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Premia Insights
Our perspectives on trends & issues that are reshaping the industry and the investment community

featured insights & webinar

Gold – Why isn’t it shining in this crisis?
insightGold – Why isn’t it shining in this crisis?

The market performance of gold in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis has left its fans a little puzzled. From a peak of USD 1703 on 9 March, it retreated to USD 1451 on 16 March - a 15% decline. Should one hold gold now, or rather park in cash tools? Our senior advisor Say Boon Lim demystifies in this piece.

Apr 14, 2020

Investment opportunities amidst the COVID-19 Crisis
webinarInvestment opportunities amidst the COVID-19 Crisis

As global asset prices have slumped on the back of the COVID-19 outbreak, concerns have arisen from supply chain disruptions to about global recession and a liquidity crisis. In this webinar, David Lai and Larry Kwok would discuss the lessons learned from the GFC, share our observations of some pandemic-led trends and implications, and suggest a few related investment ideas.

Apr 13, 2020

COVID-19 Fighters: Who are working at full speed to help flatten the curve?
insightCOVID-19 Fighters: Who are working at full speed to help flatten the curve?

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to a worldwide pandemic, a global slowdown, arguably a recession and hopefully not a depression. Business activities globally have been halted due to the outbreak and demand has been shrinking significantly as well. Apart from some of the Asian countries including China, we have yet seen an inflection point of the case curves in most countries. In this article, we’d like to share some notable leading Chinese players in the space that have been working hard to fight against the virus for the domestic and global community.

Apr 03, 2020

Is China the new Noah’s Ark in a pandemic – Growth opportunities from New vs Traditional infrastructure build out
insightIs China the new Noah’s Ark in a pandemic – Growth opportunities from New vs Traditional infrastructure build out

The virous outbreak becomes one of the largest threats to the global economy and financial markets in decades. Will China, the one which has been suffered from the pandemic first, be able to bounce back first and lead the recovery worldwide like the Global Financial Crisis back in 2008? The latest call in new infrastructure investment maybe the key.

Mar 20, 2020

Bear Arrives, recessions next
insightBear Arrives, recessions next

COVID-19 spread accelerating in the US, even as the number of new infections in China eases Impact will be significant on the largely consumer-driven US economy Markets are either in or on the brink of bear territory, and this is an angry bear Recession likely already in progress in Japan; possible recession in Europe; near zero GDP growth likely in the US by 2Q20 Corporate credit protection costs have started rising – more trouble ahead Seek safety in cash and US Treasury-related instruments

Mar 10, 2020

China's Work and Production Resumption
insightChina's Work and Production Resumption

The coronavirus situation in China seems to have improved a lot, and now many are worried about what will happen as the factories get back on their feet. How's the progress so far?

Mar 10, 2020

Reposition on the relief rally – things can get worse
insightReposition on the relief rally – things can get worse

Relief rally unlikely to last Beyond COVID-19, economies could flatline or enter recession Corporate earnings could stop growing at a time of heightened valuations There is a tail risk of credit defaults on liquidity and cashflow squeeze

Mar 03, 2020

Here comes the policy response
insightHere comes the policy response

As we expected, markets did bounce on policy stimulus hopes. While rate cuts and liquidity injections will make markets feel better for a while at least, what is it likely to do for the economy?

Mar 03, 2020

Asia innovative technologies: capturing the new norms & sustainable growth opportunities
webinarAsia innovative technologies: capturing the new norms & sustainable growth opportunities

As Asia deal with the challenges from the outbreak of coronavirus, one remarkable phenomenon is the massive behavioural change from offline to online across the billions population. In this webinar, we will share with you the key structural megatrends in Asia, how technology-enabled development is creating a more empowering, inclusive society, and how such blitzscaling opportunities can be captured in the form of our Asia Innovative Technology strategy.

Mar 03, 2020

Why trading Asia exposure via Asia listed ETFs is the smarter choice
webinarWhy trading Asia exposure via Asia listed ETFs is the smarter choice

We often hear from clients that they love certain Asia strategies, but have to resort to ETFs traded in the US or Europe due to ETF liquidity considerations. But what they really mean, is not the ETF liquidity itself, but rather the cost of liquidity that investors are worried about. Liquidity is a proxy for cost – the less liquid something is the more it’ll cost to get in and out, particularly during crises or market dislocations where whatever liquidity exists can go to 0. While a lot of investors trade Asian risk in the US and Europe, thinking that it is cheaper and more efficient where the ETF liquidity is, that is actually not the full picture. In this webinar, we would like to share with you a series of comparisons for a niche market, Vietnam, across ETFs listed in NY, London and HK.

Mar 02, 2020

Chart Of the Week

CGBs remain as haven assets
  • David Lai

    David Lai , CFA

    CFA

China government bonds have quietly emerged as one of the strongest-performing major sovereign bond markets year-to-date, standing in sharp contrast to the losses seen across most developed and emerging market fixed-income assets. While elevated crude oil prices and geopolitical tensions have reignited global inflation concerns, bond markets in the US, Europe, Japan, and several emerging economies have come under pressure as investors increasingly price in the risk of further policy tightening. US Treasury yields, in particular, have risen sharply amid growing expectations that the Federal Reserve may need to resume rate hikes by the end of this year, with other central banks potentially following suit to contain inflationary pressures. China, however, presents a very different macro and policy backdrop. While expectations for near-term rate cuts by the People’s Bank of China have faded alongside improving domestic growth, policymakers are likewise not expected to move toward tightening. The PBOC continues to maintain a supportive and “moderately loose” policy stance, while China’s inflation pressures remain relatively contained. This divergence has reinforced the defensive characteristics of China government and policy bank bonds, which continue to provide stability and steady returns while many global bond markets face ongoing capital loss risks. For institutional investors seeking duration exposure with lower inflation sensitivity and reduced tightening risk, the Premia China Treasury and Policy Bank Bond Long Duration ETF offers efficient access to one of the few major sovereign bond markets still benefiting from a supportive monetary environment.

May 28, 2026

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