Core Insights - The rise of China's wafer foundries is addressing the demand for 8-inch chips as global giants shift focus to 12-inch wafers and AI-related chip needs increase [1][6] - A structural reversal in the 8-inch wafer market is occurring due to a combination of reduced capacity from major players and strong demand for power management chips driven by AI [4][5] Group 1: Market Dynamics - The global supply and demand for 8-inch wafers is entering a state of imbalance, with a projected 2.4% decline in total global 8-inch foundry capacity by 2026 due to strategic capacity reductions by TSMC and Samsung [4][6] - The average capacity utilization rate in the industry is expected to rise to 90% by Q4 2025, reflecting a year-on-year increase of approximately 7 percentage points, driven by AI applications and recovery in automotive and industrial control sectors [4][6] Group 2: Chinese Foundries' Position - Chinese wafer foundries are positioned to fill the global capacity vacuum left by TSMC and Samsung, with companies like SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor showing strong performance in 8-inch production [6][7] - SMIC's monthly production capacity for logic chips (equivalent to 8-inch) has reached a historic high of 1.023 million wafers, with a capacity utilization rate of 95.8% as of Q3 2025 [7] - Hua Hong Semiconductor's 8-inch production lines are nearing full capacity, benefiting from orders redirected from international power semiconductor giants [7] Group 3: Pricing Trends - Due to the surge in demand, Chinese wafer foundries have raised prices for 8-inch chip processes by approximately 10%, with some orders seeing increases of up to 20% [8][9] - The price increase trend is expected to continue into 2026, as the supply-demand tightness persists [9] Group 4: Long-term Outlook - Despite the current boom in 8-inch wafer production, the long-term trend indicates a migration of power management and display driver chips towards 12-inch nodes, necessitating Chinese manufacturers to accelerate their 12-inch specialty process development [9] - The global semiconductor manufacturing sector anticipates an increase in 12-inch wafer production capacity to a historical high of 9.6 million wafers per month by 2026, driven by sustained strong demand [9]

Core Insights - On January 20, 2026, Tencent Holdings (00700), Xiaomi Group-W (01810), and Alibaba-W (09988) were the top three companies by trading volume in the Southbound Stock Connect, with trading amounts of 3.726 billion, 3.051 billion, and 2.391 billion respectively [1] - In the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, Tencent Holdings (00700), Alibaba-W (09988), and SMIC (00981) led the trading volume, with amounts of 2.662 billion, 2.502 billion, and 1.936 billion respectively [1] Southbound Stock Connect Trading Activity - The top active companies in the Southbound Stock Connect included: - Tencent Holdings (00700) with a trading amount of 3.726 billion and a net buying amount of +0.503 billion [2] - Xiaomi Group-W (01810) with a trading amount of 3.051 billion and a net buying amount of +0.287 billion [2] - Alibaba-W (09988) with a trading amount of 2.391 billion and a net selling amount of -5.778 million [2] - Other notable companies included Pop Mart (09992) and SMIC (00981) with trading amounts of 2.178 billion and 2.123 billion respectively [2] Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect Trading Activity - The top active companies in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect included: - Tencent Holdings (00700) with a trading amount of 2.662 billion and a net buying amount of +0.160 billion [2] - Alibaba-W (09988) with a trading amount of 2.502 billion and a net buying amount of +7.257 million [2] - SMIC (00981) with a trading amount of 1.936 billion and a net selling amount of -5.420 billion [2] - Other notable companies included Xiaomi Group-W (01810) with a trading amount of 1.603 billion and a net buying amount of +0.108 billion [2]

Group 1 - Southbound funds net bought Hong Kong stocks worth HKD 3.663 billion today [1] - The top net purchases included Tencent Holdings at HKD 663 million, Meituan-W at HKD 573 million, and Xiaomi Group-W at HKD 395 million [1] - Continuous net buying trends were observed for Tencent over 10 days totaling HKD 10.62116 billion and Alibaba over 7 days totaling HKD 4.75655 billion [1] Group 2 - Southbound funds net sold shares of SMIC at HKD 717 million and China Mobile at HKD 637 million [1] - China Mobile has seen continuous net selling for 12 days, amounting to HKD 9.29936 billion [1] - Hua Hong Semiconductor and Xiaomi also experienced net buying trends over multiple days, with Hua Hong totaling HKD 1.33901 billion over 4 days and Xiaomi HKD 1.42914 billion over 3 days [1]

Core Viewpoint - The Hong Kong stock market experienced significant net inflows from northbound trading, with a total net buy of HKD 36.63 billion on January 20, 2023, indicating strong investor interest in certain stocks [1]. Group 1: Net Buying and Selling Activities - Tencent (00700) received the highest net buy of HKD 21.15 billion, with a total trading volume of HKD 37.26 billion, reflecting a net inflow of HKD 5.03 billion [2]. - Meituan-W (03690) saw a net buy of HKD 16.69 billion, with a total trading volume of HKD 30.51 billion, resulting in a net inflow of HKD 2.87 billion [2]. - Xiaomi Group-W (01810) had a net buy of HKD 3.95 billion, contributing to the overall positive sentiment in the tech sector [7]. - Conversely, SMIC (00981) faced the largest net sell of HKD 9.73 billion, with a total trading volume of HKD 21.23 billion, indicating a net outflow of HKD 1.76 billion [2]. - China Mobile (00941) also experienced significant net selling, with a net outflow of HKD 6.37 billion [7]. Group 2: Sector Insights and Market Trends - The technology sector, particularly companies like Tencent, Meituan, and Alibaba, is seeing increased investment interest, driven by expectations of growth in AI and cloud computing [4]. - The semiconductor sector showed divergence, with Hua Hong Semiconductor (01347) receiving a net buy of HKD 2.45 billion, while SMIC faced a net sell of HKD 7.17 billion, reflecting varying investor confidence [5]. - The optical fiber and cable industry is experiencing a price recovery, with Longi Optical Fiber (06869) receiving a net buy of HKD 1.54 billion, supported by rising market prices for G.652.D optical fibers [5]. - The mining sector, particularly Zijin Mining (02899) and Luoyang Molybdenum (03993), faced net selling pressures, attributed to changing market sentiments regarding metal demand and supply dynamics [6].

Core Insights - The global semiconductor materials market is experiencing a strong recovery, with a market size of $66.7 billion in 2023 and expected to exceed $73 billion by 2025, driven by demand from AI and wafer fab expansions [1] - China is becoming a key growth engine in the semiconductor materials market, with a sales figure of $13.1 billion in 2023, marking a year-on-year growth of 3.8% and increasing its global market share to 20% [1] Market Structure - Semiconductor materials are divided into wafer manufacturing materials and packaging materials, with wafer manufacturing materials dominating the market at 62.2% share ($41.5 billion) in 2023 [2] - Silicon wafers hold the largest share in wafer manufacturing materials at 33%, followed by electronic specialty gases (14%) and photomasks (13%) [2] - The market is highly concentrated, with major players in silicon wafers and photolithography materials predominantly from Japan and the U.S. [2] Core Material Breakthroughs - Domestic companies are making significant progress in wafer manufacturing materials, with local firms achieving breakthroughs in 12-inch silicon wafers and photolithography materials [3][4] - The domestic market for electronic specialty gases is also advancing, with companies like Huate Gas entering the TSMC supply chain [4] Packaging Materials - The global packaging materials market saw a decline of 10.1% to $25.2 billion in 2023, but advanced packaging is driving growth, with a projected increase of 19.62% [5] - Domestic companies are rapidly iterating technology in advanced packaging materials, with significant market shares in lead frames and packaging substrates [5] Import Dependency and Policy Support - China still faces significant import dependency in key categories like photolithography materials and electronic specialty gases, with over 90% reliance on imports for high-end materials below 14nm [6][8] - The government is focusing on critical areas through initiatives like the National Big Fund, aiming for 70% self-sufficiency in core materials by 2030 [6][8] Challenges and Future Outlook - Despite notable advancements, the industry faces challenges such as reliance on foreign technology for EUV-grade silicon wafers and high-end photolithography materials [7] - The advanced packaging materials market is expected to reach $39.3 billion by 2025, indicating a significant growth opportunity for domestic companies [7]

Group 1 - The Hong Kong stock market for semiconductor stocks has declined, with notable drops in several companies [1] - Hua Hong Semiconductor (01347.HK) experienced a decline of over 5% [1] - SMIC (00981.HK) fell by 3.8%, while InnoCare Pharma (02577.HK) and Wallen Technology (06082.HK) saw decreases of 2.5% and 2.4% respectively [1]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article highlights that Huahong Company has provided insights into its sales revenue composition based on geographical regions, specifically noting that the European region accounts for 2.9% of total sales revenue as of the third quarter of 2025 [2] Group 2 - The company has clarified that the sales revenue is categorized according to the registered location of its clients [2] - The information was shared in response to investor inquiries on the company's interactive platform [2]

Core Insights - On January 19, 2026, Alibaba-W (09988), Tencent Holdings (00700), and Xiaomi Group-W (01810) were the top three companies by trading volume in the Southbound Stock Connect, with trading amounts of 5.283 billion, 2.192 billion, and 2.095 billion respectively [1] - The same companies also led in trading volume in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, with trading amounts of 2.627 billion, 1.955 billion, and 1.639 billion respectively [1] Southbound Stock Connect Trading Activity - Top active companies in the Southbound Stock Connect included: - Alibaba-W (09988) with a trading amount of 5.283 billion and a net buying amount of +33.85 million [2] - Tencent Holdings (00700) with a trading amount of 2.192 billion and a net buying amount of +331 million [2] - Xiaomi Group-W (01810) with a trading amount of 2.095 billion and a net buying amount of +490 million [2] - SMIC (00981) with a trading amount of 1.841 billion and a net buying amount of +521 million [2] - China Mobile (00941) with a trading amount of 1.558 billion and a net selling amount of -243 million [2] Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect Trading Activity - Top active companies in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect included: - Alibaba-W (09988) with a trading amount of 2.627 billion and a net buying amount of +231 million [2] - Tencent Holdings (00700) with a trading amount of 1.955 billion and a net selling amount of -57.42 million [2] - Xiaomi Group-W (01810) with a trading amount of 1.639 billion and a net selling amount of -323 million [2] - SMIC (00981) with a trading amount of 1.424 billion and a net selling amount of -59.52 million [2]

Group 1 - The net inflow of southbound funds today amounted to 2.292 billion HKD [1] - The top three companies with net inflows were SMIC, Hua Hong Semiconductor, and Tencent Holdings, with net purchases of 462 million HKD, 393 million HKD, and 273 million HKD respectively [1] - On the other hand, China Mobile, UBTECH, and Meituan-W experienced net outflows of 600 million HKD, 517 million HKD, and 287 million HKD respectively [1]

Core Viewpoint - The global foundry market is witnessing a shift as leading companies like TSMC and Samsung Electronics reduce traditional processes such as 8-inch wafer production, focusing instead on advanced nodes. This presents an opportunity for Chinese foundries like SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor to capture market share, especially with the rising demand for power semiconductors driven by the AI industry [1][2]. Group 1: Market Dynamics - TSMC has announced plans to close its 6-inch and 8-inch wafer production lines next year, while Samsung is also expected to cut some of its 8-inch wafer capacity. TrendForce predicts a 2.4% decline in global 8-inch wafer production this year due to these reductions [1]. - Despite lower single-chip output from 8-inch processes compared to the mainstream 12-inch processes, 8-inch production is favored for small-batch, multi-variety manufacturing, making it a key focus for smaller foundries [1]. - The demand for power semiconductors, primarily produced on 8-inch lines for home appliances, automotive, and data centers, is increasing due to the growth of AI, leading to a projected price increase of 5% to 20% for older process nodes this year [1]. Group 2: Chinese Foundries' Position - Chinese foundries are emerging as alternatives for 8-inch chip production, with companies like SMIC, Hua Hong Semiconductor, and Huazhong Microelectronics providing these services. Due to surging demand, Chinese foundries have raised 8-inch chip prices by approximately 10% [2]. - Hua Hong Semiconductor's 8-inch production lines are nearing full utilization, largely due to orders from leading automotive chip manufacturers like Infineon and ON Semiconductor [2]. - Analysts note that as the U.S. imposes restrictions on advanced semiconductors in China, Chinese firms are strengthening their capabilities in older nodes, solidifying their position in the 8-inch wafer foundry market [2]. Group 3: Industry Outlook - TSMC plans to invest between $52 billion to $56 billion in capital expenditures this year to meet AI market demands, exceeding market expectations by over 20%. The company has also raised its revenue growth target for 2029 from an annual average of 20% to 25% [2]. - Samsung is accelerating the production of 3nm and below process technologies to cater to the orders from major global tech clients [2]. - Ongoing semiconductor industry conflicts between the U.S. and China may pose risks, as global automakers are hesitant to rely on Chinese foundries for semiconductor production to mitigate dependency on Chinese components [2].