Daily Japan: Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate and more

In this briefing:

1. Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate
2. Yaskawa Electric: We Are Probably Now Close to the Bottom for This LT Structural Growth Story
3. Much Ado About Credit
4. Ayala Corp Placement – Selldown by Mitsubishi Likely to Reignite Overhang Worries
5. Tsuruha Holdings/Toyota Motor Pair on a Stronger JPY

1. Mapletree Industrial Trust Deal Underscores Data Centres’ Impact on Global Industrial Real Estate

• While the amount of real estate needed by data centres is small in comparison with the volumes required for e-commerce, we are seeing that data centres are also impacting the market for industrial real estate in locations around the world. 
• Cloud and mobile computing, plus the Internet of Things are driving demand in the data center industry. According to Cushman & Wakefield, revenue growth at multi-tenant data centres will be 12% to 14% each year for the next two to five years.
• The data centres industry is having, and is positioned to continue to have, a material positive impact on pricing for industrial real estate in many markets around the world. 
• Real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield evaluated ten Asia Pacific markets for a range of factors. Singapore emerged as one of the two most attractive Asia Pacific locations for data centres. Over the past five months, Singapore has seen more than its share of significant data centre announcements. Most recently, Mapletree Industrial Trust disclosed that it would lease one of its buildings to global data centre company Equinix for 25 years.

2. Yaskawa Electric: We Are Probably Now Close to the Bottom for This LT Structural Growth Story

Following Yaskawa’s second downward revision at 3Q earnings, we are shifting towards a more positive stance on the stock, even from a long-term perspective. We had been negative on the stock from late 2017 and as the stock tumbled we maintained that it was still too early buy for the long-term, though by mid-late 2018 we did (incorrectly) feel that there was the potential for a short term rally due to the severity of underperformance.

With the stock selling off harshly in the recent market fall but rebounding following its weak earnings we feel that much of the bad news is now priced in and expectations have corrected to the point where this is once again interesting on the long side.

3. Much Ado About Credit

• Global financing conditions could tighten further
• Credit demand is deteriorating; credit risks are rising; Eurodollar costs are edging higher
• A de-escalation in trade tensions and a Fed pause could ease the pain
• Will Fed recently turning more dovish (possible shift to slower QT & Fed rate cut in 2019?) + concomitant USD drift provide sufficient respite to put a floor under risk assets?

4. Ayala Corp Placement – Selldown by Mitsubishi Likely to Reignite Overhang Worries

Mitsubishi Corp (8058 JP) is looking to sell 9m shares of Ayala Corporation (AC PM) for approximately US$155m. Post-placement, Mitsubishi Corp will still hold 7.2% of Ayala Corp if the upsize option is not exercised.

The deal scores poorly on our framework owing to its the large deal size relative to its three-month ADV. The company is also slightly more leveraged than its peers. However, it was offset by cheaper valuation and a strong track record. 

But, our deal breaker here is the fact that the selldown one year after 2018’s selldown may signal that Mitsubishi Corp. may return to sell more on the market again in the near-term. While Mitsubishi, in the past, has reaffirmed that their partnership with AC will likely continue, it should not serve as a reassurance that it will continue to hold shares in AC.

5. Tsuruha Holdings/Toyota Motor Pair on a Stronger JPY

Running thorough ideas presented by Campbell Gunn in his stronger yen insight Japan: What to Buy & Sell if the ¥ Rises to 90 , we found a compelling pair trade set up in the form of long Tsuruha Holdings (3391 JP) and short Toyota Motor (7203 JP) as the relative chart is moving into an exhaustive low that sets up a good reaction rise to the tune of 20%.

In absolute terms we see Toyota Motor moving into a top while Tsuruha shows risk of a final low to work into this pair position but has a very compelling bullish chart set up as Toyota fade from resistance.