Global Equities, Multi-Asset PM, Dantes Outlook

Damanick Dantes, CMT

Global Equities, Multi-Asset PM

Dantes Outlook

We invest over a full market cycle, using multi-asset portfolios tailored to each global client, from individuals to family offices.

Built to Endure

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>Participation is broadening across markets as cap-weighted U.S. leadership narrows to a handful of stocks.</li>
<li>We stay invested in core trends and see room for emerging opportunities like China ADRs, which saw an upgrade. See our sample portfolio.</li>
<li>For Asia-focused investors, the dollar's softening is concentrated against EM Asia currencies and the carry complex despite the dollar index's bias against EUR.</li>
</ul>


Participation is broadening across markets as cap-weighted U.S. leadership narrows to a handful of stocks.
We stay invested in core trends and see room for emerging opportunities like China ADRs, which saw an upgrade. See our sample portfolio.
For Asia-focused investors, the dollar's softening is concentrated against EM Asia currencies and the carry complex despite the dollar index's bias against EUR.


Cross-Asset Rotations: China, Asia FX, Commodities, and More

<ul>
<li>U.S. small caps, metals and mining stocks, and gold were key detractors within the portfolio suite, offsetting positive allocation effects in our underweight fixed income exposure. </li>
<li>Aggressive portfolios maintained their outperformance YTD driven by strong selections within the equity asset class.</li>
<li>Positioning changes include commodity diversification beyond gold, adding Japanese equities, and maintaining an underweight to bonds.</li>
</ul>


U.S. small caps, metals and mining stocks, and gold were key detractors within the portfolio suite, offsetting positive allocation effects in our underweight fixed income exposure. 
Aggressive portfolios maintained their outperformance YTD driven by strong selections within the equity asset class.
Positioning changes include commodity diversification beyond gold, adding Japanese equities, and maintaining an underweight to bonds.


Portfolio Update: Broader Commodity Positioning, Narrow Equity Leadership

<ul>
<li>
Return dispersion among banks is wide enough to select on. Individual outcomes range from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fukui-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9011:1" rel="noopener">Fukui Bank (8362 JP)</a> at +264% to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/rakuten-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:35638:1" rel="noopener">Rakuten Bank (5838 JP)</a> at -23%.</li>
<li>
Leadership is rotating. Money is moving from small cheap regionals back toward larger names.</li>
<li>
We constructed a barbel portfolio. Leg A holds six trend-confirmed momentum leaders. Leg B holds six accelerating laggards.</li>
</ul>



Return dispersion among banks is wide enough to select on. Individual outcomes range from Fukui Bank (8362 JP) at +264% to Rakuten Bank (5838 JP) at -23%.

Leadership is rotating. Money is moving from small cheap regionals back toward larger names.

We constructed a barbel portfolio. Leg A holds six trend-confirmed momentum leaders. Leg B holds six accelerating laggards.


Japanese Banks: Rotating Beneath the Surface

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Event-Driven

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial (MUFG) / Event-Driven

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial (MUFG) (8306 JP)

<ul>
<li>Following up on our earlier cross-shareholding notes, in this note we look at <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/mitsubishi-ufj-financial-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:218:1" rel="noopener">Mitsubishi UFJ Financial (MUFG) (8306 JP)</a>’s cross-shareholding.</li>
<li>MUFG had a stake over US$100m in at least 47 listed Japanese stocks, amounting to a total of around US$19bn.</li>
<li>In this note, we take a look at its stakes in various companies to see which ones could possibly be candidates for further selldowns.</li>
</ul>


Following up on our earlier cross-shareholding notes, in this note we look at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial (MUFG) (8306 JP)’s cross-shareholding.
MUFG had a stake over US$100m in at least 47 listed Japanese stocks, amounting to a total of around US$19bn.
In this note, we take a look at its stakes in various companies to see which ones could possibly be candidates for further selldowns.


MUFG Cross-Shareholding - At Least US$20bn of Cross-Shareholding to Sell, Taking It Slow

Chief Economist & Political Strategist, CrossASEAN Research

Prasenjit K. Basu

Chief Economist & Political Strategist

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

<ul>
<li>PM Takaichi's LDP-JIP coalition won 352 of the Diet's 465 seats -- with LDP winning 316 (its biggest-ever victory), a decisive mandate for her ultraconservative reform agenda. </li>
<li>The LDP-Komeito alliance was in the morgue ever since 2024's election; the replacement of Ishiba by 'ultraconservative' Takaichi made an alliance with JIP(Ishin) a natural outcome, with  policy consonance. </li>
<li>Takaichi's personal mandate will enable a stronger military, restored nuclear energy, a more flexible labour market, lower consumption tax on food (hence lower inflation). Decisively bullish for Japan. </li>
</ul>


PM Takaichi's LDP-JIP coalition won 352 of the Diet's 465 seats -- with LDP winning 316 (its biggest-ever victory), a decisive mandate for her ultraconservative reform agenda. 
The LDP-Komeito alliance was in the morgue ever since 2024's election; the replacement of Ishiba by 'ultraconservative' Takaichi made an alliance with JIP(Ishin) a natural outcome, with  policy consonance. 
Takaichi's personal mandate will enable a stronger military, restored nuclear energy, a more flexible labour market, lower consumption tax on food (hence lower inflation). Decisively bullish for Japan. 


Japan: PM Takaichi Wins a Landslide Mandate for Her Ultraconservative Agenda

Japan

iShares MSCI Japan ETF is an exchange-traded fund incorporated in the USA. The ETF's objective seeks to provide investment results that correspond to the performance of the Japanese market, as measured by the MSCI Japan Index. The ETF invests in a representative sample of index stocks in a variety of sectors using a market cap weighted "portfolio sampling" technique.

iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ US)

Cross-Asset Rotations: China, Asia FX, Commodities, and More

We scanned a wide universe to establish core and emerging trend positions in US, Chinese, and Japanese equities, commodities, and more.

Damanick Dantes, CMT

Portfolio Update: Broader Commodity Positioning, Narrow Equity Leadership

Full breakdown of our portfolio suite, performance, and new positioning. We broadened our commodity positioning, added Japan, and maintained a core...

Damanick Dantes, CMT

Japanese Banks: Rotating Beneath the Surface

Japanese banks are outperforming, although dispersion is wide. There's a rotation between small/large and cheap/expensive, so we built a barbel...

Damanick Dantes, CMT

MUFG Cross-Shareholding - At Least US$20bn of Cross-Shareholding to Sell, Taking It Slow

Following up on our earlier cross-shareholding notes, in this note we look at MUFG (8306 JP)’s cross-shareholding. MUFG had a stake of over US$100m...

Sumeet Singh

Japan: PM Takaichi Wins a Landslide Mandate for Her Ultraconservative Agenda

PM Takaichi's coalition's landslide victory in Japan's Diet gives her a strong mandate for ultraconservative reforms, including a stronger...

Prasenjit K. Basu

Cross-Asset Rotations: China, Asia FX, Commodities, and More

We scanned a wide universe to establish core and emerging trend positions in US, Chinese, and Japanese equities, commodities, and more.

Damanick Dantes, CMT

Portfolio Update: Broader Commodity Positioning, Narrow Equity Leadership

Full breakdown of our portfolio suite, performance, and new positioning. We broadened our commodity positioning, added Japan, and maintained a core...

Damanick Dantes, CMT

Japanese Banks: Rotating Beneath the Surface

Japanese banks are outperforming, although dispersion is wide. There's a rotation between small/large and cheap/expensive, so we built a barbel...

Damanick Dantes, CMT

MUFG Cross-Shareholding - At Least US$20bn of Cross-Shareholding to Sell, Taking It Slow

Following up on our earlier cross-shareholding notes, in this note we look at MUFG (8306 JP)’s cross-shareholding. MUFG had a stake of over US$100m...

Sumeet Singh

Japan: PM Takaichi Wins a Landslide Mandate for Her Ultraconservative Agenda

​PM Takaichi's coalition's landslide victory in Japan's Diet gives her a strong mandate for ultraconservative reforms, including a stronger...

Prasenjit K. Basu

PM Takaichi's coalition's landslide victory in Japan's Diet gives her a strong mandate for ultraconservative reforms, including a stronger...