Japan/Asia Long-Short, LightStream Research

Mio Kato

Over 15 years analysing Japanese and Asian stocks from a long/short perspective

I focus on cyclically driven sectors such as Gaming, Factory Automation and Autos

An eclectic background as a long-short analyst, upper management at a financial data startup through its listing, and as the founder of a team analysing big/alternative data, all of which supports independent and differentiated views... we hope

An appreciation for Mathematics drives the development of a "Micro-Quantamental" process which can provide a data-driven, historically-informed and semi-automated foundation upon which to layer more qualitative and judgemental analysis, thus improving investment decision-making speed and accuracy

Japan/Asia Long-Short

Digital Payments in India - Not a Distant Dream

Update: Revival of Key Sectors Seen as Demonetisation Blues Fade Away

Japanese and Asian equity long/short strategies

Uzabase

Specialising in Japanese and Asian equity long/short strategies with a focus on rigorous, but targeted quantitative analysis to temper evaluations of company strategy, potential and vision. At Uzabase, our team of analysts provides coverage of industry dynamics with a local Asian flavour on Speeda, our financial information platform. Going forward we are aiming to channel our focus toward thematic research on emerging industries and company research.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

"Give me 50 days over scrapped notes, punish me if problems persist: Modi” “Don’t go to India now.” These words echoed in my head as I queued up to exchange my Yen to INR at a Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency exchange counter inside IGI Airport, New Delhi. It was Day 30 since demonetisation measures were announced and Modi’s above statement had instilled in me some credence that my trip to India wouldn’t be as hazardous as people made it seem.I was one of the first out of the airplane and glided past immigration. I ran straight to the Thomas Cook counters where there was a “No Cash” sign hanging, despite which people were queuing. After 45 minutes of waiting at the PNB counter they informed us of a similar situation. I walked out of arrivals and straight to the Airtel stall to purchase a local sim using my credit card. But they would accept only cash. Surprising for a company that is foraying into digital banking. I turned on my international roaming and tried to hail an Uber but it requires a local phone number for verification. I walked towards the cab counters - Meru, Mega, EasyCabs and Carzonrent. None of them would accept credit cards, but they did accept transactions through local payment services like PayTM and others. It seemed illogical for these services to even be available at an international terminal. Finally it was a rickety yellow and black cab service run by the Delhi Police that got me to my destination, three hours after clearing immigration. I wish my tryst with demonetisation had ended there but I continued to endure the plight of millions of Indians over the course of my stay. Like many others, I pondered over the ulterior motive of the government and decided to look into the questions most people around the world would pose to the upper echelons.

"Give me 50 days over scrapped notes, punish me if problems persist: Modi” “Don’t go to India now.” These words echoed in my head as I queued up to exchange my Yen to INR at a Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency exchange counter inside IGI Airport, New Delhi. It was Day 30 since demonetisation measures were announced and Modi’s above statement had instilled in me some credence that my trip to India wouldn’t be as hazardous as people made it seem.I was one of the first out of the airplane and glided past immigration. I ran straight to the Thomas Cook counters where there was a “No Cash” sign hanging, despite which people were queuing. After 45 minutes of waiting at the PNB counter they informed us of a similar situation. I walked out of arrivals and straight to the Airtel stall to purchase a local sim using my credit card. But they would accept only cash. Surprising for a company that is foraying into digital banking. I turned on my international roaming and tried to hail an Uber but it requires a local phone number for verification. I walked towards the cab counters - Meru, Mega, EasyCabs and Carzonrent. None of them would accept credit cards, but they did accept transactions through local payment services like PayTM and others. It seemed illogical for these services to even be available at an international terminal. Finally it was a rickety yellow and black cab service run by the Delhi Police that got me to my destination, three hours after clearing immigration. I wish my tryst with demonetisation had ended there but I continued to endure the plight of millions of Indians over the course of my stay. Like many others, I pondered over the ulterior motive of the government and decided to look into the questions most people around the world would pose to the upper echelons.

T+50 Days: Demonetisation – A Calamity or a Blessing in Disguise?