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Sunday, October 18, 2026

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TSOH Weekly Roundup (10/16/2026)

Bumble agreed to a $1.3 billion take-private deal, while Netflix cut about 1,000 jobs and Meta discussed its Muse superintelligence models.

BMBL $783M
TSOH Investment Research 11 clicks

From X

@calvinblissett

Calvin Blissett on X

I feel AI can answer this better than me, kind of just giving more context on my other response. 54 sources used. Good read for $YB investors: Acquisition tactics repeatedly described as traps Chinese media, Black Cat (Heimao) complaint records and consumer-association notices describe a variant of the industry “magic-cube” (魔方) funnel that regulators have tried to curb since 2020–2021: - Pop-up and short-video/mini-program ads offering “first month ¥0.6 / ¥1,” “free claim,” or “¥1 for high coverage.” - Low-friction flows (SMS code, minimal identity checks) that default or bury auto-renewal, password-free WeChat/Alipay debit and upgrade from a one-month “experience” policy to a full-price monthly plan (often ¥90–800+). - Terms, health declarations and price jumps placed in small print or behind easy “next” clicks. Elderly users in lower-tier cities are disproportionately cited; children frequently discover multi-month or multi-year deductions only when reviewing bank or Alipay statements. - Documented examples include continuous deductions totaling ~RMB 1,500–2,200 over months and one multi-year case claimed at ~RMB 22,400; several policies sometimes opened on the same person. Refunds are often obtained after platform or media complaints, sometimes with partial fees withheld until complaints are withdrawn. A 2022 Shaanxi banking-insurance regulator fine (RMB 10,000 on the brokerage entity plus warning/fine on an executive) cited failure to conduct internet brokerage business as required. In 2024 the Gansu Consumers Association publicly criticized a related agency (Shouxin) for enrolling and debiting a consumer without authorization. SEC 20-F risk factors discuss dependence on third-party traffic channels, evolving CBIRC/NFRA online-insurance rules (including limits on intermediary marketing of personal lines), reputation harm from complaints, and the need to retain consumers, but do not specifically disclose the auto-debit or “first-month” funnel controversies. Not unique to YB The same pattern is widespread among Chinese internet insurance intermediaries. Waterdrop (水滴保) has drawn larger complaint volumes on the same platform (reports of 2,300–3,200+ entries) and has received larger fines (including a RMB 1 million penalty tied to “first-month zero” sales). Zhonghui Mutual and other carriers appear in parallel cases. Regulators have repeatedly flagged “first-month ¥1,” default upgrades and unperceived auto-debits; a 2026 multi-agency network-marketing rule (effective 30 September 2026) adds mandatory reading timers, bans one-sided promotion of the first-period premium, requires one-click popup closure, and prohibits default bundled sales and unauthorized automatic charges. Management statements and evidence of change - 2022 company responses (Sina Finance and others) defended “first-month ¥1” products as carrier-designed and regulator-filed, said many listed complaints predated tighter rules or were mis-attributed, and claimed near-100% resolution of its own cases with relatively low complaint counts versus peers. - August 2026 responses to Pengpai/The Paper on a specific ¥0.6-to-full-premium case asserted that backend logs showed completed login, disclosure reading, health notice and bank authorization, called the enrollment compliant, and issued a full refund “to resolve the dispute and improve service,” not as an admission of fault. The company stated that 2026 flows added mandatory reading countdowns and stronger confirmation steps; independent media tests of the WeChat mini-program confirmed longer forced-read sequences and the removal of some ¥0.6 experience creatives. Quantitative signals are mixed. Black Cat counts cited across 2022–early 2026 cluster around 850 rising to ~1,200 and then largely plateauing while new policies scaled into the tens of millions (one outlier report cites a much higher cumulative figure under broader search terms). Absolute complaint volume is therefore small relative to 30 million+ annual policies, yet the cases that surface are concentrated on elderly users, multi-month silent debits and difficult cancellation—exactly the pattern that generates media coverage. Many disputes end in refunds once escalated. High marketing intensity continues, consistent with reliance on low-friction paid traffic. How large is the problem? It is real and recurring, documented in complaint platforms, consumer-association notices, small regulatory actions and consistent anecdotal patterns, but it is amplified by media focus on elderly victims and by the emotional visibility of “unknown deductions.” It is an industry feature of high-CAC internet insurance distribution in China rather than a YB-only practice; peers show comparable or higher complaint intensity. Upcoming 2026 marketing rules directly target the tactics described. Filings treat the issue mainly as general regulatory and reputation risk rather than a disclosed operational failure.
@calvinblissett

Calvin Blissett on X

Yes, obviously some nuance depending on what site but I see what you mean, one listing 1,217 complaints. They did have a 100% resolution rate which was nice to see. Also the article in June 2026 about a women’s complaint. This is a risk to watch as it mostly stems from them selling low priced first month policies (0-1RMB) which then go to say 100RMB a month that people get blindsided by. This is also a regulatory risk as regulators have mentioned against this. $YB
@david_katunaric 1 click

Mikro Kap David on X

Q3 absolutely sucked, and my performance currently stands at 37.8% YTD versus 65.8% at the end of Q2, marking the worst drawdown from a high since I started sharing my buy/sell decisions on Substack. Apparently, the Market Gods decided this is what you get for calling your last portfolio update “Half-time Lead.” …I’m just glad I didn’t use a Buffett quote. That might’ve finished me off. While I barely felt the pre-2024 election volatility, the spring 2025 tariff scare, or the start of the Iran war in 2026, Q3 broke that pattern. $EVC, my largest position, fell more than 40% from its highs and made sure I felt this one. The portfolio’s relative resilience, something I’d come to appreciate, disappeared with it. Of course, I have plenty to say about Entravision, but I’ll save the fundamental developments for later in the article. Q3 was a season of portfolio pruning (wow, I never thought I’d use that phrase). I exited two winners, realized one loss, added to a large position, saw a rare billion-dollar-plus company find its way into my portfolio, and ended the quarter with 6% in cash versus 0% at the end of Q2. I ended Q3 with 11 holdings, with the top three accounting for 53% of capital and the top five for 70%. Portfolio beta also came down from 0.95 at the end of Q2 to 0.80 at quarter end. That is still elevated relative to the portfolio’s historical level, largely because my biggest position carries a beta of 1.68, while every other holding sits below 1. I’ll save the longer performance review for year end, when we can hopefully put what I still consider a satisfactory 2026 into proper perspective. For now, I think it’s better to focus on what actually matters for a concentrated stock picker like me: what has changed fundamentally, how those developments affect the risk/reward, and where my conviction stands today. As usual, at the link below I went through the portfolio from the smallest position to the largest.

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What I’ve Been Up To

Cogent Communications and AI data-center bottlenecks feature in a newsletter update on recruiting, financial media and conference takeaways.

CCOI $428M
Stock Thoughts 4 clicks
FINV · long

Finvolution Group

FinVolution, a China and ASEAN unsecured consumer lender, trades at 4x earnings and 0.5x book value.

FINV $711M
Value Investors Club 4 clicks

Solid Power Still Has Promise

Solid Power reported a $0.11 Q2 loss and $419.3 million of cash, with its electrolyte pilot line and BMW and SK On validation central to…

SLDP $473M
Quad 7 Capital 2 clicks

Not So Fast

Entravision, the portfolio’s largest position, fell more than 40% from its highs as Q3 returns dropped to 37.8% YTD.

EVC $606M
The Mikro Kap 6 clicks

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