Group 1 - The report maintains an investment rating of "Outperform the Market" for the non-bank financial sector [2][43]. - The core viewpoint emphasizes that the current market sentiment is recovering, supported by a series of policy implementations, which may lead to further increases in trading volume and index rebounds [43][44]. - The report highlights that the brokerage sector's price-to-book (PB) ratio is still at historical low levels, indicating potential for growth [44]. Group 2 - The report reviews the performance of the brokerage sector from 2003 to 2025, noting that the sector has experienced significant excess returns compared to the CSI 300 index during various market cycles [5][9]. - It identifies that the brokerage sector's beta has shown a slight recovery in 2025, currently at 1.66, indicating higher volatility compared to the market [5][6]. - The report points out that the current trading volume in the brokerage sector is positively correlated with the index performance, suggesting that increased trading activity often leads to higher index values [23][41]. Group 3 - The report indicates that the H-share brokerage stocks have shown stronger elasticity in the current market cycle, outperforming their A-share counterparts significantly [12][16]. - It notes that the average daily trading volume of the H-share brokerage sector has reached historical highs, with a peak of 15.3% of the total Hong Kong market trading volume [41]. - The report recommends specific brokerage firms such as GF Securities, East Money, CITIC Securities, Huatai Securities, and Hong Kong Exchanges for investment consideration [44].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a positive outlook on the brokerage sector, highlighting high profitability and valuation discrepancies under favorable market conditions [8]. Core Insights - In Q1 2025, the brokerage sector's net profit attributable to shareholders increased by 83% year-on-year and 19% quarter-on-quarter, driven by strong performance in brokerage and proprietary trading [3][14]. - The report emphasizes the growth in light capital business, particularly in retail brokerage, while investment banking faced challenges with IPOs but saw significant growth in refinancing [4][8]. - The investment business is identified as a key driver for the substantial year-on-year growth in performance, with a notable improvement in investment yield and a reduction in funding costs contributing to net interest income growth [5][8]. Summary by Sections 1. Overview - The brokerage sector experienced double-digit asset expansion and significant year-on-year profit growth, with improved operational efficiency [10][11]. 2. Light Capital Business - Retail brokerage business thrived, with brokerage income rising to 32.7 billion yuan, a 49% increase year-on-year, while investment banking income grew by 5% to 6.7 billion yuan [4][12]. 3. Capital Business - Investment income surged by 44% to 59.1 billion yuan, with proprietary trading income reaching 48.7 billion yuan, a 45% increase year-on-year [8][14]. 4. Investment Analysis and Valuation - The report recommends focusing on companies with strong merger and acquisition potential and those with high earnings elasticity, such as China Galaxy and CICC [8][19].