Asia L/S Equity PM/Macro/Thematic Idea Generation

Rikki Malik

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>A review of recent events impacting our investment themes or outlook</li>
<li>Japan perks up as machine tool orders rise y/y for the first time in nearly 19 months</li>
<li>US Interest Rate cut expectations rise to a “sure thing” in September</li>
</ul>


A review of recent events impacting our investment themes or outlook
Japan perks up as machine tool orders rise y/y for the first time in nearly 19 months
US Interest Rate cut expectations rise to a “sure thing” in September


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

<ul>
<li>KKR and KSP Kokusai will offer 52.51m-60.38m shares (US$1.76bn-2bn) of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kokusai-electric-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:40152:1" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric (6525 JP)</a> in a secondary offering that will likely be priced on 22 July.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kokusai-electric-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:40152:1" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric (6525 JP)</a> will also buy back up to JPY 18bn of its shares. At the last close, that is 3.33m shares (1.2x ADV).</li>
<li>Trackers of one global index will buy stock at the time of settlement of the shares. The (much) bigger buying will come at the end of August.</li>
</ul>


KKR and KSP Kokusai will offer 52.51m-60.38m shares (US$1.76bn-2bn) of Kokusai Electric (6525 JP) in a secondary offering that will likely be priced on 22 July.

Kokusai Electric (6525 JP) will also buy back up to JPY 18bn of its shares. At the last close, that is 3.33m shares (1.2x ADV).
Trackers of one global index will buy stock at the time of settlement of the shares. The (much) bigger buying will come at the end of August.


Kokusai Electric (6525 JP): Placement, Buyback & Index Flows

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>Our bullish outlook (since early-November 2023) remains intact. We continue to recommend buying dips as long as MSCI $ACWI and $EEM remain above important supports at $110 and $41-$42, respectively.</li>
<li>We are reiterating Japan as an Overweight -- Add Exposure; Nikkei 225, TOPIX, TOPIX Small All Breaking Out. And 2+ year RS uptrends remain intact on TOPIX and Nikkei 225</li>
<li>We take a break from recommending Technology (though we are still bullish) and highlight buys within global Energy, Health Care, Telecommunications, and Utilities</li>
</ul>


Our bullish outlook (since early-November 2023) remains intact. We continue to recommend buying dips as long as MSCI $ACWI and $EEM remain above important supports at $110 and $41-$42, respectively.
We are reiterating Japan as an Overweight -- Add Exposure; Nikkei 225, TOPIX, TOPIX Small All Breaking Out. And 2+ year RS uptrends remain intact on TOPIX and Nikkei 225
We take a break from recommending Technology (though we are still bullish) and highlight buys within global Energy, Health Care, Telecommunications, and Utilities


Reiterating Japan Overweight -- Add Exposure; Nikkei 225, TOPIX, TOPIX Small All Breaking Out

<ul>
<li>The main Japanese indices have been moving sideways this year</li>
<li>Continued weakness in the JPY has diminished returns in USD terms</li>
<li>Technically the market has similar weak underlying breadth as the US market</li>
</ul>


The main Japanese indices have been moving sideways this year
Continued weakness in the JPY has diminished returns in USD terms
Technically the market has similar weak underlying breadth as the US market


Revisiting the Japanese Market – Time to Increase Allocations?

<ul>
<li>JPX has commenced a market consultation on changes to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tokyo-stock-exchange-tokyo-price-index-topix" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22910:1" rel="noopener">TSE Tokyo Price Index TOPIX (TPX INDEX)</a> including expansion of the universe and periodic stock selection.</li>
<li>Based on current market cap/ liquidity, there could be 38 adds and 447 deletions for the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tokyo-stock-exchange-tokyo-price-index-topix" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22910:1" rel="noopener">TSE Tokyo Price Index TOPIX</a>, though the changes only start in October 2026. </li>
<li>The deletions will be phased out of the index in 8 steps that will end in July 2028 and most of the stocks will move to the TOPIX Next-tier. </li>
</ul>


JPX has commenced a market consultation on changes to the TSE Tokyo Price Index TOPIX (TPX INDEX) including expansion of the universe and periodic stock selection.
Based on current market cap/ liquidity, there could be 38 adds and 447 deletions for the TSE Tokyo Price Index TOPIX, though the changes only start in October 2026. 
The deletions will be phased out of the index in 8 steps that will end in July 2028 and most of the stocks will move to the TOPIX Next-tier. 


TOPIX Market Consultation: Wider Next-Gen Universe in a Couple of Years; But Stocks Moving Already

Japan

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.

TSE Tokyo Price Index TOPIX (TPX INDEX)

Overview #6 - Japanese Data Perks Up.

Recent events show Japan's economy improving with machine tool orders rising, while US interest rate cut in September is now highly expected.

Rikki Malik

Kokusai Electric (6525 JP): Placement, Buyback & Index Flows

The Kokusai Electric placement will be a max of US$2bn. There is a buyback that will mop up some stock. There will be some passive buying late July...

Brian Freitas

Reiterating Japan Overweight -- Add Exposure; Nikkei 225, TOPIX, TOPIX Small All Breaking Out

Reiterating Japan Overweight; $Nikkei 225, $TOPIX, TOPIX Small, $DXJ All Breaking Out with 2+ year RS uptrends intact on Nikkei and TOPIX. Still...

Vermilion Research

Revisiting the Japanese Market – Time to Increase Allocations?

Japanese indices have been stagnant due to a weak JPY and share a technically weak underlying breadth as the US market.

Rikki Malik

TOPIX Market Consultation: Wider Next-Gen Universe in a Couple of Years; But Stocks Moving Already

JPX has commenced a market consultation that could result in 38 adds and 447 deletions for the index in Oct 2026. There are a lot of high impact...

Brian Freitas

Overview #6 - Japanese Data Perks Up.

​Recent events show Japan's economy improving with machine tool orders rising, while US interest rate cut in September is now highly expected.

Rikki Malik

Kokusai Electric (6525 JP): Placement, Buyback & Index Flows

The Kokusai Electric placement will be a max of US$2bn. There is a buyback that will mop up some stock. There will be some passive buying late July...

Brian Freitas

Reiterating Japan Overweight -- Add Exposure; Nikkei 225, TOPIX, TOPIX Small All Breaking Out

Reiterating Japan Overweight; $Nikkei 225, $TOPIX, TOPIX Small, $DXJ All Breaking Out with 2+ year RS uptrends intact on Nikkei and TOPIX. Still...

Vermilion Research

Revisiting the Japanese Market – Time to Increase Allocations?

​Japanese indices have been stagnant due to a weak JPY and share a technically weak underlying breadth as the US market.

Rikki Malik

TOPIX Market Consultation: Wider Next-Gen Universe in a Couple of Years; But Stocks Moving Already

JPX has commenced a market consultation that could result in 38 adds and 447 deletions for the index in Oct 2026. There are a lot of high impact...

Brian Freitas

Recent events show Japan's economy improving with machine tool orders rising, while US interest rate cut in September is now highly expected.

Japanese indices have been stagnant due to a weak JPY and share a technically weak underlying breadth as the US market.