Core Viewpoint - Since 2025, insurance companies have triggered 21 investment events involving stock acquisitions, surpassing the total number of such events in the previous year [4]. Group 1: Investment Activities - The A-share market has been experiencing upward fluctuations, and the Hong Kong stock market is recovering, leading to increased activity from insurance funds in the capital markets [2]. - In July 2025, Zhongyou Insurance announced its acquisition of shares in Green Power Environmental (01330.HK), triggering a stock acquisition disclosure [3][8]. - Other insurance companies, such as Xintai Life and Lianan Life, also disclosed stock acquisitions in July 2025 [9] [10]. Group 2: Specific Investment Cases - Zhongyou Insurance purchased 726,000 shares of Green Power Environmental, increasing its holdings to 20.51 million shares, representing 5.0722% of the company's H-share capital [8]. - Xintai Life increased its holdings in Hualing Steel (000932.SZ) to 345 million shares, raising its ownership from 4.99% to 5.00% [10]. - Lianan Life acquired 1.1 million shares of Jiangnan Water (601199.SH), increasing its stake from 4.91% to 5.03% [10]. Group 3: Financial Data and Trends - As of June 30, 2025, Zhongyou Insurance reported a net buy of over 90 billion yuan in public market equity investments [6]. - Xintai Life's equity assets amounted to 565.78 billion yuan, accounting for 19.07% of its total assets as of June 30, 2025 [10]. - Lianan Life's equity assets were reported at 205.6 billion yuan, making up 16.29% of its total assets as of May 31, 2025 [10]. Group 4: Market Dynamics and Regulatory Environment - The current wave of stock acquisitions by insurance companies is driven by a preference for high-dividend stocks, particularly in sectors like banking, public utilities, and pharmaceuticals, with an average dividend yield of 4.6% since 2024 [14]. - The downward trend in interest rates has increased investment pressure on insurance companies, prompting them to seek stable long-term investment returns through frequent stock acquisitions [15]. - Regulatory changes have encouraged insurance funds to engage in long-term equity investments, with new guidelines introduced to assess net asset returns over extended periods [19].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a recommendation for the banking sector, indicating a positive outlook for investment in this industry [1]. Core Insights - The report highlights that the average interest rate for banks remains at 4.6%, despite a slowdown in revenue and profit growth for listed banks in Q1 2025 [1][8]. - The overall market performance of the banking sector has shown resilience, with a 0.3% increase over the past month and a 26.5% increase over the past year, outperforming the benchmark index [2][5]. - The report notes a shift in asset allocation by insurance companies towards FVOCI (Fair Value Through Other Comprehensive Income) assets, which is expected to stabilize net investment income under new financial regulations [8]. Summary by Sections 1. Information from Annual and Quarterly Reports - In Q1 2025, listed banks experienced a revenue decline of 1.7% and a net profit decline of 1.2% year-on-year, primarily due to decreased contributions from non-interest income and provisions [8][9]. - The average non-performing loan ratio remained stable at 1.16%, while the average attention ratio increased to 1.88%, indicating ongoing risks in retail and small micro sectors [8][9]. 2. Dynamics of Insurance Asset Allocation - Insurance companies are increasing their allocation to long-term bonds to mitigate the pressure on net investment returns, with significant increases in FVOCI asset proportions across major insurers [8]. 3. Monthly Market Performance - In April 2025, the banking sector outperformed the index with a decline of only 0.47%, ranking 6th among 31 industry categories [5]. - The average price-to-book (PB) ratio for state-owned banks was around 0.69, while joint-stock banks saw a decrease from 0.6 to 0.58 [5]. 4. Banking Fundamentals Tracking - The report indicates that 13 listed banks are expected to have a dividend yield exceeding 5% in 2025, with an average dividend payout ratio of 26.1%, reflecting a slight increase from the previous year [9]. 5. Investment Recommendations - The report suggests focusing on state-owned banks and stable joint-stock banks, as well as high-quality regional banks with strong provisioning coverage, in light of the ongoing economic recovery [5].