Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/lawson-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1040:1" rel="noopener">Lawson Inc (2651 JP)</a> acquired the upmarket supermarket operator, Seijo Ishii, in 2014 for ¥55 billion.</li>
<li>It is now considering plans for an IPO for Seijo next year following a boom in the company's fortunes during the pandemic.</li>
<li>Net profit rose 13% last year and the potential for growth remains strong given the expansion of the wealth market in Japan. </li>
</ul>



Lawson Inc (2651 JP) acquired the upmarket supermarket operator, Seijo Ishii, in 2014 for ¥55 billion.
It is now considering plans for an IPO for Seijo next year following a boom in the company's fortunes during the pandemic.
Net profit rose 13% last year and the potential for growth remains strong given the expansion of the wealth market in Japan. 


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

NTT (Nippon Telegraph & Telephone) / Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>On 7 April, the JPX announced the changes to the Free Float Weights (FFW) for the TOPIX Index. There are some big changes due to the updated FFW methodology.</li>
<li>From April to June, we see a one-way turnover of 2.87% and a one-way trade of ¥2,285bn. Some stocks have opposite way flows in different months.</li>
<li>Stocks with inflows outperformed stocks with outflows from Oct-Dec 2021 before giving up all the gains. These stocks have started to outperform and could continue outperforming over the next quarter.</li>
</ul>


On 7 April, the JPX announced the changes to the Free Float Weights (FFW) for the TOPIX Index. There are some big changes due to the updated FFW methodology.
From April to June, we see a one-way turnover of 2.87% and a one-way trade of ¥2,285bn. Some stocks have opposite way flows in different months.
Stocks with inflows outperformed stocks with outflows from Oct-Dec 2021 before giving up all the gains. These stocks have started to outperform and could continue outperforming over the next quarter.


TOPIX FFW Transition - Big Flows from April to June

IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

<ul>
<li>Olam Group set to replace <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/olam-international-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:765:1" rel="noopener">Olam International (OLAM SP)</a> as the listed company entity on 16 March. It consists of Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), Olam Agri and Olam International (OIL).</li>
<li>The complicated restructuring exercise which was announced in January 2020 is driven by the Board’s intent to unlock long-term shareholder value. </li>
<li>Our SoTP valuation is S$2.36 per share, which is a 34% upside to the last trading price of S$1.76 per share (9 March prior to the suspension of the shares).</li>
</ul>


Olam Group set to replace Olam International (OLAM SP) as the listed company entity on 16 March. It consists of Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), Olam Agri and Olam International (OIL).
The complicated restructuring exercise which was announced in January 2020 is driven by the Board’s intent to unlock long-term shareholder value. 
Our SoTP valuation is S$2.36 per share, which is a 34% upside to the last trading price of S$1.76 per share (9 March prior to the suspension of the shares).


Olam Group: Restructuring to Unlock Value

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Equity Bottom-Up

Posco International Corporation / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we review Warren Buffett's stakes in Japanese trading  companies and review investment opportunities in Korean trading companies amid a war between Russia and Ukraine. </li>
<li>The recent war between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in higher commodities prices. This has boosted the share prices of commodities related companies globally, including Japanese and Korean trading companies.
</li>
<li>We would focus on GS Global Corp, Hanwha Corporation, Posco International Corporation, and LX International as Korean trading companies that could continue to outperform the market amid war in Ukraine. </li>
</ul>


In this insight, we review Warren Buffett's stakes in Japanese trading  companies and review investment opportunities in Korean trading companies amid a war between Russia and Ukraine. 
The recent war between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in higher commodities prices. This has boosted the share prices of commodities related companies globally, including Japanese and Korean trading companies.

We would focus on GS Global Corp, Hanwha Corporation, Posco International Corporation, and LX International as Korean trading companies that could continue to outperform the market amid war in Ukraine. 


Buffett’s Stakes in Japanese Trading Firms & A Review of Korean Trading Firms Amid War in Ukraine

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>Market dynamics remain largely constructive and we are now seeing meaningful improvement within emerging markets (EEM-US) as the Hang Seng index displays bullish price and relative strength (RS) reversals.</li>
<li>Brent and WTI crude oil are hitting 8-year highs, base metals are bullishly inflecting, and critical supports are holding on the broad global indexes.</li>
<li>Sticking with the theme from last week when we recommended Energy and Financials, two more Sectors that stand to benefit from rising rates include Materials and Industrials/Manufacturing -- add exposure.</li>
</ul>


Market dynamics remain largely constructive and we are now seeing meaningful improvement within emerging markets (EEM-US) as the Hang Seng index displays bullish price and relative strength (RS) reversals.
Brent and WTI crude oil are hitting 8-year highs, base metals are bullishly inflecting, and critical supports are holding on the broad global indexes.
Sticking with the theme from last week when we recommended Energy and Financials, two more Sectors that stand to benefit from rising rates include Materials and Industrials/Manufacturing -- add exposure.


Sticking With Value; Buying Materials & Industrials

Japan

Mitsubishi Corporation is a general trading company.  The Company has business groups such as New Business Initiatives, IT & Electronics, Fuels, Metals, Machinery, Chemicals, Living Essentials, and Professional Services.  Mitsubishi diversifies by satellite communications through a joint venture.

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Mitsubishi Corp (8058 JP)

Lawson Considering IPO for Seijo Ishii

Lawson may arrange an IPO for its upscale supermarket subsidiary Seijo Ishii, a popular retailer which has doubled in size in the last decade and...

Michael Causton

TOPIX FFW Transition - Big Flows from April to June

Changes to the Topix FFW methodology will result in a turnover of 2.87% & trade of ¥2,285bn from April to June. There is a lot to trade on some...

Brian Freitas

Olam Group: Restructuring to Unlock Value

Olam Group set to replace Olam International as the listed company entity on 16 March. Our SoTP valuation is S$2.36 per share, which is a 34%...

Arun George

Buffett’s Stakes in Japanese Trading Firms & A Review of Korean Trading Firms Amid War in Ukraine

We would focus on GS Corp, Hanwha Corporation, Posco International Corporation, and LX International as Korean trading companies that could...

Douglas Kim

Sticking With Value; Buying Materials & Industrials

Sticking with the theme from last week when we recommended Energy and Financials, two more Sectors that stand to benefit from rising rates include...

Vermilion Research

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)