What’s going on? The US and China reached a new agreement on rare earth minerals. What does this mean? Why should I care? The bigger picture: Green is back Zooming out: Missing you, export Content source: 1. Finimize (2025) Medium Rare. https://finimize.com/content/medium-rare [Accessed on Jun 28, 2025]
Tag: Finance
Ep 183: Japan’s biggest wage deal
What’s going on? Japan’s biggest union group just won the biggest wage deal, which could push up the country’s prices. What does this mean? Why should I care? The bigger picture: What’s next for BoJ Zooming out: Bright future ahead Content source: Finimize (2024) Business As Unusual. Available at: https://finimize.com/content/business-as-unusual [Accessed on Mar 16, 2024]
Ep 180: Alibaba’s 2Q joy and misery
What’s going on? Alibaba reported surprisingly good Q2 results. What does this mean? One special thing about Alibaba is that it’s so big that at least one of its businesses is destined to thrive in any market scenario. This time, those businesses are: Taocaicai’s (fresh food platform), whose transactions value boomed by more than 200%…
Ep 179: Ride-hailing giant Uber finally saw a positive sign
What’s going on? Uber announced record-breaking bookings at its 1H update. What does this mean? Uber’s revenue more than double yoy to $8b: The number of Uber’s monthly users hit a new peak in 2Q, with an increase of 24% yoy. The number of highly-profitable airport trips also hit an all-time high; 2Q also marked…
Journal Report 33: Finance career map (in Vietnam) summary
Since my junior year, I have been asking myself (and been asked) a lot about what I shall do in the finance world. To a majority of local students I’ve met, finance involves numbers, and that’s it. The picture gradually became clearer as I had the chance to talk to more senior people and experienced…
Journal Report 32: ThaiBev – Sabeco acquisition (4): Divestment strategy
The analysis of this deal includes 4 parts: (1) Legal structure, (2) Capital structure, (3) Sabeco valuation, and (4) Divestment strategy Sabeco’s perfomance 3 years after the transaction Revenue Sabeco’s revenue increased by 5.1% in 2018 and 5.4% in 2019, but there was a sharp decline of 26.2% in 2020. This decrease largely came from:…
Journal Report 31: ThaiBev – Sabeco acquisition (3): Sabeco valuation
The analysis of this deal includes 4 parts: (1) Legal structure, (2) Capital structure, (3) Sabeco valuation, and (4) Divestment strategy About ThaiBev Business overview In FY17, ThaiBev’s consolidated financial results are as below: Revenue: ฿189,997b, ~ US$6.2b; Net profit: ฿22,799b, ~ US$746m; EBITDA: ฿32,675b, ~ US$1x. ThaiBev has four main business lines: (1) Spirits,…
Journal Report 30: ThaiBev – Sabeco acquisition (2): Capital structure
The analysis of this deal includes 4 parts: (1) Legal structure, (2) Capital structure, (3) Sabeco valuation, and (4) Divestment strategy Capital sources overview With a size of US$4.8b, the biggest M&A deal ever in Vietnam was funded by 5 loans from 5 Thai banks; ThaiBev also facilitated for Beerco to borrow US$1.95b from 2…
Journal Report 29: ThaiBev – Sabeco acquisition (1): Legal structure
The analysis of this deal includes 4 parts: (1) Legal structure, (2) Capital structure, (3) Sabeco valuation, and (4) Divestment strategy Transaction overview Indirect acquirer: ThaiBev – Thailand’s largest and one of SEA’s largest beverage companies Direct Acquirer: VietBev – founded in 2017 – the year the deal takes place Acquiree: Sabeco – a leading…
Ep 153: Foxconn’s positive quarterly result and the electronics industry
What’s going on? Foxconn (Taiwanese electronics giant) released a surprising pleasant quarterly yoy growth of 30% yoy, while reducing future sales forcast. What does this mean? Foxconn is the world’s largest manufacturer of electronic equipment for other companies, including iPhones for Apple. Strong demand for smartphones and other consumer gadgets helped its profit surge beyond…
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