Di Yi Cai Jing·2025-12-19 00:16Core Viewpoint - The announcement by China International Capital Corporation (CICC) regarding the proposed stock-swap merger with Dongxing Securities and Xinda Securities accelerates consolidation in the investment banking sector, potentially enhancing international competitiveness and strengthening the industry’s Matthew effect [1] Industry Summary - The merger is expected to increase industry concentration and catalyze valuation recovery for the brokerage sector [1] - Listed brokerages reported better-than-expected performance in Q3, with annual profit growth anticipated to be high [1] - The current price-to-book (PB) ratio for the sector stands at 1.4 times, which is at the 36th percentile over the past decade, indicating a mismatch with performance [1] Stock Selection Strategy - The focus should be on brokerages with solid fundamentals but whose valuations remain misaligned with their performance [1] - Brokerages with a high A-share to H-share premium should also be considered for investment [1]