
Core Viewpoint - The A-share market has shown a fluctuating upward trend since September, but the brokerage sector is still undergoing adjustments, with a decline of 4.73% in the brokerage index for the month despite a significant rise of nearly 5% on September 29 [1][5]. Group 1: Market Performance - The Shanghai Composite Index, Shenzhen Component Index, and ChiNext Index increased by 0.64%, 6.54%, and 12.04% respectively from September 1 to September 30 [4]. - The brokerage sector's index experienced a notable drop of 4.73% during September, but rebounded with a 4.89% increase on September 29, with several major brokerages hitting their daily limit [5][6]. Group 2: Fund Inflows - From September 1 to September 29, the Guotai Junan ETF attracted over 10 billion yuan in net inflows, making it the top-performing stock ETF for the month [1][5]. - The Huabao Brokerage ETF and Tianhong Securities ETF also saw significant inflows of 6.03 billion yuan and 2.52 billion yuan respectively, ranking among the top stock ETFs [1][5]. - Cumulatively, ETFs with "securities" or "brokerage" in their names saw a total net inflow of 26.61 billion yuan since September [5][6]. Group 3: Future Outlook - Analysts predict that the brokerage sector will benefit from a dual boost of improved performance and valuation recovery, especially as market activity increases and policy support remains strong [9][10]. - The average daily trading volume in the A-share market has surged to 2.1 trillion yuan, reflecting a 211% increase compared to the third quarter of 2024 [9]. - Forecasts suggest that the brokerage sector's net profit could increase by approximately 48% year-on-year by the third quarter of 2025, with a return on equity (ROE) expected to rise by 1.8 percentage points to 7.7% [9][10]. Group 4: Investment Opportunities - The brokerage sector is currently viewed as undervalued, with active equity funds holding only 0.64% of their portfolios in brokerage stocks, the lowest level since 2018 [11]. - The current price-to-book (PB) ratio for the A-share brokerage sector stands at 1.60, which is in the 39th percentile since 2014, indicating potential for valuation recovery [11]. - Investment strategies should focus on high-quality brokerages with strong wealth management and international business capabilities, as well as mid-sized brokerages with lower valuations [12].