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Daily Brief Macro: Business Cycle Watch: Why Sweden’s Resurging Momentum is a Must Watch and more

By | Daily Briefs, Macro

In today’s briefing:

  • Business Cycle Watch: Why Sweden’s Resurging Momentum is a Must Watch
  • CX Daily: Electric Cars Are Draining the Batteries of China’s Insurers
  • Global Rates, US Credit: Spreadbites Spreads, Politics, and the Consumer
  • India: Inflation Setback in June Pushes Out Prospect of Rate Cuts to Later in the Year
  • [Iron Options Weekly 2024/29] China’s Plenary Meeting and Rate Cut Fail to Enthuse Iron Ore Markets
  • Less Regulation, More Problems?
  • PMIs Persist Past Softening Seasonals
  • Southern Copper (SCCO US) Concall Highlights: Great Q2 2024, FY24 Production Guide Up


Business Cycle Watch: Why Sweden’s Resurging Momentum is a Must Watch

By Andreas Steno

  • In this brief update on the business cycle, we will present a comprehensive overview of the current economic situation in Sweden.
  • The Riksbank initiated its first rate cut in May, and we anticipate additional cuts throughout the autumn.
  • This makes Sweden an ideal “live-studio” for observing the effects of early rate cuts on the economic cycle.

CX Daily: Electric Cars Are Draining the Batteries of China’s Insurers

By Caixin Global

  • Insurers / In Depth: Electric cars are draining the batteries of China’s insurers
  • Plenum /Plenum Explained: China to combat cross-border corruption, improve constitutional review
  • Personnel /: Communist Party creates financial graft-busting committee

Global Rates, US Credit: Spreadbites Spreads, Politics, and the Consumer

By At Any Rate

  • Credit spreads have traded in a tight range despite various market events
  • High yield spreads have tightened throughout the month
  • Macro factors like growth, inflation, and Fed policies are more important for credit markets than the political environment

This content is sourced through publicly available sources and has been machine generated. Information displayed is for general informational purposes only.


India: Inflation Setback in June Pushes Out Prospect of Rate Cuts to Later in the Year

By Prasenjit K. Basu

  • Headline CPI rose 1.33%MoM in Jun’24, because of a 3.17%MoM spike in food CPI. Consequently, headline CPI rose 5.08%YoY, driven by food inflation of 9.36%YoY.
  • Although core inflation was at 3.1%YoY in May-Jun’24, India targets headline inflation, not core. Vegetable inflation (+29.3%YoY) remained the main culprit pushing up headline inflation. Fiscal solutions will take time.  
  • Headline CPI inflation is likely to stay close to 5%YoY in Jul-Sep’24 (vs earlier expectations of it abating below 4%YoY). The first rate cut is therefore unlikely before Dec’24. 

[Iron Options Weekly 2024/29] China’s Plenary Meeting and Rate Cut Fail to Enthuse Iron Ore Markets

By Pranay Yadav

  • The lack of specific stimulus from China’s 3rd plenary meeting and minor rate cuts led to a 2.5% decline in iron ore prices, highlighting market disappointment.
  • Despite a 13.7% MoM increase in iron ore imports, market concerns arise from stockpile accumulation rather than domestic consumption, suggesting potential future import slowdown.
  • SGX Iron Ore options showed a bearish trend with a weekly volume put/call ratio of 2.1 and notable put option increases for September and October expiries, indicating market pessimism.

Less Regulation, More Problems?

By Behind the Money

  • Business executives blame regulations for hindering innovation and making products more expensive
  • Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference, giving businesses more power to challenge regulations
  • The end of Chevron rule may lead to confusion and legal challenges for businesses in regulated industries

This content is sourced through publicly available sources and has been machine generated. Information displayed is for general informational purposes only.


PMIs Persist Past Softening Seasonals

By Phil Rush

  • The PMIs proved surprisingly resilient in the flash releases for July, especially in the US where its already high level pushed up further rather than converge down to its peers.
  • Residual seasonality should be depressing the activity data, as appears to have occurred in the EA. Other US data softened, including the ISM, leaving the PMI as an outlier.
  • Central banks seem set to conclude that policy is still tight amid broader softening signals. Indeed, we still expect the Fed to start a short rate-cutting cycle in September.

Southern Copper (SCCO US) Concall Highlights: Great Q2 2024, FY24 Production Guide Up

By Sameer Taneja

  • Southern Copper (SCCO US) posted a 6% EBITDA beat and a 17% EPS beat buoyed by higher pricing of copper and by-products
  • Sales/EBITDA/Profit increased by 35.5%/61%/72% YoY. It also guided a positive outlook for copper, highlighting a tightening of the physical market boding well for future quarters. 
  • The board paid a 1.20 USD/share quarterly dividend in 50:50 scrip/cash. It will probably continue this practice, considering the elevated capex/ debt repayment of 500 mn USD in April 2025.

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Daily Brief Australia: Iron Ore, Alkane Resources and more

By | Australia, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • [Iron Options Weekly 2024/29] China’s Plenary Meeting and Rate Cut Fail to Enthuse Iron Ore Markets
  • Alkane Resources – Kaiser a winner


[Iron Options Weekly 2024/29] China’s Plenary Meeting and Rate Cut Fail to Enthuse Iron Ore Markets

By Pranay Yadav

  • The lack of specific stimulus from China’s 3rd plenary meeting and minor rate cuts led to a 2.5% decline in iron ore prices, highlighting market disappointment.
  • Despite a 13.7% MoM increase in iron ore imports, market concerns arise from stockpile accumulation rather than domestic consumption, suggesting potential future import slowdown.
  • SGX Iron Ore options showed a bearish trend with a weekly volume put/call ratio of 2.1 and notable put option increases for September and October expiries, indicating market pessimism.

Alkane Resources – Kaiser a winner

By Edison Investment Research

Since our last update note on 20 May, Alkane has announced 1) the results of its scoping study on the Boda-Kaiser project, 2) FY24 production of 57,217oz Au at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) guidance of A$2,150–2,350/oz, 3) an updated five-year mining plan at Tomingley and 4) regional exploration results from the Northern Molong Porphyry Project (NMPP). This note updates our valuation of the company for each of these developments, of which the most important are the results of the Boda-Kaiser scoping study.


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Daily Brief Singapore: Yeo Hiap Seng, Comfortdelgro Corp and more

By | Daily Briefs, Singapore

In today’s briefing:

  • Yeo Hiap Seng (YHS SP): Healthy Drinks, Thirsty Shareholders
  • ESG Brew with ComfortDelGro’s Group Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer: ‘Our transition to cleaner energy vehicles will be a game-changer’


Yeo Hiap Seng (YHS SP): Healthy Drinks, Thirsty Shareholders

By Devi Subhakesan

  • Yeo Hiap Seng(YHS SP) , known for its Yeo’s brand of Asian/health drinks, trades near its 52-week low at SGD 0.55, despite having financial assets and cash worth SGD 0.44/share.
  • With limited guidance on reinvestment/growth opportunities and management’s stance against returning cash to shareholders, the stock trades around dividend yield, now at 3.6%.
  • Over the past decade, the stock has lost 75% of its value, and management must take decisive actions to enhance long-term shareholder value.

ESG Brew with ComfortDelGro’s Group Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer: ‘Our transition to cleaner energy vehicles will be a game-changer’

By Geoff Howie

  • ESG Brew with ComfortDelGro’s Group Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer: ‘Our transition to cleaner energy vehicles will be a game-changer’ Land transport operator ComfortDelGro is switching its fleet of over 40,000 vehicles in 12 countries to cleaner energy ones as part of its sustainability drive.
  • Jong explains: “We operate in 12 countries with a total fleet of over 40,000 vehicles spanning taxis, buses, trains and more.

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Daily Brief United States: Apollo Global Management , Chevron Corp, Amer Sports , Meta Platforms (Facebook), Guess? Inc, Axon Enterprise , iShares Russell 2000 ETF, USD, JAKKS Pacific , Ainos and more

By | Daily Briefs, United States

In today’s briefing:

  • Sep24 S&P500 Index Rebal – Two Changes Expected; $6bn One-Way Flow and Two Spinoffs?
  • [Earnings Preview] Weak Refining Margins and Gas Prices Dampen Chevron’s Q2 Earnings Outlook
  • Amer Sports IPO Lock-Up Expiry – PE Investor Might Look to Trim US$750m Stake
  • [Q2 Earnings Preview] Meta’s Ad Revenues Expected to Surge, But Rising Spend Remains a Concern
  • GES: Snapping the Store: Summer Begins to Sizzle; Reiterate Buy, $37 PT
  • Axon: Stunning The Competition – [Business Breakdowns, EP.175]
  • Monitoring Small- Vs. Large-Caps and Growth Vs. Value; $SPX, $QQQ in Pullback Mode
  • Global Rates, US Credit: Spreadbites Spreads, Politics, and the Consumer
  • JAKK: 2Q Preview: Setting up for Success; Reiterate Buy Rating, $24 PT
  • Ainos, Inc. – Veldona Animal Study Enrolls First Subject, Marking a Good Start


Sep24 S&P500 Index Rebal – Two Changes Expected; $6bn One-Way Flow and Two Spinoffs?

By Travis Lundy

  • The S&P 500 index tracks the 500 largest names listed in the US and it is one of the most highly-tracked indices in the world.
  • In this insight, we take a look at the upcoming constituent changes in the run up to the September 2024 index rebal event.
  • We expect two regular changes during September. More interestingly, a couple of SP500 members are working on spin-offs which could trigger some high-impact deletions over the next few months.

[Earnings Preview] Weak Refining Margins and Gas Prices Dampen Chevron’s Q2 Earnings Outlook

By Suhas Reddy

  • Chevron’s Q2 revenue is set to dip 0.6% YoY, with EPS projected to drop 4.5% YoY on the back of lower refinery margins and natural gas prices.
  • Higher Brent crude prices and strong production may help Chevron partially offset Q2’s challenges.
  • Unplanned downtime at two Australian LNG plants during Q2 raises concerns about a drop in production.

Amer Sports IPO Lock-Up Expiry – PE Investor Might Look to Trim US$750m Stake

By Sumeet Singh

  • Amer Sports (AS US) raised around US$1.3bn in its US IPO in Feb 2024, after pricing its IPO below its initial range.
  • Amer Sports is a sports and outdoor brands company making clothing and other sporting equipment for use in snow sports, running, climbing, baseball, american football, tennis and other sports.
  • In this note, we talk about the upcoming lock-up expiry and deal dynamics.

[Q2 Earnings Preview] Meta’s Ad Revenues Expected to Surge, But Rising Spend Remains a Concern

By Uttkarsh Kohli

  • Meta is expected to report a 58% YoY increase in EPS to $4.71, with revenue climbing 20% YoY to $38.29B, driven by robust ad performance.
  • Meta plans a 20% cut in Reality Labs’ budget through 2026, aiming to save $3B while shifting focus to upcoming hardware production.
  • In Q1, increased daily active users and a 6% rise in average ad prices have boosted Meta’s ad revenue, despite heightened competition and regulatory pressures. Likely to continue.

GES: Snapping the Store: Summer Begins to Sizzle; Reiterate Buy, $37 PT

By Small Cap Consumer Research

  • We are reiterating our Buy rating, $37 price target and projections for Guess?
  • after visiting stores in Long Island and the Metropolitan New York City area.
  • With the return of hot and humid weather, we believe Guess?

Axon: Stunning The Competition – [Business Breakdowns, EP.175]

By Business Breakdowns

  • Axon sells a public safety technology ecosystem that includes three main product groups, TASERs, body-worn cameras and other sensors, and evidence software, amongst a host of other software services, including virtual reality training.
  • Axon’s solutions really seek to solve three of the biggest problems facing public safety, too many officers and too many suspects are dying from gunshots.
  • Axon solves for this is as the monopoly provider of TASERs globally. A TASER can be used as an alternative to firearms to temporarily incapacitate a suspect so that they may be restrained with a much, much lower chance of doing physical harm.

This content is sourced through publicly available sources and has been machine generated. Information displayed is for general informational purposes only.


Monitoring Small- Vs. Large-Caps and Growth Vs. Value; $SPX, $QQQ in Pullback Mode

By Joe Jasper

  • Breadth has expanded significantly in recent weeks with the Russell 2000 (IWM) breaking above major 2.5-year resistance at $210; $210 is now critical support moving forward.
  • Technology/Large-Cap growth/Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) has consolidated after getting extended, and with June 12 gap support on QQQ getting filled/breaking today, it appears this pullback is likely to continue.
  • The SPX is breaking its 20-day MA. June 12th gap at 5375-5409 is potential support, but it appears a pullback in the SPX and QQQ may be headed to 5191/$449.

Global Rates, US Credit: Spreadbites Spreads, Politics, and the Consumer

By At Any Rate

  • Credit spreads have traded in a tight range despite various market events
  • High yield spreads have tightened throughout the month
  • Macro factors like growth, inflation, and Fed policies are more important for credit markets than the political environment

This content is sourced through publicly available sources and has been machine generated. Information displayed is for general informational purposes only.


JAKK: 2Q Preview: Setting up for Success; Reiterate Buy Rating, $24 PT

By Small Cap Consumer Research

  • We are reiterating our Buy rating, projections and $24 price target for JAKKS Pacific with the company announcing 2Q24 (June) results after the close on Wednesday.
  • While we do not expect, nor have we projected, a strong 2Q, we do believe management will be upbeat on a number of key fronts, including: 1) Cleaning up inventory levels in anticipation of Holiday strength and new launches; 2) gearing up for more normalized Halloween costume demand; 3) initial launches for The Simpsons lines to key domestic and international retailers; 4) progress on the international expansion front; 5) the initial shipments for the Authentic Brands partnership and 6) potential demand for Moana 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Holiday movies.
  • Further, we expect the balance sheet has remained debt free, cash rich and management will provide an update on potential return to shareholders.

Ainos, Inc. – Veldona Animal Study Enrolls First Subject, Marking a Good Start

By Water Tower Research

  • Enrolled first subject in feline oral disease study, paving way for animal health opportunity.
  • The randomized, double- blind Veldona animal study will enroll 30 cats with feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) at a single Taiwan clinical site.
  • Two dosage groups, a low dose (6,000 IU) and high dose (12,000 IU), will be evaluated. The first enrolled subject will be dosed later this week. 

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Daily Brief South Korea: Doosan Bobcat Inc, K Bank, Jeisys Medical, Shinsung Tongsang, LS Electric, Hanwha Corporation, Samsung Biologics and more

By | Daily Briefs, South Korea

In today’s briefing:

  • FSS Orders Doosan Group to Resubmit the Merger Plan – “Merger Plan Is Not Illegal, But Is It Fair?”
  • Korea’s New IPO Bookbuilding & Lockup Results Disclosure Rule, Effective from August
  • Clarifications Regarding the FSS’s Unexpected Revision Request for the Doosan Mergers
  • Archimed Group Plans to Conduct a Second Tender Offer for Jeisys Medical
  • Shinsung Tongsang: Tender Offer Fails and How to Take Away Customers From Uniqlo
  • KOSPI Size Indices: Outperformance Slows on Momentum Stalls
  • Hanwha Energy Acquires An Additional 5.2% of Hanwha Corp Through a Tender Offer
  • Samsung Biologics (207940 KS): Strong 2Q24 Result; Annual Revenue to Surpass KRW4 Trillion


FSS Orders Doosan Group to Resubmit the Merger Plan – “Merger Plan Is Not Illegal, But Is It Fair?”

By Douglas Kim

  • On 24 July, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) ordered the Doosan Group to resubmit the merger plan. 
  • It is rare for FSS to reject companies’ merger reports but there has been an exception this time since this deal is egregiously negative to many minority investors.
  • Doosan Group needs to resubmit a revised merger plan within next three months. Otherwise, the securities report involving the merger plan of the Doosan Group companies will be considered withdrawn. 

Korea’s New IPO Bookbuilding & Lockup Results Disclosure Rule, Effective from August

By Sanghyun Park

  • FSS’s leaked IPO guidelines include new, highly attention-grabbing additions: specifically, the disclosure of extra information from the bookbuilding and lockup results not mentioned in May.
  • Institutions submitting prices outside the indicative band must be disclosed by KRX investor type. Additionally, average placed price information for lockup-pledged investors must be disclosed.
  • FSS will distribute new IPO guidelines this week and apply them from next month. Major IPOs like K Bank must disclose more detailed bookbuilding and lockup results, impacting trading dynamics.

Clarifications Regarding the FSS’s Unexpected Revision Request for the Doosan Mergers

By Sanghyun Park

  • The FSS requested Doosan Robotics to revise the prospectuses for both the Share Swap with Doosan Bobcat and Merger with Doosan Enerbility.
  • Although the FSS’s wording seems aggressive, it does not request the cancellation. Authorities are displeased but lack political momentum to derail Doosan’s restructuring.
  • The FSS asks Doosan to clarify merger synergies, warn of Robotics’ overvalued stock price and potential decline, and highlight the collaborative robot market’s growth risks.

Archimed Group Plans to Conduct a Second Tender Offer for Jeisys Medical

By Douglas Kim

  • In the first tender offer, 42.5 million shares of Jeisys Medical were purchased by Archimed Group. Post tender offer, Archimed now owns an 82.1% stake in Jeisys Medical. 
  • On 24 July, it was announced that Archimed will be conducting a second tender offer for Jeisys Medical. The second tender offer will be made for 17.2% of common shares.
  • It could be difficult for Archimed to gain more than 95% stake at the end of the second tender offer. Rather, a third tender offer is likely in 2025.

Shinsung Tongsang: Tender Offer Fails and How to Take Away Customers From Uniqlo

By Douglas Kim

  • Shinsung Tongsang shares rose 10% to 2,510 won today after it was announced that the tender offer failed. Basically, the tender offer failed because the tender offer price was too low. 
  • Only 26% of the 31.664 million shares responded to the tender offer. Accordingly, the shareholding ratio of Chairman Yeom and his related parties increased from 77.98% to 83.88%. 
  • Top Ten has benefited from executing its strategy well (such as employing Lee Na-Young in advertisements to grab customers from Uniqlo). Overall, we remain positive on Shinsung Tongsang.

KOSPI Size Indices: Outperformance Slows on Momentum Stalls

By Brian Freitas

  • The review period for the September rebalance of the KOSPI Size Indices commenced on 1 June and will end on 31 August.
  • We see 8 migrations from MidCap to LargeCap, 1 new addition to LargeCap, 11 stocks moving from SmallCap to MidCap and 3 new additions to MidCap.
  • There are a few stocks that are expected to have passive flows from global and local index trackers over the next few months and that will add to the impact.

Hanwha Energy Acquires An Additional 5.2% of Hanwha Corp Through a Tender Offer

By Douglas Kim

  • After the market close on 24 July, Hanwha Corporation (000880 KS) announced that Hanwha Energy secured an additional 5.2% stake in Hanwha Corp through a tender offer.
  • A total of 3.9 million shares have been applied for the tender offer as of 24 July (65% of targeted amount). 
  • We believe that the Hanwha Group is likely to grab more shares in Hanwha Corp through an additional tender offer sometime in the next 6-12 months. 

Samsung Biologics (207940 KS): Strong 2Q24 Result; Annual Revenue to Surpass KRW4 Trillion

By Tina Banerjee

  • In 2Q24, Samsung Biologics (207940 KS) reported 34% YoY revenue growth to KRW1,157B, driven by full utilization of Plants 1–3, ramp-up of Plant 4, milestone payment, and favorable Fx.
  • The company expects annual revenue to exceed KRW4T mark this year, thereby setting a record for the Korean pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector.
  • During 1H24, Samsung Biologics has secured order worth of KRW2.6T. Currently, the company is serving 16 out of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies, up from 14 last year.

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Daily Brief China: CPMC Holdings, WH Group, ENN Natural Gas and more

By | China, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • CPMC Holdings (906 HK): Decisions, Decisions as Changping Industrial’s Offer Set to Open
  • CPMC Holdings (906.HK) Privatization Update – The Story Behind the Delay of Offer Document Despatch
  • Technically Speaking, Breakouts and Breakdowns: HONG KONG (July 24)
  • Morning Views Asia: ENN Natural Gas


CPMC Holdings (906 HK): Decisions, Decisions as Changping Industrial’s Offer Set to Open

By Arun George

  • On 15 July, the precondition for Changping Industrial’s HK$6.87 offer for CPMC Holdings (906 HK) was satisfied, but the despatch of the offer document was delayed until or before 30 July.
  • Since ORG Technology Co., Ltd. A (002701 CH) announced its HK$7.21 offer on 7 June, the shares have traded above Changping Industrial’s offer on all but bar one trading day
  • Changping Industrial has three options: launch at unchanged terms (low probability), match ORG’s offer (medium probability) or bump marginally higher than ORG’s offer (high probability).

CPMC Holdings (906.HK) Privatization Update – The Story Behind the Delay of Offer Document Despatch

By Xinyao (Criss) Wang

  • Since all the Pre-Conditions have been fulfilled, Baosteel has taken a solid step towards the successful acquisition of CPMC. Comparatively, ORG could encounter resistance and uncertainties in the upcoming process.
  • The acquisition of CPMC by ORG cannot be completed by ORG and Zhang Wei alone.Without the “nod” of COFCO/SASAC, what ORG’s going to do is equivalent to a “hostile takeover”. 
  • ORG’s acquisition of control of CPMC could go against the national strategy of “building strong alliances between SOEs”. In fact, what ORG wants is for Baosteel to raise its Offer.

Technically Speaking, Breakouts and Breakdowns: HONG KONG (July 24)

By David Mudd

  • BYD (1211 HK) shares had a breakout relative to the MSCI China index and showing good momentum during the low volume days of summer. 
  • POWER ASSETS HOLDINGS (6 HK) has shown a breakout relative to MSCI Hong Kong with a defensive business and 5%+ dividend yield.
  • WH GROUP (288 HK) has also shown a breakout relative to the MSCI Hong Kong after its announcement of the spinoff of Smithfield Foods in the US.

Morning Views Asia: ENN Natural Gas

By Leonard Law, CFA

Lucror Analytics Morning Views comprise our fundamental credit analysis, opinions and trade recommendations on high yield issuers in the region, based on key company-specific developments in the past 24 hours. Our Morning Views include a section with a brief market commentary, key market indicators and a macroeconomic and corporate event calendar.


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Daily Brief India: Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, Bandhan Bank Ltd and more

By | Daily Briefs, India

In today’s briefing:

  • Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Pre-IPO – Profitable but Needs to Scale up More
  • NIFTY Bank Index Rebalance Preview: Bandhan Bank Facing Double Deletion


Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Pre-IPO – Profitable but Needs to Scale up More

By Ethan Aw

  • Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (0200361D IN) is looking to raise up to US$239m in its upcoming India IPO. 
  • Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (ADP) is a pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) offering a comprehensive range of pharmaceutical products and services in India and overseas.
  • In this note, we talk about the company’s historical performance.

NIFTY Bank Index Rebalance Preview: Bandhan Bank Facing Double Deletion

By Brian Freitas


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Daily Brief Japan: Tohokushinsha Film, Timee Inc, Jafco Co Ltd, Ono Sokki, Canon Marketing Japan, Sanyo Trading, Pca Corp and more

By | Daily Briefs, Japan

In today’s briefing:

  • Tohokushinsha (2329 JP) – 3D Investment Partners Proposes Take-Private
  • Timee IPO Trading – Garnered a Strong Demand, Should Pop
  • Jafco Co Ltd (8595 JP): Q1 FY03/25 flash update
  • Ono Sokki (6858 JP): 1H FY12/24 flash update
  • Canon Marketing Japan (8060 JP): 1H FY12/24 flash update
  • Sanyo Trading (3176) – Multifaceted Strategy for Growth
  • Pca Corp (9629 JP): Q1 FY03/25 flash update
  • Canon Marketing (8060) – Finally Using Its Cash, But It Is Walking The Walk With No Talk Behind


Tohokushinsha (2329 JP) – 3D Investment Partners Proposes Take-Private

By Travis Lundy

  • 3D Investment Partners, known to be activist-ish-y, purchased 18% of Tohokushinsha Film (2329 JP) in the 12 months to March 2024. They started a public activism campaign in February.
  • The company has started down a better governance track, but now 3D has made a takeover proposal to Tohokushinsha, which will consider it under Special Committee.
  • There are a couple of possible outcomes here which are interesting to consider. There are no other spoilers possible except those friendly to founders and management.

Timee IPO Trading – Garnered a Strong Demand, Should Pop

By Clarence Chu

  • Timee Inc (215A JP) raised US$300m in its Japan IPO. The IPO had been a 100% secondary selldown by existing shareholders.
  • Timee operates an on-demand staffing platform that connects part-time jobseekers with businesses in Japan.
  • We have looked at the company’s past performance in our previous notes. In this note, we talk about the trading dynamics.

Jafco Co Ltd (8595 JP): Q1 FY03/25 flash update

By Shared Research

  • Revenue increased to JPY5.1bn (+7.3% YoY), with operating profit at JPY1.6bn (+171.7% YoY) and net income at JPY1.1bn (+32.6% YoY).
  • Capital gains reached JPY2.5bn (+33.2% YoY), with JPY570mn from listed shares and JPY1.9bn from unlisted shares.
  • Total investment in Q1 FY03/25 was JPY9.9bn, with JPY5.7bn for domestic VC investments and JPY4.2bn for the US.

Ono Sokki (6858 JP): 1H FY12/24 flash update

By Shared Research

  • Orders for 1H FY12/24 totaled JPY7.1bn (+27.0% YoY), with Measuring Equipment at JPY2.3bn (+14.9% YoY) and Custom Order Test Equipment and Services at JPY4.8bn (+33.7% YoY).
  • Operating loss expanded to JPY478mn, recurring loss to JPY457mn, and net profit attributable to owners of the parent was JPY884mn due to a JPY1.9bn gain from the sale of fixed assets.
  • Full-year FY12/24 forecast: Sales JPY12.5bn (+8.3% YoY), Operating profit JPY300mn (+115.8% YoY), Recurring profit JPY330mn (+61.8% YoY), Net income JPY1.6bn (+253.9% YoY).

Canon Marketing Japan (8060 JP): 1H FY12/24 flash update

By Shared Research

  • Sales rose 5.3% YoY to JPY318.9bn, driven by strong SI and IT infrastructure services; operating profit fell 3.9% YoY.
  • FY12/24 sales forecast revised to JPY650.0bn (+6.6% YoY) due to Primagest acquisition and strong IT solutions performance.
  • Segment forecasts: Consumer sales flat, Enterprise sales JPY236.2bn (+7% YoY), Professional sales JPY44.0bn (+9% YoY).

Sanyo Trading (3176) – Multifaceted Strategy for Growth

By Astris Advisory Japan

  • Proactiveanddiversifiedapproachtogrowth–SanyoTrading continues to execute its transformation strategy toward generating sustainable growth, underlined by its key principles in its latest long- term plan ‘SANYO VISION 2028’.
  • While sales mix improvement remains a core theme to raise profitability, we believe the company is taking a multifaceted approach to generating growth through margin enhancement efforts, sales volume expansion, and earnings-accretive M&A.
  • With this, management has access to different growth levers, as the business model is inevitably influenced by economic cycles.

Pca Corp (9629 JP): Q1 FY03/25 flash update

By Shared Research

  • Q1 FY03/25 revenue was JPY3.9bn (+14.5% YoY), operating profit JPY700mn (+63.6% YoY), and net income JPY455mn (+71.1% YoY).
  • Revenue by product category: conventional software JPY156mn (-55.3% YoY), cloud services JPY2.2bn (+36.4% YoY), maintenance services JPY957mn (+14.1% YoY).
  • The company revised PCA software prices in July 2023 and will end packaged software sales by March 2024.

Canon Marketing (8060) – Finally Using Its Cash, But It Is Walking The Walk With No Talk Behind

By Travis Lundy

  • Today after the close, Canon Marketing Japan (8060 JP) announced a large Tender Offer Buyback from its parent company Canon Inc (7751 JP). Canon will tender 20mm shares (15.42%). 
  • This is a very capital efficient way to conduct a buyback from a parent, and an even better way for a parent to sell shares of a sub. 
  • This corporate action will reduce equity by 20%, and partially clean up the messy inter-company transactions which should not exist. 

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Most Read: ASM Pacific Technology, Furukawa Battery, Midea Group Co Ltd A, Apollo Global Management , Hyundai Motor India , China Tower , Tohokushinsha Film, Doosan Bobcat Inc, K Bank and more

By | Daily Briefs, Most Read

In today’s briefing:

  • HSTECH Index Rebalance Preview: ASM Pacific (522) Could Replace Ping An Health (1833); US$1bn Trade
  • Furukawa Battery (6937) – Ugly Process in Virtual Take-Under Take-Private
  • Midea Group (000333 CH): CSRC Approval ✓; IPO Size Will Depend on H-Share Discount
  • Sep24 S&P500 Index Rebal – Two Changes Expected; $6bn One-Way Flow and Two Spinoffs?
  • Hyundai Motor India Pre-IPO – Thoughts on Valuation
  • FXI Rebalance Preview: One High Probability Change; One More Possible
  • Tohokushinsha (2329 JP) – 3D Investment Partners Proposes Take-Private
  • FSS Orders Doosan Group to Resubmit the Merger Plan – “Merger Plan Is Not Illegal, But Is It Fair?”
  • Korea’s New IPO Bookbuilding & Lockup Results Disclosure Rule, Effective from August
  • Clarifications Regarding the FSS’s Unexpected Revision Request for the Doosan Mergers


HSTECH Index Rebalance Preview: ASM Pacific (522) Could Replace Ping An Health (1833); US$1bn Trade

By Brian Freitas


Furukawa Battery (6937) – Ugly Process in Virtual Take-Under Take-Private

By Travis Lundy

  • Today after the close, Advantage Partners announced the intention to launch a TOB to take over Furukawa Battery (6937 JP) at ¥1,400 – a 26% premium to last.  
  • This will require substantial time to obtain regulatory and foreign investment clearances so it is anticipated the Tender Offer will be launched at end-March 2025. I expect that is conservative.
  • The price paid to minorities is a premium. But the price paid by the buyer is actually a takeunder. And it gets worse from there. 

Midea Group (000333 CH): CSRC Approval ✓; IPO Size Will Depend on H-Share Discount

By Brian Freitas

  • The CSRC has approved Midea Group Co Ltd A (000333 CH)‘s application to issue H-shares to be listed on the HKEX (388 HK)
  • Under the approval, Midea Group Co Ltd A (000333 CH) can issue up to 650.85m shares. Depending on the H-share discount, that could raise up to HK$43.6bn (US$5.6bn).
  • The IPO is likely to be smaller and will depend on market conditions and the discount demanded on the H-shares. That in turn will determine index inclusion for the H-shares.

Sep24 S&P500 Index Rebal – Two Changes Expected; $6bn One-Way Flow and Two Spinoffs?

By Travis Lundy

  • The S&P 500 index tracks the 500 largest names listed in the US and it is one of the most highly-tracked indices in the world.
  • In this insight, we take a look at the upcoming constituent changes in the run up to the September 2024 index rebal event.
  • We expect two regular changes during September. More interestingly, a couple of SP500 members are working on spin-offs which could trigger some high-impact deletions over the next few months.

Hyundai Motor India Pre-IPO – Thoughts on Valuation

By Sumeet Singh

  • Hyundai Motor (005385 KS) is looking to raise around US$3bn via listing its India unit, Hyundai Motor India. HMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group.
  • HMI primarily manufactures and sells four-wheeler passenger vehicles and parts. Currently its vehicle portfolio includes 13 passenger vehicle models across sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and battery EVs.
  • In our previous notes, we have looked at the company’s past performance and undertaken a peer comparison. In this note, we talk about valuations.

FXI Rebalance Preview: One High Probability Change; One More Possible

By Brian Freitas


Tohokushinsha (2329 JP) – 3D Investment Partners Proposes Take-Private

By Travis Lundy

  • 3D Investment Partners, known to be activist-ish-y, purchased 18% of Tohokushinsha Film (2329 JP) in the 12 months to March 2024. They started a public activism campaign in February.
  • The company has started down a better governance track, but now 3D has made a takeover proposal to Tohokushinsha, which will consider it under Special Committee.
  • There are a couple of possible outcomes here which are interesting to consider. There are no other spoilers possible except those friendly to founders and management.

FSS Orders Doosan Group to Resubmit the Merger Plan – “Merger Plan Is Not Illegal, But Is It Fair?”

By Douglas Kim

  • On 24 July, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) ordered the Doosan Group to resubmit the merger plan. 
  • It is rare for FSS to reject companies’ merger reports but there has been an exception this time since this deal is egregiously negative to many minority investors.
  • Doosan Group needs to resubmit a revised merger plan within next three months. Otherwise, the securities report involving the merger plan of the Doosan Group companies will be considered withdrawn. 

Korea’s New IPO Bookbuilding & Lockup Results Disclosure Rule, Effective from August

By Sanghyun Park

  • FSS’s leaked IPO guidelines include new, highly attention-grabbing additions: specifically, the disclosure of extra information from the bookbuilding and lockup results not mentioned in May.
  • Institutions submitting prices outside the indicative band must be disclosed by KRX investor type. Additionally, average placed price information for lockup-pledged investors must be disclosed.
  • FSS will distribute new IPO guidelines this week and apply them from next month. Major IPOs like K Bank must disclose more detailed bookbuilding and lockup results, impacting trading dynamics.

Clarifications Regarding the FSS’s Unexpected Revision Request for the Doosan Mergers

By Sanghyun Park

  • The FSS requested Doosan Robotics to revise the prospectuses for both the Share Swap with Doosan Bobcat and Merger with Doosan Enerbility.
  • Although the FSS’s wording seems aggressive, it does not request the cancellation. Authorities are displeased but lack political momentum to derail Doosan’s restructuring.
  • The FSS asks Doosan to clarify merger synergies, warn of Robotics’ overvalued stock price and potential decline, and highlight the collaborative robot market’s growth risks.

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Daily Brief Industrials: Doosan Bobcat Inc, LS Electric, Hanwha Corporation, Timee Inc, Axon Enterprise , Comfortdelgro Corp, Sanyo Trading and more

By | Daily Briefs, Industrials

In today’s briefing:

  • FSS Orders Doosan Group to Resubmit the Merger Plan – “Merger Plan Is Not Illegal, But Is It Fair?”
  • Clarifications Regarding the FSS’s Unexpected Revision Request for the Doosan Mergers
  • KOSPI Size Indices: Outperformance Slows on Momentum Stalls
  • Hanwha Energy Acquires An Additional 5.2% of Hanwha Corp Through a Tender Offer
  • Timee IPO Trading – Garnered a Strong Demand, Should Pop
  • Axon: Stunning The Competition – [Business Breakdowns, EP.175]
  • ESG Brew with ComfortDelGro’s Group Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer: ‘Our transition to cleaner energy vehicles will be a game-changer’
  • Sanyo Trading (3176) – Multifaceted Strategy for Growth


FSS Orders Doosan Group to Resubmit the Merger Plan – “Merger Plan Is Not Illegal, But Is It Fair?”

By Douglas Kim

  • On 24 July, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) ordered the Doosan Group to resubmit the merger plan. 
  • It is rare for FSS to reject companies’ merger reports but there has been an exception this time since this deal is egregiously negative to many minority investors.
  • Doosan Group needs to resubmit a revised merger plan within next three months. Otherwise, the securities report involving the merger plan of the Doosan Group companies will be considered withdrawn. 

Clarifications Regarding the FSS’s Unexpected Revision Request for the Doosan Mergers

By Sanghyun Park

  • The FSS requested Doosan Robotics to revise the prospectuses for both the Share Swap with Doosan Bobcat and Merger with Doosan Enerbility.
  • Although the FSS’s wording seems aggressive, it does not request the cancellation. Authorities are displeased but lack political momentum to derail Doosan’s restructuring.
  • The FSS asks Doosan to clarify merger synergies, warn of Robotics’ overvalued stock price and potential decline, and highlight the collaborative robot market’s growth risks.

KOSPI Size Indices: Outperformance Slows on Momentum Stalls

By Brian Freitas

  • The review period for the September rebalance of the KOSPI Size Indices commenced on 1 June and will end on 31 August.
  • We see 8 migrations from MidCap to LargeCap, 1 new addition to LargeCap, 11 stocks moving from SmallCap to MidCap and 3 new additions to MidCap.
  • There are a few stocks that are expected to have passive flows from global and local index trackers over the next few months and that will add to the impact.

Hanwha Energy Acquires An Additional 5.2% of Hanwha Corp Through a Tender Offer

By Douglas Kim

  • After the market close on 24 July, Hanwha Corporation (000880 KS) announced that Hanwha Energy secured an additional 5.2% stake in Hanwha Corp through a tender offer.
  • A total of 3.9 million shares have been applied for the tender offer as of 24 July (65% of targeted amount). 
  • We believe that the Hanwha Group is likely to grab more shares in Hanwha Corp through an additional tender offer sometime in the next 6-12 months. 

Timee IPO Trading – Garnered a Strong Demand, Should Pop

By Clarence Chu

  • Timee Inc (215A JP) raised US$300m in its Japan IPO. The IPO had been a 100% secondary selldown by existing shareholders.
  • Timee operates an on-demand staffing platform that connects part-time jobseekers with businesses in Japan.
  • We have looked at the company’s past performance in our previous notes. In this note, we talk about the trading dynamics.

Axon: Stunning The Competition – [Business Breakdowns, EP.175]

By Business Breakdowns

  • Axon sells a public safety technology ecosystem that includes three main product groups, TASERs, body-worn cameras and other sensors, and evidence software, amongst a host of other software services, including virtual reality training.
  • Axon’s solutions really seek to solve three of the biggest problems facing public safety, too many officers and too many suspects are dying from gunshots.
  • Axon solves for this is as the monopoly provider of TASERs globally. A TASER can be used as an alternative to firearms to temporarily incapacitate a suspect so that they may be restrained with a much, much lower chance of doing physical harm.

This content is sourced through publicly available sources and has been machine generated. Information displayed is for general informational purposes only.


ESG Brew with ComfortDelGro’s Group Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer: ‘Our transition to cleaner energy vehicles will be a game-changer’

By Geoff Howie

  • ESG Brew with ComfortDelGro’s Group Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer: ‘Our transition to cleaner energy vehicles will be a game-changer’ Land transport operator ComfortDelGro is switching its fleet of over 40,000 vehicles in 12 countries to cleaner energy ones as part of its sustainability drive.
  • Jong explains: “We operate in 12 countries with a total fleet of over 40,000 vehicles spanning taxis, buses, trains and more.

Sanyo Trading (3176) – Multifaceted Strategy for Growth

By Astris Advisory Japan

  • Proactiveanddiversifiedapproachtogrowth–SanyoTrading continues to execute its transformation strategy toward generating sustainable growth, underlined by its key principles in its latest long- term plan ‘SANYO VISION 2028’.
  • While sales mix improvement remains a core theme to raise profitability, we believe the company is taking a multifaceted approach to generating growth through margin enhancement efforts, sales volume expansion, and earnings-accretive M&A.
  • With this, management has access to different growth levers, as the business model is inevitably influenced by economic cycles.

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