21次！险资举牌创五年新高，投资逻辑告别“野蛮人”

Core Viewpoint - The recent surge in insurance capital's significant stake acquisitions in the secondary market reflects a shift towards long-term value investment strategies, driven by declining interest rates, regulatory encouragement, and asset-liability management needs [1][2]. Group 1: Insurance Capital Activity - As of July 28, 2025, insurance companies have completed 21 stake acquisitions, surpassing the total for 2024 and setting a five-year record, with major players including Ping An Life, China Post Insurance, and New China Life [1]. - Ping An Life and its affiliated asset management companies have been the primary force behind these acquisitions, triggering seven stake purchases, including three for China Merchants Bank H-shares, increasing their holding from 5% to 15% [1]. Group 2: Investment Rationale - The frequent buying of state-owned bank H-shares by insurance capital is a strategic decision based on factors such as dividend yield, tax advantages, market liquidity, regulatory requirements, and counter-cyclical attributes [2]. - Stake acquisitions allow insurance companies to optimize financial statements and mitigate the impact of market volatility by accounting for investment income using the equity method [2]. Group 3: Asset Allocation Trends - As of Q1 2025, the proportion of stocks and funds in domestic insurance capital reached a historical high of 13.3%, indicating a strong desire among insurance companies to increase equity investments due to declining yields in bonds and non-standard assets [3]. - New China Life has shown a strong commitment to increasing its equity asset ratio, which reached nearly 20% in 2024, with a further increase of 2 percentage points in the first half of 2025 [3]. Group 4: Regulatory Support - The regulatory framework is encouraging long-term equity investments by insurance capital, with a recent notice from the Ministry of Finance introducing a five-year cycle indicator for assessing the performance of insurance funds [4]. - The new assessment method adjusts the evaluation of net asset return rates and capital preservation rates to include annual, three-year, and five-year indicators, promoting stability and sustainability in long-term investments [4].