'Quantamental' Japan Specialist, LightStream Research

Campbell Gunn

'Quantamental' Japan Specialist

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.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>• BEST &amp; WORST •</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">As we move towards the beginning of the disclosure season for the March/June/September/ December cohort of companies, several companies are revising their forecasts upwards. We also had five early-bird micro-cap Q3 reports. Our best and worst pairing from yesterday's announcements is <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/capcom-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1459:1" rel="noopener">Capcom (9697 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/biofermin-pharmaceutical-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20533:1" rel="noopener">Biofermin Pharmaceutical (4517 JP)</a>.</p><section class="figure"><figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/183/912/original/2021-01-22_05-48-25.png?1611262158" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="183912"></figure></section><section class="figure"><figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/183/913/original/2021-01-22_05-49-43.png?1611262202" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="183913"></figure></section><div class="content-caption">Source for all charts &amp; tables: Japan Analytics</div>

• BEST &amp; WORST •As we move towards the beginning of the disclosure season for the March/June/September/ December cohort of companies, several companies are revising their forecasts upwards. We also had five early-bird micro-cap Q3 reports. Our best and worst pairing from yesterday's announcements is Capcom (9697 JP) and Biofermin Pharmaceutical (4517 JP).Source for all charts &amp; tables: Japan Analytics

🇯🇵 JAPAN • Results & Revisions ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​01/​​​​​​​21 Capcom, Infomart, ISI-D

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<p>On Friday after the close, the TSE belatedly released its annual TSE Free Float Weight adjustments for stocks with fiscal year ends in March. Normally this comes out in October, and is executed at the end of October, but for the 2020 Free Float Weight Rebalance, as per an announcement made by the TSE on 22 June 2020, special measures were taken in light of the covid-19 pandemic, and the rebalance was delayed by 3 months. </p>
<p>There are no major surprises that I see. Some buybacks from the market have led to slightly lower FFW coefficients. Some secondary offerings have led to increases in FFW coefficients. As discussed in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/japan-post-insurance-update-three-reasons-to-buy-any-overhang-slightly-higher" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:46862" rel="noopener">Japan Post Insurance Update - Three Reasons To Buy. Any Overhang Slightly Higher</a> on Friday, one of the big names to the buy side is indeed <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/japan-post-insurance-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:840:1" rel="noopener">Japan Post Insurance (7181 JP)</a>.</p>
<p>For more on the rebalance, read on.</p>
<p><em>[A spreadsheet of all names and impacts is attached at the bottom of the insight]</em></p>

On Friday after the close, the TSE belatedly released its annual TSE Free Float Weight adjustments for stocks with fiscal year ends in March. Normally this comes out in October, and is executed at the end of October, but for the 2020 Free Float Weight Rebalance, as per an announcement made by the TSE on 22 June 2020, special measures were taken in light of the covid-19 pandemic, and the rebalance was delayed by 3 months. 
There are no major surprises that I see. Some buybacks from the market have led to slightly lower FFW coefficients. Some secondary offerings have led to increases in FFW coefficients. As discussed in Japan Post Insurance Update - Three Reasons To Buy. Any Overhang Slightly Higher on Friday, one of the big names to the buy side is indeed Japan Post Insurance (7181 JP).
For more on the rebalance, read on.
[A spreadsheet of all names and impacts is attached at the bottom of the insight]

The Delayed TOPIX FFW Rebalance: $32bn To Trade

Japan/Asia Long-Short, LightStream Research

Mio Kato

Japan/Asia Long-Short

Equity Bottom-Up

<p>Nintendo is now just 11.5% below its all-time high of ¥73,200. Consensus projects OP of ¥544bn for this FY which would be below the all-time high ¥555bn of FY03/09 and projects a gentle decline with OP falling to ¥506bn next year. We disagree with consensus on both counts and expect OP this year to come in between ¥620-700bn while expecting a large drop next year to ¥450-475bn.</p>

Nintendo is now just 11.5% below its all-time high of ¥73,200. Consensus projects OP of ¥544bn for this FY which would be below the all-time high ¥555bn of FY03/09 and projects a gentle decline with OP falling to ¥506bn next year. We disagree with consensus on both counts and expect OP this year to come in between ¥620-700bn while expecting a large drop next year to ¥450-475bn.

Nintendo – Will All-Time High Earnings Lead to an All-Time High Share Price?

Senior Bank Analyst - Japanese Banks, Windamee Research

J. Brian Waterhouse

Senior Bank Analyst - Japanese Banks

Windamee Research

Japanese Banks

<p>Stock markets around the world have been reaching record levels, thanks to the unprecedented amounts of money being pumped into the financial markets by the advanced nations’ central banks in a bid to offset the economic damage caused by COVID-19.  In Japan, too, the Topix Index finished 2020 at 1804.68, just off its high-point for the year and up a very modest 4.8% YoY after plummeting around 500 points in March.</p>
<p>For investors in Japanese bank stocks, however, it was another year of pain: the Topix Bank Index closed 2020 down 21.7% YoY.  Moreover, just 5 bank stocks out of the total of 92 showed positive gains YoY.  All 7 major Japanese banks showed YoY declines: the ‘best-performer’ was down 21.1% YoY, with the average major bank YoY decline exceeding 25%.  By the end of 2020, 13 Japanese bank stocks had lost over one-third of their value, although they had been considerably lower earlier in the year.</p>
<section class="figure">
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/180/838/original/8300-WR-JBanks-2020-0104+TPNBNKvsTPX+in+2020.jpg?1609734252" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="180838"></figure>
<p></p>
</section>
<p>2021 commences with bank lending at near record-high levels after a record surge in lending, a mountain of cash on deposit that the banks are struggling to deploy profitably, exceptionally low loan to deposit (LDR) ratios, margins under pressure, profits under pressure and, for many banks, dividends under pressure as well.  None of this is likely to boost investor confidence in Japanese bank stocks.</p>
<p>Business models need to be reinvented to properly incorporate the new digital era, branches amalgamated or closed, and staff reduced.  This will take time and be costly.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, two banks have already suggested that they will likely make consolidated net losses in FY3/3021, with others perhaps to follow as we approach the end of the fiscal year in March.</p>
<p>2021 will also see a handful of regional bank mergers; indeed, this has already started with the first on 1 January 2021, creating the Daishi Hokuetsu Bank (part of the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/daishi-hokuetsu-financial-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27533:1" rel="noopener">Daishi Hokuetsu Financial Group (7327 JP)</a> ).  While these will be welcomed by the Suga Administration, which is actively encouraging a reduction in the number of regional banks, especially in the more rural parts of the country, there is no guarantee that the surviving entities will be any more profitable or efficient than their predecessors.</p>
<p>Then there is the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to cause social lockdowns, economic disruption, and financial uncertainty aside from its devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of humankind.  All of this still needs to be properly discounted in Japanese bank share prices.  We anticipate further share price weakness in many Japanese banks in 2021.</p>
<p>“<em>Caveat Emptor!”</em> (May the Buyer Beware) remains our advice to would-be investors in Japanese bank stocks for 2021 and beyond.</p>

Stock markets around the world have been reaching record levels, thanks to the unprecedented amounts of money being pumped into the financial markets by the advanced nations’ central banks in a bid to offset the economic damage caused by COVID-19.  In Japan, too, the Topix Index finished 2020 at 1804.68, just off its high-point for the year and up a very modest 4.8% YoY after plummeting around 500 points in March.
For investors in Japanese bank stocks, however, it was another year of pain: the Topix Bank Index closed 2020 down 21.7% YoY.  Moreover, just 5 bank stocks out of the total of 92 showed positive gains YoY.  All 7 major Japanese banks showed YoY declines: the ‘best-performer’ was down 21.1% YoY, with the average major bank YoY decline exceeding 25%.  By the end of 2020, 13 Japanese bank stocks had lost over one-third of their value, although they had been considerably lower earlier in the year.




2021 commences with bank lending at near record-high levels after a record surge in lending, a mountain of cash on deposit that the banks are struggling to deploy profitably, exceptionally low loan to deposit (LDR) ratios, margins under pressure, profits under pressure and, for many banks, dividends under pressure as well.  None of this is likely to boost investor confidence in Japanese bank stocks.
Business models need to be reinvented to properly incorporate the new digital era, branches amalgamated or closed, and staff reduced.  This will take time and be costly.
Meanwhile, two banks have already suggested that they will likely make consolidated net losses in FY3/3021, with others perhaps to follow as we approach the end of the fiscal year in March.
2021 will also see a handful of regional bank mergers; indeed, this has already started with the first on 1 January 2021, creating the Daishi Hokuetsu Bank (part of the Daishi Hokuetsu Financial Group (7327 JP) ).  While these will be welcomed by the Suga Administration, which is actively encouraging a reduction in the number of regional banks, especially in the more rural parts of the country, there is no guarantee that the surviving entities will be any more profitable or efficient than their predecessors.
Then there is the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to cause social lockdowns, economic disruption, and financial uncertainty aside from its devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of humankind.  All of this still needs to be properly discounted in Japanese bank share prices.  We anticipate further share price weakness in many Japanese banks in 2021.
“Caveat Emptor!” (May the Buyer Beware) remains our advice to would-be investors in Japanese bank stocks for 2021 and beyond.

Quality-first, Business-perspective Strategy, Urbem (HK) Limited

Steven Chen

Quality-first, Business-perspective Strategy

<ul>
<li>The Shenzhen-based game developer trades at an attractive valuation;</li>
<li>Meanwhile, the business has been growing at a nearly triple-digit rate while maintaining an above 30% return on equity and invested capital;</li>
<li>Should investors buy into this (seemingly quality) growth story?  We want to take a deep dive.</li>
</ul>


The Shenzhen-based game developer trades at an attractive valuation;
Meanwhile, the business has been growing at a nearly triple-digit rate while maintaining an above 30% return on equity and invested capital;
Should investors buy into this (seemingly quality) growth story?  We want to take a deep dive.


Japan

Nintendo Co., Ltd. develops, manufactures, and sells household leisure equipment. The Company produces home use video game hardware and software products. Nintendo markets its products throughout Japan.

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Nintendo (NTDOY US)

🇯🇵 JAPAN • Results & Revisions 01/21 Capcom, Infomart, ISI-D

As we move towards the beginning of the disclosure season for the March/June/September/ December cohort of companies, several companies are...

Campbell Gunn

The Delayed TOPIX FFW Rebalance: $32bn To Trade

The Big Annual TOPIX FFW Rebalance of October 2020 was delayed until January. The results were not terribly surprising. Nevertheless, it is a big...

Travis Lundy

Japanese Banks: Ever Lower

For investors in Japanese bank stocks, 2020 was another year of pain. The sector fell almost 22% YoY; only 5 bank stocks out of 92 registered YoY...

J. Brian Waterhouse

Fire Rock: A Value Play or Value Trap?

Another superior-return, fast-growing gaming business trading at an attractive level. Should investors buy into this (seemingly quality) growth...

Steven Chen

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52-week Range

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🇯🇵 JAPAN • Results & Revisions ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​01/​​​​​​​21 Capcom, Infomart, ISI-D

As we move towards the beginning of the disclosure season for the March/June/September/ December cohort of companies, several companies are...

Campbell Gunn

The Delayed TOPIX FFW Rebalance: $32bn To Trade

The Big Annual TOPIX FFW Rebalance of October 2020 was delayed until January. The results were not terribly surprising. Nevertheless, it is a big...

Travis Lundy

Nintendo – Will All-Time High Earnings Lead to an All-Time High Share Price?

As Nintendo approaches its all-time high as we suggested it would, we find consensus to be too conservative for this FY and too bullish for next FY...

Mio Kato

Japanese Banks: Ever Lower

For investors in Japanese bank stocks, 2020 was another year of pain. The sector fell almost 22% YoY; only 5 bank stocks out of 92 registered YoY...

J. Brian Waterhouse

Fire Rock: A Value Play or Value Trap?

Another superior-return, fast-growing gaming business trading at an attractive level. Should investors buy into this (seemingly quality) growth...

Steven Chen

🇯🇵 JAPAN • Results & Revisions 01/21 Capcom, Infomart, ISI-D