China Credit Weekly
April 18 - 25, 2018

This week we take a close look at the Chinese property market through two reports, one focusing on the sector’s increasingly challenging operating conditions and the second on the projected 2018 metrics for developers.

And another report on Hong Kong property companies highlights improving retail and stable office rents, as well as slowing primary residential presales.

These reports coincided with the China and Hong Kong property briefings held in Hong Kong yesterday, and with our briefing tomorrow in Singapore on the Chinese and Indonesian property markets.


IN THIS EDITION

Research »

Rating Events and Announcements »

Moody's Events »

Contacts »

And our report on Hong Kong-listed Chinese life insurers highlights their increasing focus on high-value products, which is supporting improvements in their credit profiles. Meanwhile, the credit profiles of Hong Kong-listed property and casualty (P&C) insurers continue to be driven by their non-motor lines, which we expect will remain a crucial driver of premium growth.

In case you missed our webcast last week on our first-time rating for Tongyi Industrial Group Co., Ltd – a private chemical company focused on commodity petroleum chemicals – you can still listen to a replay here.

Best regards,

MinYe

Min Ye
Managing Director – Regional Head Asia Pacific

To access the information within this email we ask that you register to Moodys.com. Registration is complimentary.

Research

Property - China: Scale and financial strength are key to navigating tougher business conditions
[23 Apr] The residential property market in China will become tougher for developers during the next 12 months, because of tightening domestic credit conditions for the sector, and the resulting slowdown in nationwide sales.

Property - China: Projected 2018 financials suggest rated developers’ credit quality will diverge more
[23 April] Tightening credit conditions will slow sales growth, reduce liquidity, and accelerate industry consolidation, while the tightened onshore credit environment will also slow debt growth in 2018.

Property – Hong Kong: Improving retail and stable office rents will support rated companies’ credit quality
[23 April] Improving retail and stable office rents and higher residential development income will support a 5%-10% increase in weighted-average EBITDA for our ten rated Hong Kong property companies over the next 12-18 months, while primary residential presales growth may slow.

Hong Kong-listed Chinese Life Insurers: Credit profiles improve as business transformation continues
[20 April] The life insurers’ improved financial results in 2017 reflected their focus on growing high-value products rather than total business scale.

Hong Kong-listed Chinese P&C Insurers - China: Non-motor lines sustain overall business growth and underwriting profitability
[20 April] The 2017 results of the property and casualty insurers showed that their non-motor lines sustained overall business growth and underwriting profitability, and will remain a crucial driver of premium growth.

Pharmaceuticals - Global: Stable outlook reflects modest earnings growth, but M&A event risk is rising
[19 April] The global pharmaceutical industry will see annual earnings growth of 1%-2% over the next 12 to 18 months, supporting a stable outlook on the sector, reflecting in turn solid underlying fundamentals.

CLOs -- Global; ESG investment restrictions are credit neutral
[19 April] The investment exclusions of certain industries based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria is credit neutral for rated collateralized loan obligations (CLOs).

Passenger Airlines - Global : Pricing power, route mix to determine credit implications of carbon transition
[18 April] The passenger airline sector will be exposed to new costs from global decarbonization agreements, but the extent of airlines' international networks and their ability to pass through carbon-offset costs will define the credit risk of the transition.

Moody’s Credit Outlook on 19 and 23 April

[23 Apr] China cuts banks’ required reserve ratio, a credit positive; Hitachi plan to reduce its number of group companies is credit positive; US bans Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE from buying US components, a credit positive for its rivals.

[19 Apr] China’s launch of tax-deferred retirement insurance pilot program is credit positive for insurers; Pakistan’s new Shariah regulations for Islamic banks are credit positive; Primary aluminum producers to benefit from price surge after US sanctions Rusal.

Rating Events and Announcements

[20 Apr] Moody's assigns A1 rating to proposed notes guaranteed by CNOOC Limited
[20 Apr] Moody's affirms Huarong's A3/P-2 ratings, outlook stable
[19 Apr] Moody's upgrades Class B Notes of Toyota Glory 2017 Phase II Auto Loan Credit Asset-backed Securities
[19 Apr] Moody's: Guangzhou R&F's ratings unaffected by issuance of USD notes
[19 Apr] Moody's assigns first-time Ba3 CFR to Speedcast; Ba3 to its proposed term loan
[18 Apr] Moody's assigns first-time B3 rating to Tongyi; outlook stable
[18 Apr] Moody's assigns Ba2 rating to Future Land Holdings' proposed USD notes

Moody's Events

Moody's Briefing – China and Indonesia Property Briefing
Singapore, 26 April

Click below to access teleconference / webcast replay. (*Free registration is required)

Moody’s Webcast: Tongyi Industrial Group Co., Ltd.

CONTACTS
Jenny Shi (史季)
Managing Director
Country Manager China
+86.10.6319.6588
Cynthia Zhao (赵欣)
SVP-Head of Relationship Mgmt
Beijing
+86.10.6319.6566
Maria Lee (李颂文)
SVP-Head of Relationship Mgmt
Hong Kong
+852.3758.1338
Asia Pacific Client Desk
Research & Subscriptions
+852.3551.3077
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