'Quantamental' Japan Specialist, LightStream Research

Campbell Gunn

'Quantamental' Japan Specialist

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/134/507/original/2020-05-20_06-42-32.png?1589924596" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="134507"></figure><div class="content-caption">Source • Japan Analytics</div>STRAGGLERS - As we wind down this series of Insights, the 'gap' between our proxies for earnings and Total Market Cap is now the largest in fifteen years, courtesy of central bank liquidity injections. Our lagging Results Score has yet to breach the 2016 'low', a creditable outcome but will do so by August. We still await annual results for 'stragglers' <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/recruit-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15070:1" rel="noopener">Recruit (6098 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tokio-marine-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7591:1" rel="noopener">Tokio Marine (8766 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nissan-motor-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:72:1" rel="noopener">Nissan Motor (7201 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hitachi-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7797:1" rel="noopener">Hitachi (6501 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fujifilm-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16353:1" rel="noopener">Fujifilm (4901 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/toshiba-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:637:1" rel="noopener">Toshiba (6502 JP)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hikari-tsushin-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:4909:1" rel="noopener">Hikari Tsushin (9435 JP)</a>. <div>in the DETAIL below, we shall review Monday's updates:-</div><div><ul>
<li>The balance between positive/neutral/negative of the 51 results announcements was 21:3:27. The average change in Results Score was -1.1.</li>
<li>For the 24 revisions/initial forecasts, the split was 8:1:15, and the average Forecast/Revision Score was -5.4. Again less than 50% of companies reporting full-year results chose to make current year forecasts.</li>
</ul></div>

Source • Japan AnalyticsSTRAGGLERS - As we wind down this series of Insights, the 'gap' between our proxies for earnings and Total Market Cap is now the largest in fifteen years, courtesy of central bank liquidity injections. Our lagging Results Score has yet to breach the 2016 'low', a creditable outcome but will do so by August. We still await annual results for 'stragglers' Recruit (6098 JP), Tokio Marine (8766 JP), Nissan Motor (7201 JP), Hitachi (6501 JP), Fujifilm (4901 JP), Toshiba (6502 JP), and Hikari Tsushin (9435 JP). in the DETAIL below, we shall review Monday's updates:-
The balance between positive/neutral/negative of the 51 results announcements was 21:3:27. The average change in Results Score was -1.1.
For the 24 revisions/initial forecasts, the split was 8:1:15, and the average Forecast/Revision Score was -5.4. Again less than 50% of companies reporting full-year results chose to make current year forecasts.


🇯🇵 JAPAN • Results & Revisions 19th May - SEI, Kotobuki Spirits, Autobacs Seven

Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

* European Insurers Leading Global Insurance Capital Preservation: The ebbing economic tide has significantly exposed the European financial system for what it always was - a low profit, weak capital generating, and highly geared sector which has been dangerously close to loss making for over a decade;* Solvency II Regime Not Capturing Risk:The Corona Crisis and monetary/fiscal response have created a perfect storm for insurers with negative risk-free rates and the spike in credit spreads well above 2008 GFC peak is a harbinger of investment default. The usefulness of Solvency II is being tested as ratios are supported by an Ultimate Forward Rate (UFR) which is increasingly at odds with economic reality, while the Volatility Adjustment (VA) is producing a perverse increase in headline ratios. The current environment introduces third party concerns with ratings agencies, credit defaults, and counterparties. Insurers can exhibit solvency ratio increases if corporate credit spreads rise; and  * Asia-Pacific Insurer Solidarity With Western Peer Likely: Global investors should understand the notion of solidarity in time of financial crisis. Europe’s bank and insurance regulator has each called for widespread dividend deferrals/eliminations of its financial institutions. We also fully anticipate solidarity amongst the Asia-Pacific financials with their Western peer. Whilst many of the Asia-Pacific insurers have already adopted some form of the European Solvency II regime, many have also purchased USD-denominated assets in their desperate search for yield in this low/negative rate environment where the impact of credit default and ratings agency downgrades on their investment portfolios is likely to be outsized and challenge capital ratios. We anticipate similar actions with the Asia-Pacific insurers - particularly in Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea.

* European Insurers Leading Global Insurance Capital Preservation: The ebbing economic tide has significantly exposed the European financial system for what it always was - a low profit, weak capital generating, and highly geared sector which has been dangerously close to loss making for over a decade;* Solvency II Regime Not Capturing Risk:The Corona Crisis and monetary/fiscal response have created a perfect storm for insurers with negative risk-free rates and the spike in credit spreads well above 2008 GFC peak is a harbinger of investment default. The usefulness of Solvency II is being tested as ratios are supported by an Ultimate Forward Rate (UFR) which is increasingly at odds with economic reality, while the Volatility Adjustment (VA) is producing a perverse increase in headline ratios. The current environment introduces third party concerns with ratings agencies, credit defaults, and counterparties. Insurers can exhibit solvency ratio increases if corporate credit spreads rise; and  * Asia-Pacific Insurer Solidarity With Western Peer Likely: Global investors should understand the notion of solidarity in time of financial crisis. Europe’s bank and insurance regulator has each called for widespread dividend deferrals/eliminations of its financial institutions. We also fully anticipate solidarity amongst the Asia-Pacific financials with their Western peer. Whilst many of the Asia-Pacific insurers have already adopted some form of the European Solvency II regime, many have also purchased USD-denominated assets in their desperate search for yield in this low/negative rate environment where the impact of credit default and ratings agency downgrades on their investment portfolios is likely to be outsized and challenge capital ratios. We anticipate similar actions with the Asia-Pacific insurers - particularly in Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea. 

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

Adding to last week’s concerns reiterated above, additional developments which have further dampened our overall outlook include a breakdown in the global Discretionary vs. Staples ratio, price and RS deterioration for mainland China, Germany, and European Technology, and new lows in the NASDAQ Global Automobile index. Aside from Germany, other major indexes remain above support in Europe/UK and Japan.  We highlight a number of attractive opportunities in “defensive” Financials including electronic exchanges/markets, insurance, commercial/consumer financing, and select asset managers.

Adding to last week’s concerns reiterated above, additional developments which have further dampened our overall outlook include a breakdown in the global Discretionary vs. Staples ratio, price and RS deterioration for mainland China, Germany, and European Technology, and new lows in the NASDAQ Global Automobile index. Aside from Germany, other major indexes remain above support in Europe/UK and Japan.  We highlight a number of attractive opportunities in “defensive” Financials including electronic exchanges/markets, insurance, commercial/consumer financing, and select asset managers.

Global Equity Strategy: More Cracks Begin to Show

Our outlook on global equities (both the MSCI ACWI and ACWI ex-US) remains positive and we continue to expect higher equity prices going forward.  In additional to highlighting important technical levels across major markets, we reiterate our recommendation to add exposure to global financials, and highlight a number of attractive Financial stocks, with an emphasis on UK and European names.

Our outlook on global equities (both the MSCI ACWI and ACWI ex-US) remains positive and we continue to expect higher equity prices going forward.  In additional to highlighting important technical levels across major markets, we reiterate our recommendation to add exposure to global financials, and highlight a number of attractive Financial stocks, with an emphasis on UK and European names. 

Global Equity Strategy: EU and UK Financial Stocks Are Attractive

Concerns over perceived U.S. central bank policy missteps have been somewhat alleviated following dovish takeaways from Fed Chair Powell’s comments this week. However, trade tensions remain a concern for global markets despite optimism surrounding the Trump/Xi meeting at the G20 summit this week. Therefore, our outlook remains cautious and we expect consolidation to continue as global equities enjoy a bounce off of recent lows. Ultimately, we will need to see more definitive signs of bottoming throughout Europe, Asia, and the U.S. before getting positive on global equities.  We provide a technical appraisal of major markets and highlight attractive set ups in global transportation, communications, and financial sectors

Concerns over perceived U.S. central bank policy missteps have been somewhat alleviated following dovish takeaways from Fed Chair Powell’s comments this week. However, trade tensions remain a concern for global markets despite optimism surrounding the Trump/Xi meeting at the G20 summit this week. Therefore, our outlook remains cautious and we expect consolidation to continue as global equities enjoy a bounce off of recent lows. Ultimately, we will need to see more definitive signs of bottoming throughout Europe, Asia, and the U.S. before getting positive on global equities.  We provide a technical appraisal of major markets and highlight attractive set ups in global transportation, communications, and financial sectors

Global Equity Strategy: Bouncing off Lows, China Perking Up

Japan

Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc., through subsidiaries, offers property, casualty and life insurance, and asset management services.

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Tokio Marine Holdings (8766 JP)

🇯🇵 JAPAN • Results & Revisions 19th May - SEI, Kotobuki Spirits, Autobacs Seven

STRAGGLERS - As we wind down this series of Insights, the 'gap' between our proxies for earnings and Total Market Cap is now the largest in fifteen...

Campbell Gunn

Asian Insurers - Mea EIOPA

* European Insurers Leading Global Insurance Capital Preservation: The ebbing economic tide has significantly exposed the European financial system...

Thomas J. Monaco

Global Equity Strategy: More Cracks Begin to Show

Adding to last week’s concerns reiterated above, additional developments which have further dampened our overall outlook include a breakdown in the...

Vermilion Research

Global Equity Strategy: EU and UK Financial Stocks Are Attractive

Our outlook on global equities (both the MSCI ACWI and ACWI ex-US) remains positive and we continue to expect higher equity prices going forward. ...

Vermilion Research

Global Equity Strategy: Bouncing off Lows, China Perking Up

Concerns over perceived U.S. central bank policy missteps have been somewhat alleviated following dovish takeaways from Fed Chair Powell’s comments...

Vermilion Research

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