By Joanne Chiu
The international trading boom has sent a Chinese broker on a
wild ride.
Worth just $1.2 billion a year ago, Nasdaq-listed Futu Holdings
Ltd. has surged in value and at its peak in February was worth
nearly $26 billion. Despite a pullback since then, the company,
which is backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd., still had a market
capitalization of more than $14 billion as of Wednesday's
close.
Futu and other Chinese online brokers have benefited as younger
investors have poured money into booming markets, both in the U.S.,
and in Hong Kong and mainland China. They have also thrived since
investors often see the sector as a good way to bet on a broader
rally.
Alongside Futu, the smaller UP Fintech Ltd., which is known in
Asia as Tiger Brokers, has jumped in U.S. trading. And in Shenzhen,
East Money Information Co., which focuses on onshore Chinese
stocks, has nearly doubled in value over the past year. At nearly
$36 billion as of Wednesday, it is now worth more than Interactive
Brokers Group.
Alex Cheung, a 27-year-old in Hong Kong with a business degree,
said he has been buying and selling stocks, mostly in the U.S., for
about a year using the company's Futubull app. "You don't need to
be a sophisticated investor to trade on Futubull," said Mr. Cheung,
who posts online about investing under the name Shiba
Daytrader.
Futu and others offer provide services that are a combination of
the trading functions offered by apps such as Robinhood's flagship
product, plus social networking similar to online forums such as
Reddit's WallStreetBets.
"Futu is more an online social-media platform than just a
trading platform," said Dennis Wu, a senior partner at the company.
Its app lets users swap trading ideas and monitor news feeds,
financial data and other content.
Heavily traded stocks on Futu include some that are also favored
by U.S. day traders, plus some Chinese technology giants. Mr. Wu
said hot stocks on the app included Tesla Inc., NIO Inc., Boeing
Co., Apple Inc., and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., as well as Hong
Kong-listed tech stocks such as Tencent.
By dollar value, U.S. stocks made up 65% of all trading handled
by Futu in the fourth quarter of 2020, with Hong Kong shares
accounting for most of the rest and mainland Chinese shares making
up about 1%.
Capital controls can limit overseas investments by people from
mainland China. But there are no such restrictions in Hong Kong,
where Futu is based, including for mainland customers who have
assets in the city. Futu also caters to U.S. and Singapore-based
clients, including Chinese expats.
Mr. Wu said millennial and Generation Z clients were comfortable
trading stocks on mobile apps and that many worked in tech, giving
them a good understanding of the sector. "They don't need
intermediaries or analysts for trading advice," he said.
The emphasis is firmly on the positive: Advertisements for
Futubull feature a young man with horns and a nose ring, sometimes
riding a bull.
Brokerage stocks can be volatile and could sell off sharply in a
broader market drawdown, as happened to East Money when Chinese
markets crashed in 2015. Despite its phenomenal year-over-year
gains, Futu has shed about 45% from its peak in mid-February, as
shares in some high-growth companies have retreated.
In Futu's case, a limited public float might add to the
volatility. According to the company, founder Leaf Li, who also
goes by Hua Li, and his former employer Tencent together own around
60% of the stock.
For now, however, business is booming. Trading more than
quintupled year over year in the fourth quarter, to the equivalent
of $156 billion.
Jasmine Chin, an analyst at Bank of China International Holdings
Ltd.'s research arm, said high-profile listings by Chinese
companies in Hong Kong and the U.S. helped Futu add paying clients
last year. Futu had 517,000 such customers as of December and aims
to add 700,000 more in 2021, while Morgan Stanley analysts forecast
it could add one million.
In addition to brokerage commissions and interest on margin
loans, the company earns revenue from areas such as fund sales and
underwriting initial public offerings. It also manages employee
stock-ownership plans for 159 companies, including Tencent and its
subsidiary Tencent Music Entertainment Group.
Alex Wong, a director at hedge fund Ample Capital, said
competition could intensify as more online brokers emerge. Mr. Wong
said he sold his holdings in Futu earlier this month, citing
stretched valuations.
As of Wednesday, Futu's stock traded at a price of 32.6 times
expected earnings for the next 12 months, according to FactSet.
That compares with price-to-earnings ratios of roughly 27.6 for
Interactive Brokers and 22.2 for Charles Schwab Corp.
Write to Joanne Chiu at joanne.chiu@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 25, 2021 05:44 ET (09:44 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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