On November 8, Chinese broker stocks in the Hong Kong market showed a mixed trend after opening higher. As of press time, China Merchants Securities (06099) rose by 2.42% to HKD 17.76, Shenwan Hongyuan (06806) increased by 1.27% to HKD 3.19, while CITIC Securities (06030) and CSC Financial (06066) fell by 1.49% and 1.28% respectively. The market is highly attentive to news about broker mergers, with merger expectations continuing to ferment, becoming a key factor driving stock price volatility.
On the evening of November 7, Western Securities announced that the company’s board approved the proposal to acquire the controlling stake in Guorong Securities. Previously, the Shanghai Municipal Government approved the merger and restructuring application of Guotai Junan Securities and Haitong Securities, injecting new vitality into the Chinese brokerage industry. At the same time, rumors of a merger between CITIC Securities and CSC Financial have continuously boosted attention, with investors expecting more mergers and acquisitions to occur in the future, further enhancing the industry's competitiveness.
According to an analysis by Open Source Securities, since October, market transaction volumes have remained high, and given the low base in the same period last year, it is expected that brokers' Q4 performance growth rate will significantly surpass Q3. Active market trading has driven brokerage business growth, equity proprietary trading has shown clear flexibility, and the wealth management business is also expected to benefit from positive market trends and rebound. As a result, brokers' return on equity (ROE) may steadily improve, and the industry fundamentals are favorable.
Institutions believe that the scale effects brought by mergers will further enhance the profitability of the brokerage industry and drive diversified business development under supportive policies.