Girl’s Quick 28 Mln Yuan Windfall on 60 million yuan bet on 1 stock

Model Investor: Jin Yiyun made 28 million yuan with one pick this spring. Photo: Sinafinance

Main reference: Story in Sinafinance

BEAUTY AND BRAINS apparently don't always make for strange bedfellows.

A 19-year-old model made a cool 28 million yuan betting on one A-share firm.

The teenage investor, who says on her online profile that her day job is as a singer and model, is already being whispered as the next possible “stock goddess” in China – an honorific among PRC investing circles reserved for those who beat the market in a big way.

But Jin Yiyun, as she is known in her virtual self-description, is going to need to chalk up a few more big victories before the nickname is likely to stick long term.


Zhejiang Orient focues on fashion accessories, right up model Ms. Jin's alley.
Photo: Company

In late January and early February of this year, Ms. Jin – who claims on her online profile to have graduated from Shanghai Normal University – bought over 60 million yuan (nearly 10 million usd) worth of shares in Zhejiang Orient Holdings Co Ltd (SHA:600120) – a major importer and exporter of garments, home textiles and fashion accessories.

At the time, Zhejiang Orient’s shares were selling for around 9.5 yuan apiece.

Given Ms. Jin’s purported career – fashion modeling – is it somewhat easy to make the leap in understanding how she might be more than marginally familiar with the fashion accessory industry.

Nineteen-year-old model, singer, and now highly successful investor, Jin Yiyun.   Photo: SinafinanceHowever, what could not be foreseen by anyone was how she knew enough to place her bet when she did (Zhejiang Orient’s shares quickly surged 47% in March), or where she got the original investment capital.

By end-March, the young woman reportedly had bought a total of just over six million shares, representing a 1.2% equity stake in the firm.

What is apparent from her online persona is that she may have been getting a taste of the good life even before she netted the 28 million yuan when the stock’s price surged this spring.

Several months ago, visuals on her Weibo blog – China’s equivalent of Facebook – began suggesting that the college coed was already living large, with photos of an ostentatious Chanel-themed bash to celebrate her birthday, luxury cars and a five-star vacation in Taiwan among the images available.

She also appears to have gilded the lily a bit on Weibo, claiming to be an alumna of the university in Shanghai and that she told one of her instructors she was the daughter of a very successful property tycoon in the city.

“Jin was a quiet, pretty girl and liked to wear makeup, but didn’t look like she was knowledgeable about investment. Most of my art and music students didn’t know much about investment; I would have noticed if one of them did,” said the professor, who remained anonymous.

Ms. Jin made a fortune buying Zhejiang Orient shares (above) this spring. The stock trades at a PE of 13X, translating into a market cap of about S$1.3 billion. Chart: Yahoo Finance

Additionally, another Chinese media report found no such real estate mogul surnamed Jin in the area and her alma mater said she was just a part-time voice lesson pupil at the institution and did not graduate.

In May, equity-focused portal Jinzq said that Jin had become the No.2 stakeholder in Zhejiang Orient in just a few trading sessions during the first quarter at which point the 19-year old promptly sent all investment-related posts from her blog into the trash bin.

The anonymous sources, deleted blog entries and incredibly fast and furious share earnings by a 19-year old model make for an intriguing story.

While it seems like the deal did take place, questions still remain about where Ms. Jin got her original investment capital and if she was possibly acting on the behalf of a silent – and very rich – partner who preferred to stay out of the spotlight for some reason.

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