Ping An Securities Introduces Its Research Institute and Award Winning Analysts

Hong Kong – 31 July 2007 ----- Ping An Securities Company Ltd. (Ping An Securities), a subsidiary of Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. of China (Stock code: HKEx 2318; SSE 601318) today introduced the Research Institute of Ping An Securities Company Ltd. (PASC Research Institute), and its StarMine awards-winning analysts to investors and the media in Hong Kong. The research institute expressed its views on China’s stock markets and some key industries.

Mr. Gao Li, Director of PASC Research Institute, said, “There are signs that the quality of China’s economic growth is improving in 2007, and as such, fund managers and other institutional investors remain optimistic about the performance of China’s stock market. PASC Research Institute, which has an extensive understanding of and substantial experience in the local markets, will take advantage of the gradual opening up of China’s stock markets to qualified foreign institutional investors, and will serve them and the financial media with high professionalism and objectivity.”

As China’s stock market has been booming, the demand for quality research on macro-economics, stock market investment strategy, industries and companies has been growing accordingly. To capture growth opportunities, PASC Research Institute expanded rapidly in the past two years by recruiting more than 20 research analysts and selectively expanding the scope of its research across industries. These moves were aimed at meeting the increasing demand of various financial and investment institutions for a broader and deeper understanding of China’s stock market and of the listed companies.

In June 2007, Ping An Securities was rated eighth in the Top Ten Most Award-Winning Brokers in Asia and was ranked fourth in China/Hong Kong for 2006 in a survey by StarMine, the leading provider of objective ratings for securities analysts. Four analysts of PASC Research Institute received Analyst Awards in the Asia category, topped the list of the best stock pickers in research for the health care, metals and mining, and consumer goods and services sectors. In the China/Hong Kong category, the research institute also had six analysts receiving seven Analysts Awards, lead the list of best stock pickers for the food and beverage, finance, health care, materials and retailing sectors. Ping An Securities was also ranked first in accuracy of earnings forecast for the food and beverage industry.

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About PASC Research Institute

Established in 2000, PASC Research Institute has a professional team of about 30 analysts. Most of them have professional experience or academic qualifications in the fields of industries they cover.

The scope of research of PASC Research Institute ranges from macro-economy, key industries to stock market investment strategy. The key industries which the research institute is covering include: finance, real estate, medicine, power sector, coal, merchandising, tourism, steel/new materials, nonferrous metals, petro-chemicals, transportation, machinery manufacturing, telecommunication/IT, automobiles, home appliances and food industries.

In 2004 and 2005, PASC Research Institute was the first runner-up in Shanghai Securities News’ rating of the "Top Brokerage Forecast” activity (a ranking based on the accuracy of listed companies’ performance estimates as of the previous year provided by domestically major securities research institutions).

In 2006, PASC Research Institute, ABN Amro, JP Morgan, Sun Hung Kai and UBS were together ranked seventh in StarMine’s ranking of securities firms for the year 2005.