Japan Specialist

Mark Chadwick

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Activist investors 3D Investment Partners and Dalton Investments have both taken meaningful stakes in Square Enix - highlights capital inefficiency and poor margin profile</li>
<li>Daito Trust sits on over ¥100bn in net cash, an arguably excessive cushion for a mature operator with steady cash flows. Silchester have taken note</li>
<li>Iriso Electronic and INES both trade below book value. Attractive value plays for small cap funds.</li>
</ul>


Activist investors 3D Investment Partners and Dalton Investments have both taken meaningful stakes in Square Enix - highlights capital inefficiency and poor margin profile
Daito Trust sits on over ¥100bn in net cash, an arguably excessive cushion for a mature operator with steady cash flows. Silchester have taken note
Iriso Electronic and INES both trade below book value. Attractive value plays for small cap funds.


Japan Activist Watch | Square Enix, DaitoTrust, Iriso & INES

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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>There are 15 stocks in Japan that will be sold by passive trackers at the close on 31 May.</li>
<li>Short interest has been increasing in these stocks over the last few months and there will be covering on implementation date.</li>
<li>Cumulative excess volume on all stocks has risen in the last couple of months though the pace of the increase has varied.</li>
</ul>


There are 15 stocks in Japan that will be sold by passive trackers at the close on 31 May.
Short interest has been increasing in these stocks over the last few months and there will be covering on implementation date.
Cumulative excess volume on all stocks has risen in the last couple of months though the pace of the increase has varied.


Japan - Another Big Round of Passive Selling

Global TMT Analyst, Ex-PM, 30 years experience

Neil Campling

<ul>
<li>Gaming Award nominations could spark sales lift into key holiday selling season   </li>
<li>Highly watched Industry Scores are moving higher for FF7 Rebirth. FF7 Rebirth moving higher up key US gaming charts</li>
<li>Five CQ4 release titles could drive revenues higher from recent lower reset. Big valuation discount and balance sheet opportunities exist</li>
</ul>


Gaming Award nominations could spark sales lift into key holiday selling season   
Highly watched Industry Scores are moving higher for FF7 Rebirth. FF7 Rebirth moving higher up key US gaming charts
Five CQ4 release titles could drive revenues higher from recent lower reset. Big valuation discount and balance sheet opportunities exist


Gaming. Square Enix (9684 JP). 3 NOTABLE POSITIVES SO FAR IN OCTOBER. BIG MONTH AHEAD

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>On 5 June, Shift Up announced that it will be postponing its IPO to July. The original book building period for the institutional investors was from 3 to 13 June.  </li>
<li>The final book building date has been postponed to 27 June. The subsequent public offering subscription for general investors was also postponed to 2 to 3 July.</li>
<li><em><strong>A major investment positive of Shift Up is enormous initial success of Stellar Blade which was the best selling game in the U.S. and numerous other countries in April 2024. </strong></em></li>
</ul>


On 5 June, Shift Up announced that it will be postponing its IPO to July. The original book building period for the institutional investors was from 3 to 13 June.  
The final book building date has been postponed to 27 June. The subsequent public offering subscription for general investors was also postponed to 2 to 3 July.
A major investment positive of Shift Up is enormous initial success of Stellar Blade which was the best selling game in the U.S. and numerous other countries in April 2024. 


Shift Up Delays the IPO and Stellar Blade Tops Number One Game in the US in April

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

<ul>
<li>We remain near-term bullish since our 4/22/25 Compass, and our intermediate-term outlook remains bullish as well (as of our 5/14/25 Compass).</li>
<li>We will maintain our bullish view as long as market dynamics remain healthy and the SPX and ACWI-US are above 5700-5785 and $119-$121.</li>
<li>$123-$123.50 remains short-term support to watch on ACWI-US (6.5-month base); we would expect support here on a pullback, but a break below it would likely mean a test of $119-$121</li>
</ul>


We remain near-term bullish since our 4/22/25 Compass, and our intermediate-term outlook remains bullish as well (as of our 5/14/25 Compass).
We will maintain our bullish view as long as market dynamics remain healthy and the SPX and ACWI-US are above 5700-5785 and $119-$121.
$123-$123.50 remains short-term support to watch on ACWI-US (6.5-month base); we would expect support here on a pullback, but a break below it would likely mean a test of $119-$121


Israel TA-125 Remains Bullish; Buys in Norway; All MSCI Global Indexes Above Base Supports

Japan

SQUARE ENIX HOLDINGS CO., LTD. develops and sells entertainment software for home video game consoles including Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series. The Company also publishes books such as informational guide books for its game software, and comic magazines and books.  Additionally, Square Enix sells character goods and stationery items from its software products.

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
Market Cap (USDm)	0.00
P/E	0.00
Dividend (Yield)	0.00

Square Enix Holdings (9684 JP)

Japan Activist Watch | Square Enix, DaitoTrust, Iriso & INES

Activist investors target Square Enix for capital inefficiency, Daito Trust criticized for excessive cash reserves, Iriso Electronic and INES...

Mark Chadwick

Japan - Another Big Round of Passive Selling

The close tomorrow should see huge volumes trade on these stocks. Shorts will be covered and longs will be selectively put on.

Brian Freitas

Gaming. Square Enix (9684 JP). 3 NOTABLE POSITIVES SO FAR IN OCTOBER. BIG MONTH AHEAD

Gaming award nominations and industry scores for FF7 Rebirth could boost sales during the holiday season. CQ4 releases may drive revenues higher...

Neil Campling

Shift Up Delays the IPO and Stellar Blade Tops Number One Game in the US in April

Shift Up announced that it will be postponing its IPO to July. A major investment positive is the enormous initial success of Stellar Blade which...

Douglas Kim

Israel TA-125 Remains Bullish; Buys in Norway; All MSCI Global Indexes Above Base Supports

Israel TA-125 Remains Bullish; Buys in Norway; All MSCI Global Indexes Above Base Supports $ACWI, $ACWX, ACWI ex-US Small-Caps, $EEM, and $EFA....

Vermilion Research

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Japan Activist Watch | Square Enix, DaitoTrust, Iriso & INES

​Activist investors target Square Enix for capital inefficiency, Daito Trust criticized for excessive cash reserves, Iriso Electronic and INES...

Mark Chadwick

Japan - Another Big Round of Passive Selling

The close tomorrow should see huge volumes trade on these stocks. Shorts will be covered and longs will be selectively put on.

Brian Freitas

Gaming. Square Enix (9684 JP). 3 NOTABLE POSITIVES SO FAR IN OCTOBER. BIG MONTH AHEAD

​Gaming award nominations and industry scores for FF7 Rebirth could boost sales during the holiday season. CQ4 releases may drive revenues higher...

Neil Campling

Shift Up Delays the IPO and Stellar Blade Tops Number One Game in the US in April

Shift Up announced that it will be postponing its IPO to July. A major investment positive is the enormous initial success of Stellar Blade which...

Douglas Kim

Israel TA-125 Remains Bullish; Buys in Norway; All MSCI Global Indexes Above Base Supports

Israel TA-125 Remains Bullish; Buys in Norway; All MSCI Global Indexes Above Base Supports $ACWI, $ACWX, ACWI ex-US Small-Caps, $EEM, and $EFA....

Vermilion Research

Activist investors target Square Enix for capital inefficiency, Daito Trust criticized for excessive cash reserves, Iriso Electronic and INES...

Gaming award nominations and industry scores for FF7 Rebirth could boost sales during the holiday season. CQ4 releases may drive revenues higher...