both foreign and domestic investors plenty to think about over an extended market holiday during China’s October Golden Week. In this insight, Dr. Phillip Wool, Global Head of Research of Rayliant Global Advisors, explores the shift in sentiment that sent the onshore China markets higher for the quarter, breaking down the economic implications of a renewed and forceful stimulus push, the factor drivers of Q3 equity performance, and the data investors should be looking forward to as 2024 draws to a close.

Nov 15, 2024

Further to the insight piece on “Taiwan: The Quiet World-Beater” shared by our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim, in this article we share more about our new ETF Premia FTSE TWSE Taiwan 50 ETF, which covers the 50 largest flagship companies in Taiwan by market capitalization. The strategy aims to capture the strong market performance from the robust growth in demand for semiconductors and the broader economic growth activities in Taiwan in the coming years. It is designed as a low-cost, tax efficient access tool, with versatility of having both HKD (distributing) and USD (accumulating) unit classes.

Oct 09, 2024