Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Independent Insight Provider

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Equity Bottom-Up

*Poor Result: Singapore Exchange (SGX.SP) [SGX] reported a weak FY 2H21 result, declining SGD 35.0 mn (14.6%) on an HOH basis. Higher than expected costs was the primary culprit for the overall disappointing result, increasing SGD 28.7 mn (11.6%) HOH pushing the expense to revenue ratio 410 bp higher to 51.8%. Cost pressures will not end, as SGX gave guidance that costs are due to increase between 9%-11%, as revenue begins to contract; and*Peripatetic: Recently, SGX announced its acquisition of MaxxTrader, its third acquisition after BidFX and Scientific Beta in 2020. Management is also considering getting involved Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). Significant strategic alternatives are needed at SGX, if it is to avoid being hollowed out by the Hong Kong Exchanges &amp; Clearing (388.HK).

*Poor Result: Singapore Exchange (SGX.SP) [SGX] reported a weak FY 2H21 result, declining SGD 35.0 mn (14.6%) on an HOH basis. Higher than expected costs was the primary culprit for the overall disappointing result, increasing SGD 28.7 mn (11.6%) HOH pushing the expense to revenue ratio 410 bp higher to 51.8%. Cost pressures will not end, as SGX gave guidance that costs are due to increase between 9%-11%, as revenue begins to contract; and*Peripatetic: Recently, SGX announced its acquisition of MaxxTrader, its third acquisition after BidFX and Scientific Beta in 2020. Management is also considering getting involved Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). Significant strategic alternatives are needed at SGX, if it is to avoid being hollowed out by the Hong Kong Exchanges &amp; Clearing (388.HK).

Singapore Exchange – Completely Distracted

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

A few years ago I started this series, and I updated it last year. Since last year, it has been a top 10 insight in terms of views. I personally think it is important for investors of all types to understand WHO OWNS WHAT. Many fundamental investors are reticent to spend any time on this but there are many reasons why active investors in Japan should be interested in understanding the ownership and shareholder dynamics of passive investors in Japan.<div>Some of the places active investors will see their influence are:</div><div>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Stories intermittently published about the BOJ's presence in Japanese ETFs (especially the fact that it owns 85+% of the outstanding ETF market),</li>
<li>Relatively constant interest in Nikkei 225 rebalances like the one we saw in July 2020, which helped push up <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/japan-exchange-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11266:1" rel="noopener">Japan Exchange Group (8697 JP)</a> by 30+% from May to July, then helped it slide 13% in a week, or the changes in the Nikkei 225 review rules published earlier this year which may change what happens this September to a few large caps, and the announcement of the BOJ that it would no longer buy Nikkei 225 ETFs which started a long slide in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fast-retailing-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:751:1" rel="noopener">Fast Retailing (9983 JP)</a> shares against comps and the Nikkei itself. Long "held up" by 'market inventory' and Nikkei 225 ETF buying, when the BOJ stopped, it removed the cushion and existing inventory holders had to sell out. </li>
<li>Then if you look at the shareholder structure of Fast Retailing today, you will see that it is STILL fundamentally a serious problem for large foreign active investors who would actually wish to take an active (but not activist) position. Real World Float on the stock is, by my calculation, less than 15% of shares outstanding. </li>
<li>The relatively recent policy of increased stewardship regarding the passive management portion of the GPIF (the Government Pension Investment Fund) - an investing heavyweight in Japan.</li>
<li>The timing and quantum of after-event support or overhang on corporate actions such as buybacks, secondary offerings, primary offerings, mergers, etc. </li>
<li>Index inclusions mean big flows. If you follow the insights on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/collections/topix-inclusion/insights?item=54585" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TOPIX Inclusions</a> by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/janaghan-jeyakumar-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:3173" rel="noopener">Janaghan Jeyakumar, CFA</a> and myself, you will often see big moves. Sometimes these stocks move 50% between when we write about them and when they go into the index. If you own them and are considering an exit, you need to know when to take profits, and the dynamic of the liquidity. If you are thinking about getting in for fundamental reasons, it pays to know early so you can get ahead of the major flow.</li>
<li>The return of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/toshiba-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:637:1" rel="noopener">Toshiba Corp (6502 JP)</a> to the TSE First Section in Q1 this year changed the foreign shareholder percentage ownership, lowering it by 10%. Smartkarma readers knew this last year and in January, which prepared them for the June AGM when the shareholder category ownership was released.</li>
<li>The changes to the TSE's market structure, which will affect TOPIX membership, which will affect many companies' issuance, buyback, share cancellation, etc decisions over the next several months. They are doing this because of the TSE Prime listing rules which will effectively also determine whether or not they will be included in TOPIX in future, or whether they will fall out of TSE Prime and will see constant selling over late 2022 to early 2025. </li>
</ul>
Of course, TOPIX is just over half of the passive tracking AUM in Japan. There's more. 
Find out WHO OWNS WHAT in Japan Passive below the fold. 
</div>

A few years ago I started this series, and I updated it last year. Since last year, it has been a top 10 insight in terms of views. I personally think it is important for investors of all types to understand WHO OWNS WHAT. Many fundamental investors are reticent to spend any time on this but there are many reasons why active investors in Japan should be interested in understanding the ownership and shareholder dynamics of passive investors in Japan.Some of the places active investors will see their influence are:

Stories intermittently published about the BOJ's presence in Japanese ETFs (especially the fact that it owns 85+% of the outstanding ETF market),
Relatively constant interest in Nikkei 225 rebalances like the one we saw in July 2020, which helped push up Japan Exchange Group (8697 JP) by 30+% from May to July, then helped it slide 13% in a week, or the changes in the Nikkei 225 review rules published earlier this year which may change what happens this September to a few large caps, and the announcement of the BOJ that it would no longer buy Nikkei 225 ETFs which started a long slide in Fast Retailing (9983 JP) shares against comps and the Nikkei itself. Long "held up" by 'market inventory' and Nikkei 225 ETF buying, when the BOJ stopped, it removed the cushion and existing inventory holders had to sell out. 
Then if you look at the shareholder structure of Fast Retailing today, you will see that it is STILL fundamentally a serious problem for large foreign active investors who would actually wish to take an active (but not activist) position. Real World Float on the stock is, by my calculation, less than 15% of shares outstanding. 
The relatively recent policy of increased stewardship regarding the passive management portion of the GPIF (the Government Pension Investment Fund) - an investing heavyweight in Japan.
The timing and quantum of after-event support or overhang on corporate actions such as buybacks, secondary offerings, primary offerings, mergers, etc. 
Index inclusions mean big flows. If you follow the insights on TOPIX Inclusions by Janaghan Jeyakumar, CFA and myself, you will often see big moves. Sometimes these stocks move 50% between when we write about them and when they go into the index. If you own them and are considering an exit, you need to know when to take profits, and the dynamic of the liquidity. If you are thinking about getting in for fundamental reasons, it pays to know early so you can get ahead of the major flow.
The return of Toshiba Corp (6502 JP) to the TSE First Section in Q1 this year changed the foreign shareholder percentage ownership, lowering it by 10%. Smartkarma readers knew this last year and in January, which prepared them for the June AGM when the shareholder category ownership was released.
The changes to the TSE's market structure, which will affect TOPIX membership, which will affect many companies' issuance, buyback, share cancellation, etc decisions over the next several months. They are doing this because of the TSE Prime listing rules which will effectively also determine whether or not they will be included in TOPIX in future, or whether they will fall out of TSE Prime and will see constant selling over late 2022 to early 2025. 

Of course, TOPIX is just over half of the passive tracking AUM in Japan. There's more. 
Find out WHO OWNS WHAT in Japan Passive below the fold. 


*Limited Impact: Singapore Exchange (SGX.SG) [SGX] announced that it was acquiring MaxxTrader from FlexTrade Systems for USD 125mn plus. This is SGX's third acquisition after BidFX and Scientific Beta in 2020. This deal is expected to provide SGX with the ability to leverage this franchise to set up an ECN FX marketplace as targeted under its medium-term plan; and*Distractions:As SGX needs to contend with a greater than expected impact from Hong Hong Exchanges &amp; Clearing (388.HK) competitive pressures for derivatives volumes, and the earlier-than-expected launch of HKEX's MSCI China A index futures – on top of weaker equity volumes and fees, it continues to do numerous tiny bolt-on deals which appear to be more of a distraction than their worth.

*Limited Impact: Singapore Exchange (SGX.SG) [SGX] announced that it was acquiring MaxxTrader from FlexTrade Systems for USD 125mn plus. This is SGX's third acquisition after BidFX and Scientific Beta in 2020. This deal is expected to provide SGX with the ability to leverage this franchise to set up an ECN FX marketplace as targeted under its medium-term plan; and*Distractions:As SGX needs to contend with a greater than expected impact from Hong Hong Exchanges &amp; Clearing (388.HK) competitive pressures for derivatives volumes, and the earlier-than-expected launch of HKEX's MSCI China A index futures – on top of weaker equity volumes and fees, it continues to do numerous tiny bolt-on deals which appear to be more of a distraction than their worth.

Singapore Exchange - Another Deal, Another Distraction

*Exemption Could Add To IPO Pipeline: Mainland China is planning to exempt companies seeking to list on Hong Kong Exchanges &amp; Clearing (388.HK) [HKEX] from first seeking approval from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The idea behind the exemption is mainland Chinese Hong Kong IPOs were already subject to higher scrutiny and approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC); and *Risks Are Increasing: In addition to an extended valuation when ADT has begun to turn and having a new CEO with no exchange experience, HKEX needs to contend with the government’s examination of a stamp duty increase and mainland China’s contemplation of a new stock exchange to attract overseas-listed firms (including Hong Kong) which will bolster Shanghai’s status as a global financial center.

*Exemption Could Add To IPO Pipeline: Mainland China is planning to exempt companies seeking to list on Hong Kong Exchanges &amp; Clearing (388.HK) [HKEX] from first seeking approval from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The idea behind the exemption is mainland Chinese Hong Kong IPOs were already subject to higher scrutiny and approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC); and *Risks Are Increasing: In addition to an extended valuation when ADT has begun to turn and having a new CEO with no exchange experience, HKEX needs to contend with the government’s examination of a stamp duty increase and mainland China’s contemplation of a new stock exchange to attract overseas-listed firms (including Hong Kong) which will bolster Shanghai’s status as a global financial center. 

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing – Take It When You Can Get It

Alpha-Centric ESG Research

Kyle Rudden

Announcements keep on coming from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-exchange-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1047:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Exchange (SGX SP)</a> and its SGX FIRST sustainable investing platform. Weeks after launching Climate Impact X – SGX's carbon exchange joint venture with DBS, Standard Chartered, and Temasek – the exchange announced (on 14 June) the launch of the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sgx-nikkei-esg-reit-index-futures" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33480:1" rel="noopener">SGX Nikkei ESG-REIT Index Futures (JRTA INDEX)</a> contract.For SGX, the launch further solidifies its position as Asia's leading financial exchange for all things sustainable investing and finance (and of course, REITs). For investors, the ESG-REIT Index futures contract expands the menu of products for REIT-related ESG investing. That is far more significant than it sounds; Real Estate is a sleeping ESG giant of sorts, and investment products are lacking.Therein lies the second of two goals for this Insight. The first is, rather obviously, to delve into the SGX Nikkei ESG-REIT product – the underlying index and futures contract. The second is to take it as an opportunity to broach an important, but often underrated, topic – the relationships between ESG and the Real Estate sector, including REITs. Much of it positive, or at least potentially so.Think about it. One billion buildings in the world already, and expected to double by 2060.

Announcements keep on coming from Singapore Exchange (SGX SP) and its SGX FIRST sustainable investing platform. Weeks after launching Climate Impact X – SGX's carbon exchange joint venture with DBS, Standard Chartered, and Temasek – the exchange announced (on 14 June) the launch of the SGX Nikkei ESG-REIT Index Futures (JRTA INDEX) contract.For SGX, the launch further solidifies its position as Asia's leading financial exchange for all things sustainable investing and finance (and of course, REITs). For investors, the ESG-REIT Index futures contract expands the menu of products for REIT-related ESG investing. That is far more significant than it sounds; Real Estate is a sleeping ESG giant of sorts, and investment products are lacking.Therein lies the second of two goals for this Insight. The first is, rather obviously, to delve into the SGX Nikkei ESG-REIT product – the underlying index and futures contract. The second is to take it as an opportunity to broach an important, but often underrated, topic – the relationships between ESG and the Real Estate sector, including REITs. Much of it positive, or at least potentially so.Think about it. One billion buildings in the world already, and expected to double by 2060.

SGX Nikkei ESG-REIT Index Futures Launch Is an Ideal Backdrop for an Important Topic: ESG and REITs

Japan

Japan Exchange Group Inc is the holding company created through the merger of Tokyo Stock Exchange Group, Inc and Osaka Securities Exchange Co., Ltd. The group provides and operates a marketplace for the trading of equities, futures, and options. The Group manages the trading, as well as administers listed stocks and registered members.

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Japan Exchange Group (8697 JP)

Singapore Exchange – Completely Distracted

SINGAPORE EXCHANGE: SGX FY 2H21 result declined 14.6% HOH due to rising costs. This is a distracted company with three bolt-ons in last year....

Thomas J. Monaco

JAPAN PASSIVE: Who Owns What 2021?

This is the 2021 Version of Who Owns What in Japan Passive. It tries to present a relatively comprehensive idea of how much money/float tracks the...

Travis Lundy

Singapore Exchange - Another Deal, Another Distraction

SINGAPORE EXCHANGE: SGX announced that it was acquiring MaxxTrader for USD 125mn plus, its third acquisition since 2020. Numerous bolt-on deals...

Thomas J. Monaco

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing – Take It When You Can Get It

HONG HONG EXCHANGES & CLEARING: Mainland China is planning to exempt listings on HKEX from seeking CAC approval, as Mainland IPOs are subject to...

Thomas J. Monaco

SGX Nikkei ESG-REIT Index Futures Launch Is an Ideal Backdrop for an Important Topic: ESG and REITs

Singapore Exchange just launched the SGX Nikkei ESG-REIT Index futures contract. A multi-win for SGX, but it also serves as a reminder of how...

Kyle Rudden

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