Shall we Zoom?

Infographic: Zoom Grows Exponentially | StatistaChart Source:  https://www.statista.com/chart/21484/zoom-daily-users/

In less than a month we are all now Zoom-a-holics.

I have attended a Barmitzvah on Zoom, a Church meeting on Zoom, a surprise birthday party on Zoom, as well as countless work-related meetings, client meetings, and a TV interview.

Zoom has entered our lexicon in the same manner as ‘Hoover’. I note that we still don’t ‘Dyson’ yet.

A month ago when the user base had risen spectacularly to 200m, the share price was around $110. It closed Friday 24th April at $159 – a rise of 45%, after hitting an all-time of $180 a few days before. Its user base has risen 50% in a month, a whopping increase of 290m daily users in less than four months, so that kind of makes sense.

Having just bailed out of Tesla at a significant profit (figuring that, yes, it is just a car company, and no, people aren’t driving or buying cars right now) I wonder when it will be time to call time on Zoom.

There have been wobbles in the last extraordinary month. Classic Zoom-bombs in online classrooms and webinars leading to bans from use in several country’s public services and education ministries. Not so in the UK, however. Zoom premiered quite literally with Boris Johson’s cabinet and G20 meetings and is now the technology that enables the Mother of Parliaments to operate.

Education ministries are allowing their teachers and students back into the zoom waters, and there is greater persistence in adoption and usage, presumably nudging more people to take on a paid-for subscription.

Zoom has also addressed a number of security concerns and reacted quickly to fix problems with its recorded meetings practices.

The question will be, when is Peak-Zoom. We have passed this current Peak-COVID in many countries, but with continuing work-from-home in many places around the world, there is still a tail-wind, and its user base will grow. At a market cap of $44 billion, that works out at around $150 per subscriber (which is equivalent to the revenue from one annual paid subscription at the lowest tier). It needs to grow the user-base much faster and/or convert more of its users to the paid version to justify this valuation, but it is already a profitable company, and in the right place at the right time. Plenty of Zoom to grow.

There’s an App for that.

One thing that Working From Home has shown me this past week, is the abundance of Apps that I haven’t been using.

Last week I upgraded Zoom to the paid version ($14.99 a month) and installed the WebCam, Airpods, Extra monitor and Green Screen that I wrote about in the last blog. Now my Zoom calls are on steroids. Last week the Zoom price, well, Zoomed. Screenshot 2020-03-26 at 3.06.30 PM

This week, I have been full force into Teams, OneNote, SharePoint, OneDrive and the myriad of Microsoft 365 apps.

I am an Apple-Addict and Mac-Mad, so it is rare for me to do so much in Microsoft, but I must say that I have found all the Apps to be robust and platform-agnostic (running on my Mac as well as my iPhone).

Screenshot 2020-03-26 at 3.08.08 PM

Thankfully we were able to upgrade our home Broadband as our two adult children are on Stay At Home notices from the Singapore Government. Nothing to stop us now. At least nothing other than COVID-19 and the impending global recession.

COVID-19 – Working from Home: Zoom, Zoom I’m in my room.

The only winner in my listed equity portfolio recently has been Zoom. See the chart below, but don’t look at the P/E ratio.

Screenshot 2020-03-18 at 3.50.34 PM

Yes, that’s a pretty high P/E ratio (I said, don’t look), and a sweltering market cap, so is only a small part of my equity portfolio, but it is a nice feeling to have something that looks green in the morning other than an Avocado shake.

As a business tool, however, in truth I have only dipped my toes into Zoom, as I already have FaceTime, Skype, WebEx, Teams, Google (something or other) and WhatsApp. But I like what I see.

I have been using the basic version for a year or so, and still get confused when using it, but I am determined to become more proficient, particularly as I am now a satisfied shareholder.

The basic version is free, but once you start dabbling, though, be prepared for some additional costs…

Virtual Background – this is a neat feature – but for it to work well (at least on a 2-core MacBook Pro) you need a GreenScreen. I typed ‘how to get a green screen?’ and was directed by the Zoom ChatBot to Amazon. The range was huge $10 to $200. My family hails from Scotland, so I ordered delivery of the $10 version. It arrives Friday.

I soon found that the free 40 mins on the basic version aren’t enough for me, as I tend to prattle on, so I signed up to the Standard Pro Monthly at US$14.99 per month (you get a discount if you pay for 12 months upfront).

Next are the thoughts about a second monitor ($100), web-cam ($200), Airpods ($200). I can see a trip to the computer store coming… oh, wait.. can’t go out so that will be Amazon again.

But beyond the purely technical aspects of working at home are some more basic tips, kindly also provided by Zoom, and worth a think about.

Zoom Work-from-home tips

• Get dressed: Get dressed from head to toe. You should put on a shirt or outfit you’d normally wear to the office work and not the ratty old shirt you’d wear to clean your garage.
• Take 5 regularly: Just like the office, proactively take breaks every hour to avoid burnout. Take the dog for an extra walk (your dog will love it!), put in that load of laundry, or spend 15 minutes outside with the kids (they’ll love it, too!).
• Stretch! Stop your video and stretch yourself a little bit every hour. Take a lap around the kitchen in between calls or use a lacrosse ball or massager on your back to stave off the kinks. Or make it more fun and use a virtual video workout background and get your reps in during a meeting!
• Communicate your availability: Publish your calendar so others can see it and quickly understand your commitment. You can block off time for work on projects, set reminders for important tasks, and even reserve a time to get dinner started. You can also toggle your Chat status to busy when you need to be heads-down on a project.
• Eliminate distractions: Shut the door to give yourself some privacy and separation, especially at home. Even hanging a curtain to separate your space can help. You’ll also want to close tabs and pause notifications so you’re not tempted to constantly check social media. Even setting a 10-minute meeting or two throughout your day to specifically check your feeds can give you a break and something to look forward to.
• But avoid isolation & loneliness: Many people need that personal contact with their team, so it’s helpful to have daily team stand-ups and check-ins. You can even set up a “group lunch” with your colleagues. Talk live or disable the audio and chat with the group or 1-on-1 privately, whatever helps you get the conversation and connection you need.

Welcome to the new world.

Minority Report

The problem with minority investing is information asymmetry. This is often inflated by optimism bias on behalf of the majority investment partner. When private equity investors in emerging markets seek to address this, they end up with a complex document to provide downside protection and seek to control their rights as a minority investor in what is often a family owned business.

During the week Vinacapital, an experienced investor in Private Equity in Vietnam, managed to extricate itself from a six-month-old US $32.5m investment in Vietnam’s largest poultry company following a dispute relating to the interpretation of its shareholder agreement. The local company made its complaint public, saying that they didn’t fully understand the investment terms they were signing up to as they were drafted initially in English and not Vietnamese. This sounds like an unlikely reason: Vinacapital’s team is multilingual and experienced in negotiating shareholder rights. A more likely scenario is that there was a disagreement relating to performance milestones, adjustments to investment valuation or other rights that the family-owned company were willing to yield initially based on their optimism, and now regret based on the reality of the 6 months performance since investment.

There are a number of private equity firms who do not make minority investments as a house rule, preferring control, or ‘buyout’ deals. They, rightly, claim that it is easier to manage one’s destiny (particularly relating to exit) when you own a significant and controlling part of the equity. That said, if there is an alignment of interests, minority investing can work. As an investor you don’t need to run the company, you work with the existing owners and typically are providing expansion or growth capital, rather than cashing out a selling shareholder. In the emerging markets of South East Asia, minority investing is more prevalent. If the chemistry fails, as is clearly evident in this recent Vietnam case, then better to pull the plug early. Thankfully for its own investors, Vinacapital managed to extract its full investment amount and lives to fight another day.

Malaysia, truly amazing

The results of Wednesday’s election in Malaysia caught most pundits by surprise. 92-year-old Dr. Mahathir pulled off an incredible victory. Having Anwar pardoned was a key result, and his cell might have other notable occupants in the months to come.

The impact on the Ringitt is not clear, as the wise Dr. called a public holiday for two days. He made some encouraging sounds about the business-friendly policies his people will pursue, and in effect talked the Ringitt up. In the illiquid Non-deliverable forward markets, the currency was marked down, but let’s see what happens when the markets open again next Monday.

There will be some casualties in the equity markets – some of the conglomerates too close to Najib will get a bloody nose.

It was a refreshing moment for most Malaysians, who had dared to hope that change was possible. With Oil predicted by many to head above $100 a barrel, there could be some good economic news for Malaysia. If the promises of a U-turn on GST come into fruition, then the consumer might start to feel better off. Consumer stocks might be the way to go over the next few months.

Hun Sen in Cambodia will be watching this election result carefully: despite having tied up most of the opposition, and jailed others, the days of Kleptocratic ASEAN leaders might be in doubt.

 

The great cryptocurrency crash of 20**

There were many charts talking about the bubble in cryptocurrencies towards the end of 2017. The peak of ‘Bitcoin Bubble’ on Google Trends was 7th December 2017, and the ‘peak’ of Bitcoin to the USD was reached nine days later at close to USD 20,000 per bitcoin.

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‘It’s not a currency’ – ‘it isn’t a store of wealth’ – ‘it can’t be used to pay for anything’ – ‘can it buy a Mars bar?’

So much misunderstanding, fear, and pessimism about something as dynamic as distributed trust.

When surviving crew members of the 2008 financial crisis decry it as worthless and a fraud, one must suspect something interesting is happening. Which it is. Sometimes one must look further to isolate the Dimon in the Rough.

There is so much more to cryptocurrency than Bitcoin. There are hundreds of alternative currencies, or AltCoins, possibly thousands.

There is real money invested in these currencies – young money mostly, not anchored in the history of a financial crisis, traditional banks, traditional investment products, or fiat-backed assets. Is it all naive – possibly – but it is a tremendous force for innovation and achievement. Of course, the rapid rise in the price of cryptocurrencies and associated tokens has been amazing and has captured the attention of speculators, scam-artists, and regulators.

How will a wealth management arm of a bank sell a Millenial a bland fixed income saving product, with a ‘targetted’ yield of 4% and an upfront fee of 5%, when with no upfront fee, she can buy Neo – a Chinese backed AltCoin – that has an inherent 4% yield at today’s price, and who knows what level of upside once the 100 million coins are issued.

Of course, everything in moderation, but this generation of investors will have more risk appetite and an expected return on equity higher than the traditional market players of today. This is the cold-brewed coffee, avocado and poached eggs with cracked Kampot Pepper generation, that will be paying, or not, for your pension. Let’s hope they are successful in the adventures they are leading us into, even if/after the euphoria of Bitcoin fades.

 

 

There’s an awful lot of Coffee in Vietnam

“A politician’s daughter was accused of drinking water and was fined a great big fifty-dollar bill, ‘cos there’s an awful lot of Coffee in Brazil” Frank Sinatra

Vietnam is one of the world’s largest exporter of coffee by volume, but not by value, second perhaps only to Brazil, whose volume of Coffee was crooned by the legendary Sinatra.  The industry in Vietnam employs 2.6 million people (about 3% of the 90m population) and produces more than 1.3 billion tonnes annually, of which Robusta accounts for approximately 97%. Exports account for more than USD 1.3bn an important part of the country’s balance of payments.

Aside from the growing and export business, there is a fantastic local coffee culture. Although traditionally a tea culture, and ‘Cha’ or ‘Tra” is served as an accompaniment to coffee in local shops, coffee was introduced to Vietnam by the French in the mid-1800s.
Today there are several international branded high-end coffee chains including Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a number of high-end home-grown favorites including Trung Nguyen and Highlands Coffee, and a plethora of mom-and-pop coffee shops serving the masses. The leader in the latter category is Milano Coffee. Fantastic and affordable iced coffee – Ca Phe Sua Da. Try it next time you are in Saigon.

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Myanmar has Jaded Western eyes – now China’s opportunity?

Myanmar is a complex country at the geographic crossroads of India and China and the temporal crossroads of a frontier economy and a failed state. After several years of being wide-open to Western admirers, there is now a potential pivot to China.

In Pakistan, as an example, China has agreed to invest around $70 billion in infrastructure development in recent years, in Myanmar only $15 billion has been invested by China over the past three decades. In 2012 when Myanmar opened up more, it was in part to pivot towards the West, and not become dependent on China. The West eagerly pounced on the opportunity, with Hillary Clinton and President Obama, welcoming the reforms and putting Aung San Su Kyi on a very high pedestal.

The November 2015 elections initially appeared to be a milestone for Myanmar’s reform, and a legacy for the then President Thein Sein, with a sweeping win for Aung San Su Kyi’s party, but the fact that the Generals retained a key 25% block in Parliament quickly started to cast a shadow. Despite that, Billions of dollars of aid and investment flowed into the country, with dramatic impact seen in several areas. Land prices sky-rocketed, and everybody looked at putting a toe in the water.

The shine came off the Golden Land very quickly in 2017 when the problems in Rakhine state illuminated more issues than the West was really keen to know. Firstly, the Military is very good at reacting swiftly and fiercely to any challenge on its borders, as it has been hardened for many years in its battles with Ethnic groups in the northern Shan states. Secondly, the ruling party has little visible power, particularly as it has to contend with the blocking 25% stake held by the Military. Thirdly, Aung San Su Kyi has disappointed many in her apparent inability to act decisively, being the politician first and Nobel Laureate and icon of hope second. Lastly, perhaps more worryingly, is the attitude of the general population themselves to the Rohingya issue.

The Rohingya have little support among Myanmar’s 135 distinct ethnic groups, across the spectrum of religious, economic or educational levels. They are not valued as citizens of Myanmar. Their land sits in an important geographical area which promises access to resources for foreign investors, particularly the Chinese. They do, of course, have different religious beliefs to the majority of the predominantly Buddhist Myanmar people, but the problem is not only about religion.

The refugee crisis that is emerging as a result of the clearing of the Rohingya is possibly the worst in the world, on par with Syria. The world is unprepared. Bangladesh, the recipient of much of the recent influx, possibly numbering close to one million displaced people, is unable to cope and contain these starving and maltreated people.

The pressure on Myanmar will almost certainly increase. Its golden shine has been indelibly tarnished, and the next few years will bring domestic political change, possibly a coalition, or worst still a more pro-Military led parliament, once more, but almost certainly consigning the legacy of Aung San Su Kyi to disgrace. What this means for investors is unknown. There have been some positive improvements for Myanmar’s 60 million people, in particular, a dramatic improvement in its connectivity – now more than 80% of the population have access to a data-enabled phone. Information is more free-flowing, at least for now, for as long as the Military does not interfere too much (It controls one of the four mobile telecoms company, MPT, and is friendly to the fourth, controlled by Vietnam’s military.)

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The Chinese are willing to protect Myanmar’s Generals and may become the source of financing for infrastructure development that is much needed, and which Japan and some of the multilateral agencies may be unwilling or unable to provide if targetted sanctions are re-imposed.

 

 

 

 

 

Myanmar Motors On

0+VSt4UUQ8a+cqPQ3dZVxAFor a large city in ASEAN, one thing is striking about Yangon: there are no motorbikes. Having lived for several years in Vietnam, I got used to the gentle ebb and flow of motorbike traffic, which you can walk through like Moses parting the Red Sea. Yangon is markedly different, The story is that a general/government official was assassinated by someone driving a motorbike, therefore a ban was initiated. The only people allowed to drive motorbikes are policemen and electrical repair-men. I figure that a good business idea would be to buy and electrical repair business and use it as a front for a pizza delivery operation.

The consequence of this is an abundance of cars. Motor Mania in Myanmar.

In the mid-1990s I was involved in a business in Myanmar importing brand new Land Rovers and BMWs and repairing the 3000 odd existing Land Rovers in the country. The business was sold to Astra of Indonesia in the late 1990s not long before the Asian Financial Crisis hit. Astra is now owned by Jardine Cycle & Carriage, a stock I hold today.

There are approximately 430,000 auto-mobiles registered in Yangon, including 57,000 taxis, out of a total of 640,000 vehicles in Myanmar as a whole.

The problems are obvious to visitors to Yangon, pavement parked cars, and slow-moving traffic. Other issues are an increase in road traffic accidents, with almost nine accidents a day leading to two deaths per day in vehicle-related accidents.

Some of the causes problems are subtle – a mixture of left hand and right-hand drive cars, all driving on the right side of the road, and the lack of car-parks or adequate basement parking in buildings. As the economy continues to grow, and as the affluence increases from a low-base, the problem will only get worse in the next few years.

 

Vietnam 2018

Fifteen years ago Standard Chartered Bank wrote a research report entitled ‘Viva Vietnam’, which highlighted the prospects for the emerging economy of the largest country in Indochina. At the time the stock market was 3 years old and had a market capitalisation of 300 million US Dollars. Fast-forward to December 2017, and the stock market is 70 billion US Dollars in market cap, and there are several hundred companies listed.

fullsizeoutput_4d92The economy grew rapidly from the time that report was published and then suffered a dramatic retreat in 2008 which caused the market to languish for about five years. The last four years have seen a significant re-emergence of the stock market, property market, and an energetic venture capital market.

Vietnam equities are up over 40% in 2017, and there is plenty more interest from regional and global investors that could see this increase further.