Schroders Co-Head of Asian Equity Alternative Investments Robin Parbrook: Why We Still Like Asian Tech Stocks
June 2022 – This is an expert commentary on Asian tech stocks – Why We Still Like Asian Tech Stocks by Robin Parbrook who is the Co-Head of Asian Equity Alternative Investments at Schroders.
Schroders is a global active asset manager managing more than £574.4 billion (€641.7 billion / $785.1 billion 31/12/20) assets and managed locally by 42 investment teams worldwide. As a global active asset manager, the way we direct capital not only shapes the financial returns we achieve for our clients but also the impact that the companies in which we invest on their behalf might have on society.
Why We Still Like Asian Tech Stocks
Robin: Asian semiconductor and IT stocks have had a difficult few months, but we see the sector as a long-term winner. Market trends in Asia this year have tended to see consumer, internet, semiconductor and technology stocks come under pressure. Internet stocks face ongoing regulatory uncertainties, while consumer companies face a profit margin squeeze amid cost pressures and weak demand.
What is more of a puzzle is why Asian semiconductor and technology stocks have fared quite so poorly. Such stocks generally met high expectations at the most recent quarterly earnings season. Yet the disconnect in valuations between Asian and global tech valuations has never been larger than in the past few months (see chart below).
What could have caused the sell-off? We think it’s largely been due to fears over a peaking of working-from-home demand and worries over mobile handset sales. There may also be a general slowdown in tech demand given the weaker global economic backdrop.
This we can sympathise with, and we expect we will see a near-term slowdown in demand alongside some earnings downgrades. But we don’t think any of the long-term themes have changed.
1) Long-term trends support semiconductor demand
Robin: All the big trends we see in the world are hugely semiconductor-intensive, whether it is electric vehicles (EVs), smart grids, charging networks, connectivity, data usage, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud services, or automation. We’re closer to the beginning of this tech transition than we are to the end.
For example, the move to electric vehicles and mobility will be one of the biggest and most capital-intensive transformations in recent economic history. In the US alone, 250 million internal combustion engine trucks and cars need to be replaced. The average EV has semiconductor content of c.US$1,000, given all the semiconductors needed to manage the battery, powertrain, driving and cabin functions. This compares to c.US$400 on a typical combustion engine vehicle (figures from ST Microelectronics, the French chip maker).
From an investment standpoint, there are hundreds of EV start-ups in China and around the world, and it’s very difficult to gauge which ones will succeed and which will fail. What we do know is that all the cars they produce will consume an enormous amount of semiconductors. Similarly, 5G mobile handsets require huge numbers of extra chips to manage the power and connectivity functions and, in most countries, we are at the start of the replacement cycle.
So, although we would never say the semiconductor industry isn’t cyclical, it is in our view a cyclical industry that has a strong long-term growth outlook.
Going back to the chart above, we think investors in Asia have perhaps focused too much on the short term and are missing the long-term trends. Looking through the current downturn, this area is where the real long-term value is in Asia.
2) Oversupply worries are overblown
Robin: But what of worries about supply? Semiconductors have been in high demand, leading to near-term shortages but also to plans for rapid capacity increases. We do expect to see oversupply in certain areas given the large number of plans for new semiconductor plants that have been announced. We are, however, not overly concerned for the broad industry.
Announced capacity additions have mostly been in the logic foundry space and are centred quite heavily on China. We are less concerned on the memory side given high industry consolidation and large barriers to entry.
Looking at the semiconductor industry as a whole, we would highlight its tendency to cluster. The real barrier to entry and intellectual property is years of accumulated expertise, integration and working with both customers and equipment suppliers (hence the cluster). Capital is not the main barrier to entry here – knowledge and relationships are.
This is an expert commentary on Asian tech stocks by Robin Parbrook who is the Co-Head of Asian Equity Alternative Investments at Schroders.
Important Information
This document is intended to be for information purposes only and it is not intended as promotional material in any respect nor is it to be construed as any solicitation and offering to buy or sell any investment products. The views and opinions contained herein are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily represent views expressed or reflected in other Schroders communications, strategies or funds. The material is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for investment advice or recommendation. Any security(ies) mentioned above is for illustrative purpose only, not a recommendation to invest or divest. Opinions stated are valid as of the date of this document and are subject to change without notice. Information herein and information from third party are believed to be reliable, but Schroder Investment Management (Hong Kong) Limited does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.
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About Schroders
As a global active asset manager, the way we direct capital not only shapes the financial returns we achieve for our clients but also the impact that the companies in which we invest on their behalf might have on society. The relationship between these two outcomes has rapidly evolved as we see a fundamental shift in how companies are viewed and valued. Understanding the impact that they can have on society and the planet is crucial in assessing their ability to deliver risk-adjusted profits.
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