Japan/Asia Long-Short, LightStream Research

Mio Kato

Japan/Asia Long-Short

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

Equity Bottom-Up

Mercari generated relatively positive 2Q results, especially in the US. Our main focus, however, is on the company’s strategy and its concept of the circular economy. We believe the truly vast potential of this concept is decidedly underappreciated by the market.

Mercari generated relatively positive 2Q results, especially in the US. Our main focus, however, is on the company’s strategy and its concept of the circular economy. We believe the truly vast potential of this concept is decidedly underappreciated by the market.

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

The latest survey of Japanese e-commerce by the Ministry of Trade, Economy &amp; Industry (METI) is now out showing that the e-commerce channel continued to grow strongly in FY2019. The current health crisis is further fuelling the speed of growth beyond everyone’s expectations.Online sales of goods alone rose to over ¥10 trillion and total e-commerce transactions hit ¥19.3 trillion.Apparel and food remain the two largest categories online, but publishing saw the biggest growth in 2019 as suppliers finally accepted the inevitable consumer shift to electronic versions.At 6.2%, EC penetration in Japan remains much lower than either the USA or UK, where the channel reportedly accounts for 9.9% and 20.7% of retail respectively. This is in part because Japan has as many stores as the US, a market with three times the population, making stores that much more accessible. The current crisis however has accelerated the shift to online, a worry for physical retailers of all kinds.EC remains on track to break 10% of merchandise sales by 2025 at the latest and, especially with the shift online over the past nine months, could even hit that target in the next three years.

The latest survey of Japanese e-commerce by the Ministry of Trade, Economy &amp; Industry (METI) is now out showing that the e-commerce channel continued to grow strongly in FY2019. The current health crisis is further fuelling the speed of growth beyond everyone’s expectations.Online sales of goods alone rose to over ¥10 trillion and total e-commerce transactions hit ¥19.3 trillion.Apparel and food remain the two largest categories online, but publishing saw the biggest growth in 2019 as suppliers finally accepted the inevitable consumer shift to electronic versions.At 6.2%, EC penetration in Japan remains much lower than either the USA or UK, where the channel reportedly accounts for 9.9% and 20.7% of retail respectively. This is in part because Japan has as many stores as the US, a market with three times the population, making stores that much more accessible. The current crisis however has accelerated the shift to online, a worry for physical retailers of all kinds.EC remains on track to break 10% of merchandise sales by 2025 at the latest and, especially with the shift online over the past nine months, could even hit that target in the next three years.

Japan E-Commerce Breaks ¥10 Trillion, Set for Major Boost This Year

Event-Driven

NTT (Nippon Telegraph & Telephone) / Event-Driven

The explanation supporting NTT’s buyout of Docomo (in Japanese but translated below) is interesting and we believe it supports our initial thoughts on this development. What we didn’t expect was a ¥3,900 tender price.

The explanation supporting NTT’s buyout of Docomo (in Japanese but translated below) is interesting and we believe it supports our initial thoughts on this development. What we didn’t expect was a ¥3,900 tender price.

NTT – NTT Is Going Big and Our Suspicions Are Aroused Further

We spoke to Mercari to update ourselves on the company’s thinking and likely decision making over the next year. The stock has come off slightly of late as EC in general loses a little of its coronavirus tailwind but we believe conditions are still healthy and the company’s strategy and growth prospects are sound. We would point to potential listing for peers Poshmark and thredUP as potential upside catalysts if they attract strong multiples – something which could shed light on just how attractive Mercari’s US business is.

We spoke to Mercari to update ourselves on the company’s thinking and likely decision making over the next year. The stock has come off slightly of late as EC in general loses a little of its coronavirus tailwind but we believe conditions are still healthy and the company’s strategy and growth prospects are sound. We would point to potential listing for peers Poshmark and thredUP as potential upside catalysts if they attract strong multiples – something which could shed light on just how attractive Mercari’s US business is.

Mercari – Conditions Remain Strong and Poshmark and ThredUP Listings Could Raise Multiples

'Quantamental' Japan Specialist, LightStream Research

Campbell Gunn

'Quantamental' Japan Specialist

Quantitative Analysis

<div>
• RELATIVE PRICE SCORE •
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/160/735/original/2020-09-23_11-03-49.png?1600826665" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="160735"></figure><div class="content-caption">Source for all charts &amp; tables: Japan Analytics</div>
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/6h3m1giwbtzcupg/2020-09-23_11-03-49.png?dl=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PEAK OUTLIER</a> - Since the onset of  COVID-19 in March, the degree of polarisation in the Japanese equity market as measured by our Relative Price Score [definition below] has increased significantly. Although only 3.1% and 5.1% of listed companies are Overbought and Oversold, respectively, their market weight represented is 10.8% and 6.2%. Such extreme outlier weightings have not occurred since the technology 'bubble' of 2000, and, since then, only during the 2008/9 financial crisis. Investors have increasingly held and bid up perceived long-term domestic non-manufacturing 'winners' without much regard for valuation while discarding Japan's manufacturers, and transportation, utility and energy companies as well as insurers and banks.  
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/160/736/original/2020-09-23_11-11-07.png?1600827080" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="160736"></figure>
</div>SECTOR TIMELINE - The twenty-eight-year history of Sector Relative Price Scores illustrates the ebbs and flows of investment themes in the market, from the 2000 Technology 'bubble' to the REIT and Real Estate peak of 2013/14, the Healthcare and FB&amp;T market of 2016/17. On the downside, there is greater Oversold 'persistence' in the Energy, Banks, Multi-Industry ( <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/japan-post-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:359:1" rel="noopener">Japan Post (6178 JP))</a>  and Utilities Sectors. Currently, nine Sectors are Overbought, and four are Oversold - thirty-year and twenty-year highs, respectively.  <figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/160/741/original/2020-09-23_11-39-24.png?1600828791" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="160741"></figure>In the DETAIL section below, we provide an update on  Sector, Peer Group and individual company Relative Price Score trends and outliers and make some stock-specific comments.<div class="content-highlight">RELATIVE PRICE SCORE OUTLIERS - The Relative Price Score (RPS) is a measure of price performance relative to TOPIX calculated by comparing the current deviation with the mean absolute deviation of monthly and daily relative share prices over the last 28 years and 24 months, respectively. As all companies on a comparable scale, 'Overbought' and 'Oversold' outliers and short-term changes in scoring can offer some trading opportunities. The data for all 3,883 currently-listed Companies is cap-weight-aggregated into Relative Price Scores for our 328 Peer Groups and 30 Sectors. The Overbought and Oversold outlier 'thresholds are set' at +4 &amp; -2 for Companies, +3 &amp; -1.5 for Peer Groups and +2 and -1 for Sectors, respectively. These thresholds equate with the top and bottom percentiles of over 3.2 million observations.</div>


• RELATIVE PRICE SCORE •
Source for all charts &amp; tables: Japan Analytics
PEAK OUTLIER - Since the onset of  COVID-19 in March, the degree of polarisation in the Japanese equity market as measured by our Relative Price Score [definition below] has increased significantly. Although only 3.1% and 5.1% of listed companies are Overbought and Oversold, respectively, their market weight represented is 10.8% and 6.2%. Such extreme outlier weightings have not occurred since the technology 'bubble' of 2000, and, since then, only during the 2008/9 financial crisis. Investors have increasingly held and bid up perceived long-term domestic non-manufacturing 'winners' without much regard for valuation while discarding Japan's manufacturers, and transportation, utility and energy companies as well as insurers and banks.  

SECTOR TIMELINE - The twenty-eight-year history of Sector Relative Price Scores illustrates the ebbs and flows of investment themes in the market, from the 2000 Technology 'bubble' to the REIT and Real Estate peak of 2013/14, the Healthcare and FB&amp;T market of 2016/17. On the downside, there is greater Oversold 'persistence' in the Energy, Banks, Multi-Industry ( Japan Post (6178 JP))  and Utilities Sectors. Currently, nine Sectors are Overbought, and four are Oversold - thirty-year and twenty-year highs, respectively.  In the DETAIL section below, we provide an update on  Sector, Peer Group and individual company Relative Price Score trends and outliers and make some stock-specific comments.RELATIVE PRICE SCORE OUTLIERS - The Relative Price Score (RPS) is a measure of price performance relative to TOPIX calculated by comparing the current deviation with the mean absolute deviation of monthly and daily relative share prices over the last 28 years and 24 months, respectively. As all companies on a comparable scale, 'Overbought' and 'Oversold' outliers and short-term changes in scoring can offer some trading opportunities. The data for all 3,883 currently-listed Companies is cap-weight-aggregated into Relative Price Scores for our 328 Peer Groups and 30 Sectors. The Overbought and Oversold outlier 'thresholds are set' at +4 &amp; -2 for Companies, +3 &amp; -1.5 for Peer Groups and +2 and -1 for Sectors, respectively. These thresholds equate with the top and bottom percentiles of over 3.2 million observations.

🇯🇵 JAPAN • September Relative Price Scores - Profiting from Outlier Mean Reversion

Japan

Mercari, Inc. operates as an electronic commercial company. The Company offers electronic commercial software, operation management, marketing planning, and other marketplace services. Mercari serves customers worldwide.

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Mercari (4385 JP)

Mercari – The Circular Economy

We believe Mercari's "Circular Economy" concept is severely underappreciated by the market and that it has potential that extends far beyond just...

Mio Kato

Japan E-Commerce Breaks ¥10 Trillion, Set for Major Boost This Year

The e-commerce channel continued to grow strongly in 2019 and the current health crisis is further fuelling the speed of growth beyond everyone’s...

Michael Causton

NTT – NTT Is Going Big and Our Suspicions Are Aroused Further

The explanation supporting NTT’s buyout of Docomo (in Japanese but translated below) is interesting and we believe it supports our initial thoughts...

Mio Kato

Mercari – Conditions Remain Strong and Poshmark and ThredUP Listings Could Raise Multiples

We spoke to Mercari to update ourselves on the company’s thinking and likely decision making over the next year. The stock has come off slightly of...

Mio Kato

🇯🇵 JAPAN • September Relative Price Scores - Profiting from Outlier Mean Reversion

• RELATIVE PRICE SCORE • RELATIVE PRICE SCORE OUTLIERS - The Relative Price Score (RPS) is a measure of price performance relative to TOPIX...

Campbell Gunn

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