Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>Today, the day before the previously extended <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/m3-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13316:1" rel="noopener">M3 Inc (2413 JP)</a> Partial Tender Offer for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/benefit-one-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:14502:1" rel="noopener">Benefit One Inc (2412 JP)</a> was due to expire, M3 extended it another 20 days.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/dai-ichi-life-insurance" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1109:1" rel="noopener">Dai Ichi Life Insurance (8750 JP)</a> several days ago extended their expected start date by weeks - from mid-January to early February. </li>
<li>The wording in the new <a href="https://corporate.m3.com/assets.ctfassets.net/1pwj74siywcy/4uecKStlttjhRmZYyPSB6C/944bc5119e67c0b1780c24aac8936476/Public_E_20240116.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document</a> from M3 is curious. It bears examination. As does the strategy positioning and choice of each of the participants. </li>
</ul>


Today, the day before the previously extended M3 Inc (2413 JP) Partial Tender Offer for Benefit One Inc (2412 JP) was due to expire, M3 extended it another 20 days.

Dai Ichi Life Insurance (8750 JP) several days ago extended their expected start date by weeks - from mid-January to early February. 
The wording in the new document from M3 is curious. It bears examination. As does the strategy positioning and choice of each of the participants. 


<ul>
<li>Today, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/dai-ichi-life-insurance" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1109:1" rel="noopener">Dai Ichi Life Insurance (8750 JP)</a>  announced a proposed counter/over-bid for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/benefit-one-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:14502:1" rel="noopener">Benefit One Inc (2412 JP)</a>. ¥1800/share for minorities and a better (undefined) outcome for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pasona-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15778:1" rel="noopener">Pasona Group (2168 JP)</a>. </li>
<li>This throws the cat amongst the pigeons as it is unsolicited, for 100% not just to get Pasona's stake, and it will require Benefit One recommend or not.</li>
<li>For Pasona, this deal <em>structure</em> would likely increase the net result from the stake sale, possibly substantially so. It's in the details. </li>
</ul>


Today, Dai Ichi Life Insurance (8750 JP)  announced a proposed counter/over-bid for Benefit One Inc (2412 JP). ¥1800/share for minorities and a better (undefined) outcome for Pasona Group (2168 JP). 
This throws the cat amongst the pigeons as it is unsolicited, for 100% not just to get Pasona's stake, and it will require Benefit One recommend or not.
For Pasona, this deal structure would likely increase the net result from the stake sale, possibly substantially so. It's in the details. 


New Deal for Benefit One (2168) Could Mean Lots More Money for Pasona (2168)

<ul>
<li>Today post-close, life insurer <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/dai-ichi-life-insurance" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1109:1" rel="noopener">Dai Ichi Life Insurance (8750 JP)</a> announced plans to launch a Tender Offer to buy out all minorities in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/benefit-one-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:14502:1" rel="noopener">Benefit One Inc (2412 JP)</a> at ¥1,800/share. </li>
<li>M3's Partial (55%) Tender at ¥1,600/share ending next week is obviously a question. </li>
<li>This is GREAT news for M&amp;A in Japan. It's good for holders of Benefit One and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pasona-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15778:1" rel="noopener">Pasona Group (2168 JP)</a> too.</li>
</ul>


Today post-close, life insurer Dai Ichi Life Insurance (8750 JP) announced plans to launch a Tender Offer to buy out all minorities in Benefit One Inc (2412 JP) at ¥1,800/share. 
M3's Partial (55%) Tender at ¥1,600/share ending next week is obviously a question. 
This is GREAT news for M&amp;A in Japan. It's good for holders of Benefit One and Pasona Group (2168 JP) too.


Dai-Ichi Life (8750) Proposes a Full Takeover of Benefit One (2412), Overbidding M3

TSE Tokyo Price Index TOPIX / Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>In April 2022, after long prep and considerable public comment as to desires and design, the TSE launched its new market segments designed to encourage governance and foreign investment.</li>
<li>At the time, the TSE wanted to showcase Japan's best blue chips. In March, JPX announced JPX Prime 150, designed to make visible</li>
<li>In March 2023, JPX announced JPX Prime 150, to "make visible the leading Japanese companies that are estimated to create value." Ambitious? Yes. Fated to fail? Probably. Badly constructed?  Definitely. </li>
</ul>


In April 2022, after long prep and considerable public comment as to desires and design, the TSE launched its new market segments designed to encourage governance and foreign investment.
At the time, the TSE wanted to showcase Japan's best blue chips. In March, JPX announced JPX Prime 150, designed to make visible
In March 2023, JPX announced JPX Prime 150, to "make visible the leading Japanese companies that are estimated to create value." Ambitious? Yes. Fated to fail? Probably. Badly constructed?  Definitely. 


The TSE's New 'Better' Index:  JPX Prime 150

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

iShares MSCI ACWI ETF / Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>With the MSCI ACWI (ACWI-US) approaching the top-end of our expected 2023 trading range at $93, we see limited upside from here, and we believe caution is warranted.</li>
<li>We want to remain overweight Europe and the UK, but we prefer to buy only on pullbacks.</li>
<li>The Hang Seng and MSCI China (MCHI-US) are both getting rejected at their important resistances discussed last week, and we would expect to see a basing process develop below resistance.</li>
</ul>


With the MSCI ACWI (ACWI-US) approaching the top-end of our expected 2023 trading range at $93, we see limited upside from here, and we believe caution is warranted.
We want to remain overweight Europe and the UK, but we prefer to buy only on pullbacks.
The Hang Seng and MSCI China (MCHI-US) are both getting rejected at their important resistances discussed last week, and we would expect to see a basing process develop below resistance.


Caution Warranted; ACWI-US At $93 Resistance; Buys in Communications, Staples, Materials, Financials

Japan

The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd. underwrites and sells life, health and annuity insurance to groups and individuals. The Company offers a wide variety of insurance products to suit different needs, ranging from children's school tuition to emergency funds for the elderly.

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Dai Ichi Life Insurance (8750 JP)

Benefit One (2412): The Plot Thickens

Dai-Ichi Life extended its "expected Tender launch" by a couple of weeks about 5 days ago. That went past M3's TOB end. BenefitOne asked them to...

Travis Lundy

New Deal for Benefit One (2168) Could Mean Lots More Money for Pasona (2168)

Dai-Ichi Life proposed a full takeout of Benefit One which would lead to a different structured sale by Pasona. The structure of that sale would...

Travis Lundy

Dai-Ichi Life (8750) Proposes a Full Takeover of Benefit One (2412), Overbidding M3

Dai Ichi Life launches a last-minute overbid for all of Benefit One (2412), gazumping the M3 deal. This puts Benefit One's Board in a quandary. But...

Travis Lundy

The TSE's New 'Better' Index: JPX Prime 150

The TSE is launching a new JPX Prime 150 Index on 3 July 2023. It is 150 stocks with high PBRs and high "Equity Spread" (ROE vs cost of capital)...

Travis Lundy

Caution Warranted; ACWI-US At $93 Resistance; Buys in Communications, Staples, Materials, Financials

With the MSCI $ACWI approaching the top-end of our expected 2023 trading range at $93, we see limited upside from here and believe caution is...

Vermilion Research

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