china-earnings-preview

Purpose

Build A-share Quarterly/Annual Report Outlook Analysis, preparing for company earnings releases with scenario frameworks and key metrics to watch.

Data Sources

Primary: iFind MCP (Tier-1 paid) / AkShare MCP (Tier-2 free alternative)

get_quote(ticker)                        → Current valuation, PE/PB
get_historical_data(ticker)              → Trading context, 52-wk range
get_financials(ticker, "income", "annual")  → Historical revenue/EPS trends
# News (china-news MCP — separate server)
get_stock_news(ticker="{{TICKER}}")          → Pre-earnings context
get_industry_stocks(industry="...")      → Peer trading multiples

Consensus Estimates Sources

Source	Access	Notes
Wind Consensus Estimates	Institutional	Most comprehensive
Choice Consensus Estimates	Institutional	Alternative
HuiBo Research	Web / API	Good coverage
Tonghuashun iFinD	Web / API	Retail-friendly UI
East Money	Web	Free, some coverage
Juchao Earnings Preview	Regulatory	Mandatory disclosures

If consensus unavailable, derive from:

Historical growth rates
Management guidance from prior calls
Industry benchmarks

Secondary Sources

Company announcements (earnings preview notices 业绩预告)
Industry research reports (sector reports)
Sell-side research reports (broker research summaries)

Workflow

Step 1: Establish Baseline

Historical performance (last 4-8 quarters):

Quarter	Revenue (100 million yuan)	YoY	Net Income (100 million yuan)	YoY	EPS (yuan)	Net Margin
Q1 2024
Q2 2024
Q3 2024
Q4 2023

Identify trends:

Accelerating or decelerating growth?
Margin expansion or compression?
Seasonal patterns?
One-time items to normalize?

Step 2: Gather Consensus Estimates

Consensus table:

Metric	Q1 2024 Estimate	Range (Low-High)	# Analysts
Revenue (100 million yuan)
YoY Growth
Net Income (100 million yuan)
EPS (yuan)
Gross Margin
Net Margin

Beat probability assessment:

Strong beat (>+10%): Company has history of under-promising
Moderate beat (+5% to +10%): Consensus well-established
In-line (-5% to +5%): Typical range
Miss risk (<-5%): Macro headwinds, order delays

Step 3: Identify Key Metrics to Watch

Company-specific KPIs:

For each company, identify 3-5 metrics that will drive the report:

Metric	Why It Matters	Watch Threshold	Risk if Missed
e.g., 白酒批价	Price indicator for channel health	>950 yuan/bottle	Demand softness
e.g., 动力电池装机量	Volume indicator	>XX GWh	Market share loss
e.g., 云业务收入增速	Growth engine health	>30%	Cloud slowdown

Sector-wide KPIs (for sector previews):

Sector	Key Metrics
白酒	批价、库存、回款、动销
半导体	产能利用率、出货量、ASP、库存天数
新能源汽车	交付量、单车收入、毛利率、电池成本
医药	创新药收入、研发费用、集采影响
银行	NIM、不良率、拨备覆盖率
券商	经纪/投行/资管收入、股基交易量
光伏	硅料/组件价格、排产、海外出货
房地产	销售额、拿地、融资成本

Step 4: Build Scenario Framework

Three-scenario model:

BEAR CASE (超预期悲观)
  Revenue: -X% vs consensus
  Net Income: -Y% vs consensus
  Key factor: [specific risk]
  Likely catalysts: 业绩预告大幅下调, 行业负面政策

BASE CASE (符合预期)
  Revenue: ±Z% vs consensus
  Net Income: ±W% vs consensus
  Key factor: [steady state]
  Likely outcome: 符合预期, 股价波动±5%

BULL CASE (超预期乐观)
  Revenue: +A% vs consensus
  Net Income: +B% vs consensus
  Key factor: [positive surprise driver]
  Likely catalysts: 新品放量, 成本下降超预期

Step 5: Position Analysis

What does the market expect?

Recent stock price performance into earnings
Implied move from options (if A-share options available)
Sentiment from 北向资金 trends
Broker recommendations distribution

Position sizing considerations:

High expectations (high PE) → asymmetric risk to downside
Low expectations (depressed stock) → upside potential on beat
Earnings as catalyst: upcoming product launch, policy change

Step 6: Pre-Earnings Positioning Note

Standard structure:

[公司名称]（[代码]）[季/年报] 前瞻：[主题/焦点]

一、业绩预期
  - 关键指标一致预期一览
  - 预测区间

二、情景分析
  - 乐观/基准/悲观情景

三、关注要点
  - 最重要的 3-5 个指标
  - 预期 vs 实际的关键差异点

四、估值与预期
  - 当前估值水平
  - 市场情绪指标
  - 北向资金动向

五、情景判断与策略
  - 不同情景下的股价反应
  - 可能的交易策略

六、风险提示
  - 关键下行风险

Step 7: Post-Earnings Follow-up

After actual results are released:

Compare actual vs preview scenarios
Update the earnings-analysis model
Revise forward estimates
Note any material guidance changes

China-Specific Pre-Earnings Considerations

Earnings Calendar (A-share)

Report Type	Deadline	Typical Release Time
Q1 / Q3季报	1 month after quarter-end	Before market open or after close
Semi-annual report (中报)	2 months after H1	Before market open
Annual report (年报)	4 months after year-end	Typically Jan-Apr

Release pattern:

Most companies release before market open (8:00-9:00 AM)
Some release after market close (after 15:00)
创业板/科创板 may have more flexible schedules

业绩预告 (Earnings Preview Notice)

Mandatory if actual vs prior period variance >50%
Published typically 2-4 weeks before formal report
Format: 预增 (increase), 预减 (decrease), 扭亏 (turn to profit), 首亏 (first loss), 续亏 (continued loss)
Provides directional guidance before formal report

Consensus Reliability

Caveats for Chinese consensus:

Fewer analysts covering A-shares vs US large caps
Estimates may be stale (update frequency lower)
Institutional vs retail analyst coverage varies significantly
Broker research sometimes biased ( conflicted interests )
Cross-reference multiple sources when possible

Policy Risk

Regulatory changes can materially impact earnings overnight
行业政策 (industry policy) shifts common in:
- 医药 (pharmaceuticals — 集采)
- 教育 (education — 双减)
- 互联网 (internet — antitrust)
- 新能源 (renewables — subsidy changes)
Factor policy risk into scenario analysis

Quality Checks

Before delivering preview:

Historical data complete and accurate (AkSource verified)
Consensus estimates sourced (or clearly noted as unavailable)
Scenario framework covers bull/base/bear
Key watch items identified with rationale
China-specific risks flagged (政策, 集采, etc.)
Valuation context included
Pre-earnings positioning actionable

Data Source Mode Switch: Set env var IFIND_DATA_SOURCE_MODE to control data source preference.

ifind-only (strict): Use iFind only, error if unavailable

ifind-fallback (default): iFind preferred, fallback to AkShare

akshare-only: Skip iFind, use AkShare only