Executive Director, Metrical Inc

Aki Matsumoto

Executive Director

Independent Leading Corporate Governance Research

Metrical Inc

METRICAL INC. is an independent leading Corporate Governance research firm in Japan where Corporate Governance is increasingly recognized as an important element on corporate management in these days. Thus, CG research and solutions would become an essential component of global capital markets and play important to contribute to transparency of the markets and maximize shareholders’ value in Japan. 

METRICAL INC. provides Corporate Governance research and analysis including rating services, and  also offers investment research and IR services with solutions and customized profound research on CG and IR issues.

The TOPIX, also known as the Tokyo Stock Price Index, is a capitalization-weighted index of all companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The index is supplemented by the subindices of the 33 industry sectors. The index calculation excludes temporary issues and preferred stocks, and has a base value of 100 as of January 4, 1968.

<ul>
<li>Even the companies with US type 3 committees, which is expected to have higher awareness of corporate governance, there're differences in the status of nominating committee activities among the companies.</li>
<li>While doubts about whether the nominating committee is fulfilling its function have not been dispelled, there have been cases of low approval rates for proposals for the election of directors.</li>
<li>Since discussions in voluntary nominating committees are only advisory, more companies are expected to move to Company with US type 3 Committees, which have statutory nominating committees.</li>
</ul>


Even the companies with US type 3 committees, which is expected to have higher awareness of corporate governance, there're differences in the status of nominating committee activities among the companies.
While doubts about whether the nominating committee is fulfilling its function have not been dispelled, there have been cases of low approval rates for proposals for the election of directors.
Since discussions in voluntary nominating committees are only advisory, more companies are expected to move to Company with US type 3 Committees, which have statutory nominating committees.


Nominating Committee Is Becoming More Active in a Few Companies, but No Sign yet of Spreading to All

Japanese Equity Specialist, Ortus Advisors

Andrew Jackson

Japanese Equity Specialist

Ortus Advisors

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Sentiment for AI related rising with NVDA de-risked and outlook strong, despite the marginal beat.</li>
<li>Kioxia IPO pricing at $4.84bn supportive for memory ecosystem names.</li>
<li>Deere numbers and outlook for farming lifting AG machinery names - watch Kubota.</li>
</ul>


Sentiment for AI related rising with NVDA de-risked and outlook strong, despite the marginal beat.
Kioxia IPO pricing at $4.84bn supportive for memory ecosystem names.
Deere numbers and outlook for farming lifting AG machinery names - watch Kubota.


Japan Morning Connection: Risk-On for the AI Ecosystem

Japan Specialist

Mark Chadwick

<ul>
<li>U.S. markets advanced Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average leading gains, rising 1.1%</li>
<li>Honda Motor will begin test production of all solid-state EV batteries in January at a new facility in Tochigi prefecture,</li>
<li>Nissan Motor  plans to restructure its Thai operations by fall 2025, affecting around 1,000 employees at its two Bangkok-area plants.</li>
</ul>


U.S. markets advanced Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average leading gains, rising 1.1%
Honda Motor will begin test production of all solid-state EV batteries in January at a new facility in Tochigi prefecture,
Nissan Motor  plans to restructure its Thai operations by fall 2025, affecting around 1,000 employees at its two Bangkok-area plants.


Ohayo Japan | Bitcoin Briefly Touched $99,000

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Event-Driven

The Kansai Electric Power Company, Incorporated generates electricity from hydroelectric, thermal, geothermal, and nuclear power sources.  The Company distributes electricity to Osaka and the surrounding Kansai area.  Kansai Electric also constructs and maintains electrical power facilities.

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kansai-electric-power-co-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18907:1" rel="noopener">Kansai Electric Power (9503 JP)</a> is looking to raise up to US$3.5bn via a primary offering and a sale of Treasury shares. Pricing date is between 26-29 November.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kansai-electric-power-co-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18907:1" rel="noopener">Kansai Electric Power (9503 JP)</a> is among the better performing stocks from the Electric Utilities industry and trades at higher valuations compared to its peers.</li>
<li>There will be a fair bit of passive buying with around 29% of the offering being bought at the time of settlement of the shares.</li>
</ul>



Kansai Electric Power (9503 JP) is looking to raise up to US$3.5bn via a primary offering and a sale of Treasury shares. Pricing date is between 26-29 November.

Kansai Electric Power (9503 JP) is among the better performing stocks from the Electric Utilities industry and trades at higher valuations compared to its peers.
There will be a fair bit of passive buying with around 29% of the offering being bought at the time of settlement of the shares.


KEPCO (9503 JP): Index Implications of US$3.5bn Primary + Secondary Offering

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

Kansai Electric Power / Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kansai-electric-power-co-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18907:1" rel="noopener">Kansai Electric Power (9503 JP)</a> plans to raise up to US$3.5bn (including over-allocation) to partly fund its investment plans.</li>
<li>In our earlier note, we talked about the placement and ran the deal through our ECM framework.</li>
<li>In this note, we talk about the updates and share price performance since then.</li>
</ul>



Kansai Electric Power (9503 JP) plans to raise up to US$3.5bn (including over-allocation) to partly fund its investment plans.
In our earlier note, we talked about the placement and ran the deal through our ECM framework.
In this note, we talk about the updates and share price performance since then.


Kansai Electric US$3.5bn Deal Updates - Has Delivered a Decent Correction, as Compared to past Deals

Japan
Insights on Japan

Nominating Committee Is Becoming More Active in a Few Companies, but No Sign yet of Spreading to All

I would like to discuss the October 22 Nikkei Shimbun article, ““Nominating Committee Holds 80% of Meetings to Discuss Top Management Appointments,...

Metrical Inc

Japan Morning Connection: Risk-On for the AI Ecosystem

AI sentiment rising with NVDA de-risked, Kioxia IPO positive for memory ecosystem names, Deere's positive outlook lifts AG machinery names like...

Andrew Jackson

Ohayo Japan | Bitcoin Briefly Touched $99,000

U.S. markets rise, Honda to test solid-state EV batteries, Nissan to restructure Thai operations impacting 1,000 employees.

Mark Chadwick

KEPCO (9503 JP): Index Implications of US$3.5bn Primary + Secondary Offering

KEPCO is down 22.8% from the time of the announcement of the primary + secondary offering. The stock is now back to where it was at the start of...

Brian Freitas

Kansai Electric US$3.5bn Deal Updates - Has Delivered a Decent Correction, as Compared to past Deals

Kansai Electric Power (9503 JP) plans to raise up to US$3.5bn (including over-allocation) to partly fund its investment plans. In this note, we...

Sumeet Singh

Nominating Committee Is Becoming More Active in a Few Companies, but No Sign yet of Spreading to All

I would like to discuss the October 22 Nikkei Shimbun article, ““Nominating Committee Holds 80% of Meetings to Discuss Top Management Appointments,...

Metrical Inc

Japan Morning Connection: Risk-On for the AI Ecosystem

​AI sentiment rising with NVDA de-risked, Kioxia IPO positive for memory ecosystem names, Deere's positive outlook lifts AG machinery names like...

Andrew Jackson

Ohayo Japan | Bitcoin Briefly Touched $99,000

​U.S. markets rise, Honda to test solid-state EV batteries, Nissan to restructure Thai operations impacting 1,000 employees.

Mark Chadwick

KEPCO (9503 JP): Index Implications of US$3.5bn Primary + Secondary Offering

KEPCO is down 22.8% from the time of the announcement of the primary + secondary offering. The stock is now back to where it was at the start of...

Brian Freitas

Kansai Electric US$3.5bn Deal Updates - Has Delivered a Decent Correction, as Compared to past Deals

Kansai Electric Power (9503 JP) plans to raise up to US$3.5bn (including over-allocation) to partly fund its investment plans. In this note, we...

Sumeet Singh

AI sentiment rising with NVDA de-risked, Kioxia IPO positive for memory ecosystem names, Deere's positive outlook lifts AG machinery names like...

U.S. markets rise, Honda to test solid-state EV batteries, Nissan to restructure Thai operations impacting 1,000 employees.