Smart Calls with Smartkarma | From Crisis to Opportunity: Investing in China's Property Services

While headlines focus on China’s troubled developers, the country’s property management sector operates on a fundamentally different model: asset-light, cash-generative, and increasingly independent from distressed parents.

Pranav Rao speaks with Insight Provider Jacob Cheng to unpack:

• How property management differs from traditional real estate development

• The three key revenue drivers, including high-margin community services

• Two SOE-backed standouts: China Overseas Property and CR MixC

• Governance and related-party risks and examples investors should know

• How leading PM firms are decoupling from troubled developers and diversifying their income base

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Jacob Cheng - http://on.skr.ma/44V40Z1

This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

Smart Calls with Smartkarma continues: Chinese Banks – Undervalued and Overlooked?

Trading at crisis-level valuations. Backed by 6–7% yields. Largely ignored by the market.

Are investors missing the turn?

In this conversation, Pranav Rao speaks with Insight Provider Rikki Malik to unpack:

• Signs of stabilisation in China’s property market

• NIM compression bottoming out after recent policy action

• Underappreciated tailwinds from Hukou reform and state support

• Dividend sustainability and recapitalisation realities

• Top picks across SOEs and joint-stock banks

• Remaining risks and how they’re being managed

With fundamentals improving and policy alignment taking shape, the sector may warrant a closer look.

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Rikki Malik - http://on.skr.ma/4lIAey1

This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

Smart Calls with Smartkarma continues, and this week, we dive into a deal that’s anything but straightforward.

This episode:

Inside ENN Energy’s Complex Takeover Deal

ENN Natural Gas is offering a mix of cash and newly listed A-shares to take over ENN Energy (2688 HK) but with limited visibility into valuation and an uncommon deal structure, minority shareholders are navigating a fair amount of uncertainty.

Pranav Rao speaks with Insight Provider David Blennerhassett to unpack:

• Why the deal structure is rare for Hong Kong

• What the market is (and isn’t) pricing in

• Valuation challenges and where the H-shares might trade

• Whether there’s room for a bump in terms

A vertical merger, opaque valuation, and a cautious minority, this one’s worth watching.

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David Blennerhassett - http://on.skr.ma/44W60Am

This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

Smart Calls with Smartkarma continues, and this time, we go inside one of China's largest mining players.

This episode:

Inside Zijin Mining Group: From Copper Roots to Battery Metal Futures

With operations spanning 15+ countries, Zijin Mining (2899 HK) is expanding beyond copper and gold into lithium and battery metals, and the market may not be pricing in the shift.

Insight Provider Rahul Jain joins Pranav Rao to break down:

• The upcoming gold asset spinoff

• Lithium expansion plans in Argentina and China

• Risks tied to geopolitical exposure and how diversification offsets them

• What sets Zijin apart from global peers

A cash-generating, diversified player quietly positioning itself for the energy transition.

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Rahul Jain - http://on.skr.ma/44FSlyu

This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

Smart Calls with Smartkarma is back — and we’re relaunching with a market anomaly hiding in plain sight.

This week’s call:

Svenska Handelsbanken: Arbitraging Brought to Book

The high-conviction idea?

SHB B shares trade at a ~55% premium to SHB A — despite lower voting rights, lower liquidity, and no index inclusion.

This extreme and statistically unjustified gap is now over +2 standard deviations from the historical mean.

In just 5 minutes, get the full picture:

• The dislocation

• The trade setup

• What could go right — and wrong

Long A, Short B — a rare shot at relative value in a blue-chip Nordic bank.

Hear directly from Pranav Rao and Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar as they break it down in this Smart Call.

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Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar - http://on.skr.ma/4m5cFiD

This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

This collaboration between Smartkarma and Compounding Curiosity was created to surface the high-quality expertise and analytical strength of the Smartkarma Independent Investment Network, and leverage that into the popular podcast format we all know and love.

In this conversation, Kalani Scarrott covers eCommerce in Southeast Asia. From Sea’s struggles with Shopee, to the inevitable rise of TikTok shop.

Simon Torring is the Co-founder of Cube Asia, a market insights company for online retail in Southeast Asia. Cube Asia helps brands, retail companies, and investors drive profitable growth by leveraging more recent, granular, and reliable data and insights about their online sales channels.

This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

In the next installment of our Webinar Wednesdays, we go live with Smartkarma Insight Provider, Jeroen Blokland. He will introduce the Macro-Sentiment-Valuation framework and we will take a look at the outlook of equities. Jeroen will also show us the rationale behind decisions to chase the year-to-date rally in equities. This is a shortened version of the full webinar. For the full-length episode, head on over to the Smartkarma platform, where subscribers get complete access to all webinar sessions and more. 

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Jeroen Blokland is an all-round Multi-Asset investor. He is the former head of a EUR 5 billion multi-asset fund range, a speaker, and the founder of True Insights, a provider of independent investment research, trade ideas & well-diversified portfolios.  Follow his work ⁠here⁠.

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This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

In the next installment of our Webinar Wednesdays, we go live with Smartkarma Insight Provider, Hemindra Hazari. He will be sharing with us more about Disclosures and Governance in Indian Banks. From current opportunities, to what we can expect next in the space, join us as we get the full picture from Hemindra. This is a shortened version of the full webinar. For the full-length episode, head on over to the Smartkarma platform, where subscribers get complete access to all webinar sessions and more. 

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Hemindra Hazari is a Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) registered research analyst with over 25 years experience in the Indian capital markets with a specialization in banking and economy research and has managerial experience of establishing profitable equities business, leading and mentoring analysts. He has worked with prominent foreign and domestic capital market firms such as UBS, Societe Generale, HSBC, ASK Raymond James and Karvy Stock Broking and is a regular guest on business media channels and is respected for his non-consensus view on stocks and the market. Follow his work ⁠here⁠.

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This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

In the next installment of our Webinar Wednesdays, we go live with Smartkarma Insight Provider, Stanley Tsai, CFA as he will be sharing with us his insights on the performance and outlook of banks in China. Join us, as Stanley tackles topics like possible triggers for a banking crisis in China, to how the evolving regulatory environment will going to change investors' risks / rewards, in the next live session. This is a shortened version of the full webinar. For the full-length episode, head on over to the Smartkarma platform, where subscribers get complete access to all webinar sessions and more. 

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Stanley Tsai, CFA has over 20 years of experience as a financial sector specialist across equities and fixed income. He is currently an advisor to a private investment fund and a non-executive director of a US VC fund. He is also a member of the Value Investing Committee and Media Committee at the CFA Institute of Hong Kong. Follow his work ⁠here⁠.

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This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.

In the next installment of our Webinar Wednesdays, we go live with Smartkarma Insight Providers, Pranav Bhavsar and Nitin Mangal. They will be sharing with us their Top Stock Picks in India. From trends, current opportunities, and insights on their picks, join us as we get the full picture from Pranav and Nitin. This is a shortened version of the full webinar. For the full-length episode, head on over to the Smartkarma platform, where subscribers get complete access to all webinar sessions and more. 

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Pranav Bhavsar is the Founder of ASA Capital Management, focusing on research on consumer themes and companies operating in India or global companies that have significant exposure to India or the Indian economy. Follow his work ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.
Nitin Mangal is a SEBI registered Research Analyst with more than 10 years of experience in Indian equities. He is Pioneer of Corporate Governance and Accounting Research in Indian Market and has successfully developed a product for Institutional Investors named as "Analysis Beyond Consensus" during his association with Edelweiss Securities Ltd, Mumbai. Follow his work ⁠here⁠.

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This podcast is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide financial, investment or other professional advice. Views expressed by third parties do not necessarily represent Smartkarma’s views. Smartkarma assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, compliance or completeness of the podcast or the information it contains. Users should not rely on the podcast or the information it contains when making individual, business or other strategic decisions and should always consult a qualified expert or professional adviser.