Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Index Rebalance

On Friday post market close, S&amp;P Dow Jones announced the results of the September review for the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-500" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22886:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500 (SPX INDEX)</a> that will be effective after the close of trading on 17 September.There are 3 inclusion -  <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/match-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25903:1" rel="noopener">Match Group Inc (MTCH US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ceridian-hcm-holding-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27122:1" rel="noopener">Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/brown-brown-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19532:1" rel="noopener">Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US)</a>, while the exclusions are <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unum-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2521:1" rel="noopener">Unum Group (UNM US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/national-oilwell-varco-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3046:1" rel="noopener">National Oilwell Varco (NOV US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/perrigo-co-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:869:1" rel="noopener">Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US)</a>.There are inclusions/exclusions to the S&amp;P MidCap 400 and the S&amp;P SmallCap 600 as well.The stocks with the largest impact from passive buying are <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/match-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25903:1" rel="noopener">Match Group Inc (MTCH US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tandem-diabetes-care-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20893:1" rel="noopener">Tandem Diabetes Care (TNDM US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/brown-brown-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19532:1" rel="noopener">Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US)</a>, UniqureNV (QURE US) and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ceridian-hcm-holding-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27122:1" rel="noopener">Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US)</a>.The stocks with the largest impact from passive selling are <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/united-insurance-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19222:1" rel="noopener">United Insurance Holdings (UIHC US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/team-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6811:1" rel="noopener">Team Inc (TISI US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unum-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2521:1" rel="noopener">Unum Group (UNM US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/perrigo-co-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:869:1" rel="noopener">Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/national-oilwell-varco-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3046:1" rel="noopener">National Oilwell Varco (NOV US)</a>.There are a lot of other stocks that will have a lot to buy/sell from passive funds due to changes in the number of shares and free float and due to funding flows.

On Friday post market close, S&amp;P Dow Jones announced the results of the September review for the S&amp;P 500 (SPX INDEX) that will be effective after the close of trading on 17 September.There are 3 inclusion -  Match Group Inc (MTCH US), Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US) and Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US), while the exclusions are Unum Group (UNM US), National Oilwell Varco (NOV US) and Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US).There are inclusions/exclusions to the S&amp;P MidCap 400 and the S&amp;P SmallCap 600 as well.The stocks with the largest impact from passive buying are Match Group Inc (MTCH US), Tandem Diabetes Care (TNDM US), Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US), UniqureNV (QURE US) and Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US).The stocks with the largest impact from passive selling are United Insurance Holdings (UIHC US), Team Inc (TISI US), Unum Group (UNM US), Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US) and National Oilwell Varco (NOV US).There are a lot of other stocks that will have a lot to buy/sell from passive funds due to changes in the number of shares and free float and due to funding flows.

S&P500 Index Rebalance: Swiping Right on Match

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

Stocks Highlighted: WFC, COF, DFS, GS, JEF, RJF, LIN, ALB, AKZOY, OLN, CC, CDAY, RHI, MAN, TNET, ASGN, NSP, TBI, KELYA, BBSI, DHX, BGSF, AMN, and CCRN.Cyclical value areas are starting to play catch-up as interest rates show signs of bottoming -- all kickstarted by Friday's better-than-expected employment report. We see many actionable opportunities, particularly within the Financial and Materials Sectors, and also several retail stocks within Consumer Discretionary. As we noted last week, despite mixed signals from the market, there continues to be an absence of breakdowns at the index and Sector level which supports our overall constructive outlook.

Stocks Highlighted: WFC, COF, DFS, GS, JEF, RJF, LIN, ALB, AKZOY, OLN, CC, CDAY, RHI, MAN, TNET, ASGN, NSP, TBI, KELYA, BBSI, DHX, BGSF, AMN, and CCRN.Cyclical value areas are starting to play catch-up as interest rates show signs of bottoming -- all kickstarted by Friday's better-than-expected employment report. We see many actionable opportunities, particularly within the Financial and Materials Sectors, and also several retail stocks within Consumer Discretionary. As we noted last week, despite mixed signals from the market, there continues to be an absence of breakdowns at the index and Sector level which supports our overall constructive outlook.

Cyclical Value Areas Improving -- Add Exposure To Financials, Materials

AlphaSituations-Event/Catalyst Driven Research, AlphaSituations

Robert Sassoon

AlphaSituations-Event/Catalyst Driven Research

AlphaSituations

Since its establishment, AlphaSituations has delivered a track record of outperformance with a hit rate of winners of more than 70% of its portfolio of ideas generating annualized average returns of 20%. In January 2022, AlphaSituations was contracted by Water Tower Research, an investor engagement and stakeholder communication platform to provide coverage of Special Situations

Event-Driven

Back in September 2020, amid a boom in SPAC investing that had never been seen before and against the backdrop of profitless companies (and in some cases years from actual revenue generation) being propelled to insane valuations , we published an insight effectively warning investors to be very wary and selective (cf. MergerTalk: SPACs May Have Become The Hot New Trend, But SPAC Investment Requires A Health Warning. Read more: <a href="https://skr.ma/JNmvg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://skr.ma/JNmvg</a> ). The fresh supply of SPAC IPOs in the US keeps on coming -the number of completed SPAC IPOs so far this year has already eclipsed the record total set for all of 2020 by 51% (374 vs 248)  and is well on target to surpass the number of traditional IPOs in the US for the second year running - in  2020, there were a total of 227 traditional IPOs with that number standing at 157 so far this year, well behind SPAC IPOs. In 2020, SPACs raised more cash ($83BN) than the total amount raised  over the preceding 17 years. So far in 2021, the cash raised from SPAC IPOs is already approaching 40% higher than 2021 at $114BN.However, these stats do not disguise the fact that the enthusiasm for SPACs has cooled  since mid-February. A snapshot reflection of this change in mood is the performance of the first 3 SPAC ETFs introduced to the market which began with SPAK at the beginning of October 2020.<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/219/878/original/image_45285074321626909062078.png?1626909063" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="219878"></figure>The average size of SPAC IPOs this year is 9% lower at $305MN than last year's ~$336MN. Perhaps more revealing, out of a total of 152 SPACs total that have announced business combinations and are in the process of de-SPACing, 92 (i.e., 61%) are trading below the SPAC IPO price of $10.  Of the 134 SPAC business combinations completed around one half are currently trading above the  SPAC IPO price, and many of those well below their post-merger highs.As our November insight indicates, we have been somewhat skeptical of the SPAC investment space. We believe that much of the SPAC investment frenzy witnessed in the past 18 months has was driven by  thematic interest over the more diligent scrutiny of the business combination.<blockquote>The observation is that not all SPAC mergers are created equal and that the majority are prone to value destruction.  It appears that SPAC investors are most excited about transactions in “emerging” trends such as green mobility or pandemic resistant areas such as online gaming and packaged/healthy foods rather than companies with a solid fundamental track record of revenue generation and profitability.</blockquote>Source: MergerTalk: SPACs May Have Become The Hot New Trend, But SPAC Investment Requires A Health Warning, November 2020We are not suggesting for one moment that SPAC investing is a passing fad. The SPAC investing community is a far cry from the predominantly roulette table retail investors of yesteryear. Yes, the speculative element in SPACs has been very  much in evidence over the past 18 months, but greater involvement from well established institutional investors/sponsors in the most recent SPAC wave and the prospect of more intense regulatory scrutiny following several high profile investment debacles in the past 18 months will hopefully see this investment class evolve towards greater emphasis on quality rather than quantity. As of today there remains a lot of liquidity chasing SPACs with capital searching for deals. As of today there are 305 pending IPOs, 574 active SPACs of which 425  still need to find companies with which to merge.While there is certainly a lot of chaff in the SPAC investment space, there are also hidden gems  to be uncovered. Not uncommon in thematic oriented investments, when in fashion, the rising tide raises all ships, whether seaworthy or not. By the same token, when enthusiasm wanes, even the better quality companies can get caught up in the sell-off. This is more so in an investment category where there is still limited research coverage.  Judging from the job postings we have seen, investment banks  and hedge funds are looking to build out their SPAC research capabilities, but the current dearth of quality sell-side coverage of the 100s of active SPACs creates an opportunity for those willing to put in the required research/due-diligence effort to discover potentially lucrative undervalued  businesses.In this respect,  the simple formula we would follow is to hone in on SPACs with good sponsors backed up by a strong track record, either in the process of executing an Initial Business Combination (IBC) or having recently completed business combination with a company with a fundamentally sound business and strategy, preferably supported by an established operating track record that is already delivering revenues and profitability. There may be a number of other hidden gems to uncover within the SPAC universe, in this insight, we highlight one example of a recently completed business combination which has caught our eye - <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alight-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27940:1" rel="noopener">Alight Inc (ALIT US)</a> which we believe ticks all the aforementioned boxes.

Back in September 2020, amid a boom in SPAC investing that had never been seen before and against the backdrop of profitless companies (and in some cases years from actual revenue generation) being propelled to insane valuations , we published an insight effectively warning investors to be very wary and selective (cf. MergerTalk: SPACs May Have Become The Hot New Trend, But SPAC Investment Requires A Health Warning. Read more: https://skr.ma/JNmvg ). The fresh supply of SPAC IPOs in the US keeps on coming -the number of completed SPAC IPOs so far this year has already eclipsed the record total set for all of 2020 by 51% (374 vs 248)  and is well on target to surpass the number of traditional IPOs in the US for the second year running - in  2020, there were a total of 227 traditional IPOs with that number standing at 157 so far this year, well behind SPAC IPOs. In 2020, SPACs raised more cash ($83BN) than the total amount raised  over the preceding 17 years. So far in 2021, the cash raised from SPAC IPOs is already approaching 40% higher than 2021 at $114BN.However, these stats do not disguise the fact that the enthusiasm for SPACs has cooled  since mid-February. A snapshot reflection of this change in mood is the performance of the first 3 SPAC ETFs introduced to the market which began with SPAK at the beginning of October 2020.The average size of SPAC IPOs this year is 9% lower at $305MN than last year's ~$336MN. Perhaps more revealing, out of a total of 152 SPACs total that have announced business combinations and are in the process of de-SPACing, 92 (i.e., 61%) are trading below the SPAC IPO price of $10.  Of the 134 SPAC business combinations completed around one half are currently trading above the  SPAC IPO price, and many of those well below their post-merger highs.As our November insight indicates, we have been somewhat skeptical of the SPAC investment space. We believe that much of the SPAC investment frenzy witnessed in the past 18 months has was driven by  thematic interest over the more diligent scrutiny of the business combination.The observation is that not all SPAC mergers are created equal and that the majority are prone to value destruction.  It appears that SPAC investors are most excited about transactions in “emerging” trends such as green mobility or pandemic resistant areas such as online gaming and packaged/healthy foods rather than companies with a solid fundamental track record of revenue generation and profitability.Source: MergerTalk: SPACs May Have Become The Hot New Trend, But SPAC Investment Requires A Health Warning, November 2020We are not suggesting for one moment that SPAC investing is a passing fad. The SPAC investing community is a far cry from the predominantly roulette table retail investors of yesteryear. Yes, the speculative element in SPACs has been very  much in evidence over the past 18 months, but greater involvement from well established institutional investors/sponsors in the most recent SPAC wave and the prospect of more intense regulatory scrutiny following several high profile investment debacles in the past 18 months will hopefully see this investment class evolve towards greater emphasis on quality rather than quantity. As of today there remains a lot of liquidity chasing SPACs with capital searching for deals. As of today there are 305 pending IPOs, 574 active SPACs of which 425  still need to find companies with which to merge.While there is certainly a lot of chaff in the SPAC investment space, there are also hidden gems  to be uncovered. Not uncommon in thematic oriented investments, when in fashion, the rising tide raises all ships, whether seaworthy or not. By the same token, when enthusiasm wanes, even the better quality companies can get caught up in the sell-off. This is more so in an investment category where there is still limited research coverage.  Judging from the job postings we have seen, investment banks  and hedge funds are looking to build out their SPAC research capabilities, but the current dearth of quality sell-side coverage of the 100s of active SPACs creates an opportunity for those willing to put in the required research/due-diligence effort to discover potentially lucrative undervalued  businesses.In this respect,  the simple formula we would follow is to hone in on SPACs with good sponsors backed up by a strong track record, either in the process of executing an Initial Business Combination (IBC) or having recently completed business combination with a company with a fundamentally sound business and strategy, preferably supported by an established operating track record that is already delivering revenues and profitability. There may be a number of other hidden gems to uncover within the SPAC universe, in this insight, we highlight one example of a recently completed business combination which has caught our eye - Alight Inc (ALIT US) which we believe ticks all the aforementioned boxes.

SPACTalk: Shining ALIGHT On The Process Of Separating the Wheat From The Chaff In The SPAC Space

Japan Specialist

Mark Chadwick

Equity Bottom-Up

<div><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kaonavi-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29703:1" rel="noopener">Kaonavi Inc (4435 JP)</a>  operates a cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) service that helps companies manage their HR talent from Recruitment to Onboarding, Training to Communication, and Performance reviews to Promotion.  </div><div>The company released its 2Q20 results on Friday 13th, which may be unlucky for some, but not for Kaonavi which reported 30% sales growth.  </div><div>This note will look at the core trends in Q2. For a more in-depth view of the company, please refer to the previous note: <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/small-cap-growth-kaonavi-4435-turning-talent-into-teams" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:44415" rel="noopener">Small Cap Growth: Kaonavi (4435) – Turning Talent into Teams</a> </div>

Kaonavi Inc (4435 JP)  operates a cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) service that helps companies manage their HR talent from Recruitment to Onboarding, Training to Communication, and Performance reviews to Promotion.  The company released its 2Q20 results on Friday 13th, which may be unlucky for some, but not for Kaonavi which reported 30% sales growth.  This note will look at the core trends in Q2. For a more in-depth view of the company, please refer to the previous note: Small Cap Growth: Kaonavi (4435) – Turning Talent into Teams 

Small Cap Growth – Kaonavi (4435) - Talent Factory

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In May, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that more than 95% of the company’s workforce was working remotely and that it planned to ensure employees could continue to do so on a long-term basis. Google workers will stay remote until summer 2021. Many others made similar announcements.  
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This would have been unthinkable even a decade ago, but cloud-based platforms are enabling employees to work from anywhere, on any device. Companies must now deploy systems rapidly, in a cost-effective and scalable manner to adapt to this new worldview.  
</div>
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<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/teamspirit-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29704:1" rel="noopener">TeamSpirit Inc (4397 JP)</a> ’s workforce management platform helps Japanese companies to support telework, not only an essential way of working following the outbreak of COVID-19, but also a necessity as companies shift to a hybrid workforce.  
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 Recent FY8/20 numbers (13 October) 
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Q4 revenue +25% YoY to ¥654m (slowed from 38% YoY in Q3) 
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Gross margin 60% 
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Annual Recurring Revenue +32% to ¥2.2b 
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Number of active licenses rose 41% to 269,000  Number of client companies 1,409 (+14% YoY; +2% QoQ) 
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Covid had a negative impact on the business. The inflow of leads slowed due to the cancellation of promotional events. On boarding was delayed as customer struggled with the unfamiliarity of telework, with small businesses in particular slowing in terms of licenses added. The company guided for 29% revenue growth in FY8/21 
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The stock has corrected by around 20% in the week following full year earnings and is worth looking at for long-term growth investors.
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In May, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that more than 95% of the company’s workforce was working remotely and that it planned to ensure employees could continue to do so on a long-term basis. Google workers will stay remote until summer 2021. Many others made similar announcements.  


This would have been unthinkable even a decade ago, but cloud-based platforms are enabling employees to work from anywhere, on any device. Companies must now deploy systems rapidly, in a cost-effective and scalable manner to adapt to this new worldview.  


TeamSpirit Inc (4397 JP) ’s workforce management platform helps Japanese companies to support telework, not only an essential way of working following the outbreak of COVID-19, but also a necessity as companies shift to a hybrid workforce.  

 Recent FY8/20 numbers (13 October) 


Q4 revenue +25% YoY to ¥654m (slowed from 38% YoY in Q3) 


Gross margin 60% 


Annual Recurring Revenue +32% to ¥2.2b 


Number of active licenses rose 41% to 269,000  Number of client companies 1,409 (+14% YoY; +2% QoQ) 



Covid had a negative impact on the business. The inflow of leads slowed due to the cancellation of promotional events. On boarding was delayed as customer struggled with the unfamiliarity of telework, with small businesses in particular slowing in terms of licenses added. The company guided for 29% revenue growth in FY8/21 


The stock has corrected by around 20% in the week following full year earnings and is worth looking at for long-term growth investors.


Small Cap Growth: TeamSpirit (4397) - Nirvana for Workers

United States

Dayforce, Inc. provides technology solutions. The Company offers a platform for talent and workforce management, human resources, benefits, and payroll services that help to manage the entire employee lifecycle, from recruiting and onboarding, to paying people. Dayforce serves customers worldwide.

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Dayforce (DAY US)

S&P500 Index Rebalance: Swiping Right on Match

There are 3 changes to the S&P500 that will be implemented at the close on 17 Sep. There are changes to the S&P400 & S&P600 as well. There will be...

Brian Freitas

Cyclical Value Areas Improving -- Add Exposure To Financials, Materials

Cyclical value areas are starting to play catch-up as interest rates show signs of bottoming. We see many actionable opportunities, particularly...

Vermilion Research

SPACTalk: Shining ALIGHT On The Process Of Separating the Wheat From The Chaff In The SPAC Space

While there is certainly a lot of chaff among SPACs/De-SPACs, there are also hidden gems to be discovered. We believe the recently completed De...

Robert Sassoon

Small Cap Growth – Kaonavi (4435) - Talent Factory

Kaonavi operates a cloud-based Human Capital Management service that helps companies manage their HR talent. Talent management is growing rapidly...

Mark Chadwick

Small Cap Growth: TeamSpirit (4397) - Nirvana for Workers

TeamSpirit is a cloud-based Workforce Management SaaS that enables workers to work from anywhere and allows companies to get the best out of their...

Mark Chadwick

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