Japanese Turnaround Situations, Short-Ideas, Azabu Research

Michael Allen

Japanese Turnaround Situations, Short-Ideas

Azabu Research

Azabu Research is a publishing and consulting firm focused on distressed equities in the Japanese market. We specialize in turnaround strategies, corporate combinations, divestitures, and restructuring.

Publisher of the Tokyo Turnaround Letter, which conducts the most thorough research possible of publicly available information, including forensic tests for fraudulent overstatement of assets and understatement of liabilities, as well as rigorous market and industry analysis to assess the underlying strengths of the company’s products or services, the appropriateness of the company’s turnaround strategy, and the skill of its current management team. The average length of a report exceeds 25 pages of text and tables, excluding any disclosures or executive summaries.

We have more than 30 years of experience in applying this process to distressed equities in Japan. Additionally, subscribers have free access to detailed, yet easily navigated earnings models for the target company as well as the top five comparable companies, and unlimited access to the analyst for follow-up questions.

Azabu Research also conducts be-spoke research on a project basis, and provides consulting services to companies looking to restructure, divest, make acquisitions, go public, or improve investor sentiment toward their stock.

Independent Research and Consulting Firm

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>The turnaround basket outperformed the Topix benchmark by 40% in the past 12 months, with only three stocks underperforming.</li>
<li>Fundamental research added value to the simple one-factor model, as seen with top performers like Shift and Rohm.</li>
<li>The unusual market conditions last year favored turnarounds, but future performance is expected to return to normal levels.</li>
</ul>


The turnaround basket outperformed the Topix benchmark by 40% in the past 12 months, with only three stocks underperforming.
Fundamental research added value to the simple one-factor model, as seen with top performers like Shift and Rohm.
The unusual market conditions last year favored turnarounds, but future performance is expected to return to normal levels.


Japanese Turnarounds Chock up a Massive Year, but What's Next?

Japanese Equity Specialist, Ortus Advisors

Andrew Jackson

Japanese Equity Specialist

Ortus Advisors

<ul>
<li>Tech and semis sharply lower as investors go risk off, although Coreweave bucks the trend to jump another 19%.</li>
<li>Infineon buoyed sentiment for power semi's somewhat after announcing tie up with NVDA for HVDC data center systems.</li>
<li>Expect a rough ride for Home builders and construction related plays such as Sumitomo Forestry and Shin Etsu.</li>
</ul>


Tech and semis sharply lower as investors go risk off, although Coreweave bucks the trend to jump another 19%.
Infineon buoyed sentiment for power semi's somewhat after announcing tie up with NVDA for HVDC data center systems.
Expect a rough ride for Home builders and construction related plays such as Sumitomo Forestry and Shin Etsu.


Japan Morning Connection: Markets Creaking Under the Weight of Poor Demand for US Bonds

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

OmniVision Integrated Circuits Group / Technical Analysis

OmniVision Integrated Circuits Group (603501 CH)

<ul>
<li>Our outlook remains bullish on MSCI ACWI. Discussed in Jan9,2025 report how we viewed the pullback as a buying opportunity and were watching for $116-$117 support to hold on ACWI-US. </li>
<li>$116 support held perfectly, and now both ACWI-US and the S&amp;P 500 are coiling just below all-time highs, likely setting up for major breakouts. ACWI is now breaking out.</li>
<li>DXY and 10-Year Treasury yield are both topping, a crucial risk-on signal for global equities. More and more countries breaking out. Actionable Themes: Technology, Services, Communications, Industrials, Gold Miners, Financials</li>
</ul>


Our outlook remains bullish on MSCI ACWI. Discussed in Jan9,2025 report how we viewed the pullback as a buying opportunity and were watching for $116-$117 support to hold on ACWI-US. 
$116 support held perfectly, and now both ACWI-US and the S&amp;P 500 are coiling just below all-time highs, likely setting up for major breakouts. ACWI is now breaking out.
DXY and 10-Year Treasury yield are both topping, a crucial risk-on signal for global equities. More and more countries breaking out. Actionable Themes: Technology, Services, Communications, Industrials, Gold Miners, Financials


More Countries Breaking Out; Bullish Outlook Intact; Buys in China, Europe, More; DXY & Yields Top

<ul>
<li>Limited breadth of winners, even in the SOX, with numerous DeepSeek and capex questions outstanding.</li>
<li>Regardless expect JP SPE to be higher to start; watch Advantest into numbers today after its -19% 2-day drop.</li>
<li>IT/SaaS companies are worth a look here with AI R&amp;D costs now potentially much lower including Fujitsu and NEC.</li>
</ul>


Limited breadth of winners, even in the SOX, with numerous DeepSeek and capex questions outstanding.
Regardless expect JP SPE to be higher to start; watch Advantest into numbers today after its -19% 2-day drop.
IT/SaaS companies are worth a look here with AI R&amp;D costs now potentially much lower including Fujitsu and NEC.


Japan Morning Connection: US Tech and Semi Rebound Feel's like a Dead Cat Bounce

Japan Specialist

Mark Chadwick

<ul>
<li>The Nikkei Stock Average declined 738 yen (1.9%) in the second week of January as heavy-weight stocks sell-off</li>
<li>Nintendo (7974 JP) ended the trading week marginally higher by 0.7% after a partial unveiling of its new Swich 2 Console. Less earnings cyclicality, but less upside?</li>
<li>The BoJ looks set to lift interest rates again next week, unless market turbulence following Trump's  inauguration, delays the inevitable</li>
</ul>


The Nikkei Stock Average declined 738 yen (1.9%) in the second week of January as heavy-weight stocks sell-off
Nintendo (7974 JP) ended the trading week marginally higher by 0.7% after a partial unveiling of its new Swich 2 Console. Less earnings cyclicality, but less upside?
The BoJ looks set to lift interest rates again next week, unless market turbulence following Trump's  inauguration, delays the inevitable


Japan Strategy Weekly | Nintendo’s Switch and Trump’s Return

Japan

SHIFT Inc. offers information technology outsourcing services. The Company provides outsourcing software testing services to corporations and individual clients. SHIFT also provides software solutions and consulting services, as well as educational classes and programs.

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Shift Inc (3697 JP)

Japanese Turnarounds Chock up a Massive Year, but What's Next?

Turnaround basket outperformed Topix benchmark by 40% in past year, and fundamental research pushed this higher with picks like Shift and Rohm....

Michael Allen

Japan Morning Connection: Markets Creaking Under the Weight of Poor Demand for US Bonds

Investors shift to risk-off mode due to concerns over US's fiscal stability. Banks, R/E, consumer disc and home builders fall. Infineon's NVDA...

Andrew Jackson

More Countries Breaking Out; Bullish Outlook Intact; Buys in China, Europe, More; DXY & Yields Top

More Countries Breaking Out; Bullish Outlook Intact $ACWI $EAFE $EEM. More buys in China; Germany continues to lead Europe higher. Will...

Vermilion Research

Japan Morning Connection: US Tech and Semi Rebound Feel's like a Dead Cat Bounce

Opportunities to watch for higher JP SPE, keep an eye on Advantest after recent drop. IT/SaaS companies like Fujitsu and NEC worth looking at with...

Andrew Jackson

Japan Strategy Weekly | Nintendo’s Switch and Trump’s Return

Nikkei Stock Average drops due to heavy-weight stock sell-off, Nintendo sees slight gain with new console unveiling, BoJ likely to raise interest...

Mark Chadwick

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Japanese Turnarounds Chock up a Massive Year, but What's Next?

​Turnaround basket outperformed Topix benchmark by 40% in past year, and fundamental research pushed this higher with picks like Shift and Rohm....

Michael Allen

Japan Morning Connection: Markets Creaking Under the Weight of Poor Demand for US Bonds

​Investors shift to risk-off mode due to concerns over US's fiscal stability. Banks, R/E, consumer disc and home builders fall. Infineon's NVDA...

Andrew Jackson

More Countries Breaking Out; Bullish Outlook Intact; Buys in China, Europe, More; DXY & Yields Top

More Countries Breaking Out; Bullish Outlook Intact $ACWI $EAFE $EEM. More buys in China; Germany continues to lead Europe higher. Will...

Vermilion Research

Japan Morning Connection: US Tech and Semi Rebound Feel's like a Dead Cat Bounce

Opportunities to watch for higher JP SPE, keep an eye on Advantest after recent drop. IT/SaaS companies like Fujitsu and NEC worth looking at with...

Andrew Jackson

Japan Strategy Weekly | Nintendo’s Switch and Trump’s Return

​Nikkei Stock Average drops due to heavy-weight stock sell-off, Nintendo sees slight gain with new console unveiling, BoJ likely to raise interest...

Mark Chadwick

Turnaround basket outperformed Topix benchmark by 40% in past year, and fundamental research pushed this higher with picks like Shift and Rohm....

Investors shift to risk-off mode due to concerns over US's fiscal stability. Banks, R/E, consumer disc and home builders fall. Infineon's NVDA...

Nikkei Stock Average drops due to heavy-weight stock sell-off, Nintendo sees slight gain with new console unveiling, BoJ likely to raise interest...