Asian Hedge Fund Manager, Long Short Equity, Macro

David Mudd

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>China has responded to Japan's military rhetoric and actions by announcing a ban on all exports deemed dual-use for Japan's military, including rare earths.</li>
<li>China launched an anti-dumping probe into Dichlorosilane, a material primarily used in thin films for producing logic, memory, analog, and other types of chips.</li>
<li>The trade measures affect a broad range of Japan's industries, including automotive, chemicals, electronics, semiconductor equipment, chip-making materials, and robotics.  The U.S. response to tensions between China and Japan remains limited.</li>
</ul>


China has responded to Japan's military rhetoric and actions by announcing a ban on all exports deemed dual-use for Japan's military, including rare earths.
China launched an anti-dumping probe into Dichlorosilane, a material primarily used in thin films for producing logic, memory, analog, and other types of chips.
The trade measures affect a broad range of Japan's industries, including automotive, chemicals, electronics, semiconductor equipment, chip-making materials, and robotics.  The U.S. response to tensions between China and Japan remains limited.


Japan Trade: CHINA SAYS, "YOU MADE YOUR FUTON, NOW LIE IN IT!"

Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning, Copley Fund Research

Steven Holden

Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning

Copley Fund Research

Copley Fund Research provide research and data on asset allocation among Global and Emerging Market equity funds.  The analysis details absolute and relative positioning across countries, sectors and industries together with highly granular data on single stock and single fund allocations.  The data is updated monthly with time series going back to January 2011.

Global Research - Analysis of 165 prominent Global equity funds, combined AUM $335bn
GEM Research - Analysis of 127 prominent global EM equity funds, combined AUM $250bn

Asset Allocation - Global and GEM Equity

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Global fund positioning in the Motor Vehicles sector has entered a fresh decline following a revival between 2020 and 2023.</li>
<li>A record-low 10% of active Global funds are now overweight, with the sector holding an average underweight of -1.41%, making it the 4th largest industry-level underweight among active managers.</li>
<li>Long-Term declines in Japanese autos have hit new lows, while German and US autos have drifted lower since 2023.</li>
</ul>


Global fund positioning in the Motor Vehicles sector has entered a fresh decline following a revival between 2020 and 2023.
A record-low 10% of active Global funds are now overweight, with the sector holding an average underweight of -1.41%, making it the 4th largest industry-level underweight among active managers.
Long-Term declines in Japanese autos have hit new lows, while German and US autos have drifted lower since 2023.


Global Autos:  Falling Investor Confidence

Equity Long-Short Analyst

Pyari Menon

<ul>
<li>For this report we datamined autonomous driving technology (ADT) innovations.</li>
<li>Worldwide over the last decade the ADT sector has seen nearly 25% CAGR growth in patent filings, with over 40,000 patent family filings.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/delphi-automotive-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20870:1" rel="noopener">Aptiv PLC (APTV US)</a>, with a leadership position in several areas of ADT, strong financials, reasonable valuations and strategic partnerships stands out.  </li>
</ul>


For this report we datamined autonomous driving technology (ADT) innovations.
Worldwide over the last decade the ADT sector has seen nearly 25% CAGR growth in patent filings, with over 40,000 patent family filings.

Aptiv PLC (APTV US), with a leadership position in several areas of ADT, strong financials, reasonable valuations and strategic partnerships stands out.  


Derivatives and Quantitative Strategist

Gaudenz Schneider

Quantitative Analysis

<ul>
<li>
Context: A recent market pullback alongside implied volatility at the 95th–98th percentile has created a fertile environment for cross-sectional analysis across TOPIX and Nikkei 225 constituents.</li>
<li>
 Highlights: A quantitative screen reveals dispersion in both returns and volatility, with distinct clusters supporting different option structures—from premium-selling strategies to asymmetric upside participation.</li>
<li>
 Why read: This note provides a practical framework and illustrative setups (put underwriting, risk reversals) to help investors translate volatility signals into tailored option strategies.</li>
</ul>



Context: A recent market pullback alongside implied volatility at the 95th–98th percentile has created a fertile environment for cross-sectional analysis across TOPIX and Nikkei 225 constituents.

 Highlights: A quantitative screen reveals dispersion in both returns and volatility, with distinct clusters supporting different option structures—from premium-selling strategies to asymmetric upside participation.

 Why read: This note provides a practical framework and illustrative setups (put underwriting, risk reversals) to help investors translate volatility signals into tailored option strategies.


Japan Equities: Volatility Spike and Dispersion Create Options Opportunities

Equity Derivatives

<ul>
<li>The global auto industry faces significant tariff exposure. Option implied volatility offers a forward-looking assessment of risk.</li>
<li>Chinese car makers started to increase in implied volatility more than the other markets at the beginning of February. They now show the highest risk.</li>
<li>Recent implied volatility trends, asymmetric pricing (skew), and the term structure all seem to indicate that the Indian auto sector is the least exposed to international trade relations.</li>
</ul>


The global auto industry faces significant tariff exposure. Option implied volatility offers a forward-looking assessment of risk.
Chinese car makers started to increase in implied volatility more than the other markets at the beginning of February. They now show the highest risk.
Recent implied volatility trends, asymmetric pricing (skew), and the term structure all seem to indicate that the Indian auto sector is the least exposed to international trade relations.


EQD | Volatile Roads: Unveiling Risk in the Asian Auto Industry Through the Options Market

Japan

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. develops, manufactures, and distributes motorcycles, automobiles, and power products such as generators and farm machinery. The Company also operates a financial credit business. Honda Motor has manufacturing facilities in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Thailand.

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Honda Motor (7267 JP)

Japan Trade: CHINA SAYS, "YOU MADE YOUR FUTON, NOW LIE IN IT!"

China has responded to Japan's military rhetoric and actions by announcing a ban on all exports deemed dual-use for Japan's military, including...

David Mudd

Global Autos: Falling Investor Confidence

Tesla overtakes Stellantis as the most widely held Auto company. General Motors is ahead of the almost uninvestable Ford Motor Co.

Steven Holden

Autonomous Driving Leadership Landscape

Autonomous driving tech seeing surge in innovations to make journeys safer, more efficient, and intelligent. Welcome to the future of mobility.

Pyari Menon

Japan Equities: Volatility Spike and Dispersion Create Options Opportunities

This note presents a cross-sectional approach to identifying options strategies in Japanese equities, set against a backdrop of market pullback and...

Gaudenz Schneider

EQD | Volatile Roads: Unveiling Risk in the Asian Auto Industry Through the Options Market

Global auto industry faces tariff risk. The option market assigns the highest risk to Chinese car makers. The Indian auto sector appears least...

Gaudenz Schneider

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Japan Trade: CHINA SAYS, "YOU MADE YOUR FUTON, NOW LIE IN IT!"

China has responded to Japan's military rhetoric and actions by announcing a ban on all exports deemed dual-use for Japan's military, including...

David Mudd

Global Autos: Falling Investor Confidence

Tesla overtakes Stellantis as the most widely held Auto company. General Motors is ahead of the almost uninvestable Ford Motor Co.

Steven Holden

Autonomous Driving Leadership Landscape

Autonomous driving tech seeing surge in innovations to make journeys safer, more efficient, and intelligent. Welcome to the future of mobility.

Pyari Menon

Japan Equities: Volatility Spike and Dispersion Create Options Opportunities

This note presents a cross-sectional approach to identifying options strategies in Japanese equities, set against a backdrop of market pullback and...

Gaudenz Schneider

EQD | Volatile Roads: Unveiling Risk in the Asian Auto Industry Through the Options Market

​Global auto industry faces tariff risk. The option market assigns the highest risk to Chinese car makers. The Indian auto sector appears least...

Gaudenz Schneider

Global auto industry faces tariff risk. The option market assigns the highest risk to Chinese car makers. The Indian auto sector appears least...