For a 50 bp rise in interest rate, the EBT is expected to experience a 3.40% drop. The fed raise the FFR for 25bp each time. So even if in 2018, four time of such hike would just contribute to a loss in EBT for 1848 of around 6.80%. For the valuation part, the EPS that I used, compared to the 2017 actual figure, is discounted with a factor of 0.6775 (0.737/1.088), so from my perspective, it is still a very conservative figure, the EPS of 0.737, to be used in getting my target price.
Anyway, from my perspective, the rise in interest rate won't cause any material impact to the earnings, at least within the coming two to three years.
And for the valuation part, my rationale is that, the P/E has been constantly declining for both 2588 and 1848, despite the strong and robust growth in earnings. The average of the past five years’ P/E is around 13.24. So a 14x to 15x P/E is a reasonable guess, i think.
My rationale is that, which may seem weird, P/E is also some how a mean-reverting phenomenon, when earnings rise, price rise, earnings fall, price fall, but there should still be a medium-to-long run average. So when the P/E is brought down due to market sentiments, or that the market has not fully appreciated a certain industry or certain firm, the P/E would be lower, and as the market later capture the entirety of the industry’s prospect or fair value, the P/E should go up.