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Weekly Top Ten Tech Hardware and Semiconductor – Dec 17, 2023

By | Tech Hardware and Semiconductor

1. TSMC’s November Revenue Declines 15.3% MoM.

By William Keating, Ingenuity

  • Revenue for November 2023 was NT$206.03 billion, a decrease of 15.3% MoM, and down 7.5% compared to the year ago period.
  • Based on the guided midpoint, December revenue will show a further 20% MoM decline
  • We estimate FY2023 revenues of $68.8 billion, down 9.4% YoY. 

2. Taiwan Dual-Listings Monitor: TSMC Premium at an Extreme; ASE Dropping Lower and Lower

By Vincent Fernando, CFA, Zero One

  • TSMC: 10.4% Premium — Decent Level to Short the Spread At
  • ASE: 6.2% Premium — Wait for 5% as the Level to Go Long the Spread
  • UMC: Trading at 0.8% — Wait for 1.5% or Higher

3. MediaTek (2454.TT): The WiFi 7 Chip Competition Is Likely to Become Fierce in 2024.

By Patrick Liao

  • The WiFi technology was dominated by Broadcom Corp Cl A (BRCM US), but Mediatek Inc (2454 TT) has to break into the PC and smartphone markets in 2024F.
  • There are speculations that Apple might use MediaTek’s WiFi 7 solution in 2024F or consider MediaTek as a potential chip provider.
  • MediaTek will be using 6nm technology for WiFi 7, replacing the current 28nm technology used for WiFi 6.

4. Rohm (6963 JP): Government Subsidy for Power Device Project with Toshiba

By Scott Foster, LightStream Research

  • Rohm’s share price was up 6% on Friday, December 8, on the news that the Japanese government will subsidize its collaboration with Toshiba in power semiconductors.
  • The subsidy will amount to one-third of the ¥388.3 billion yen the two companies plan to invest in Silicon Carbide and Silicon devices for the electric vehicle and other industries.
  • Rohm hit bottom on October 31, management cut FY Mar-24 guidance on November 1 and the market is now looking to recovery. Toshiba will be delisted on December 20.

5. AMD. With FY23 Revenues Set to Fall ~4% YoY, Is The Party Over?

By William Keating, Ingenuity

  • AMD’s resurgence against a dominant Intel saw the company grow annual revenues >4x between 2017 and 2022
  • FY 2023 revenue is likely to be down roughly $1 billion or ~4% YoY.
  • We expect a combination of renewed Data Center market share growth plus a grand entrance into the AI acceleration segment will restart the party all over again in 2024. 

6. Taiwan Tech Weekly: AI Plays Weak Despite Strong Taiwan Tech Market Performance

By Vincent Fernando, CFA, Zero One

  • Overall, it was a strong week for Taiwan Tech. TSMC and Mediatek showed strong performances, as well as key names we like such as Yageo and Himax.
  • AI-Related Taiwan plays showed relative weakness. This weakness interestingly happened during a week when NVIDIA Corp (NVDA US) performed well.
  • According to insight provider Patrick Liao, MediaTek WiFi 7 chip competition is likely to become fierce in 2024.

Weekly Top Ten Tech Hardware and Semiconductor

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Weekly Top Ten Equity Capital Markets – Dec 17, 2023

By | Equity Capital Markets

1. Denso (6902 JP): The Current Playbook

By Arun George, Global Equity Research Ltd

  • Since the US$4.0 billion secondary placement announcement, Denso Corp (6902 JP)’s shares are down 4.3% from the undisturbed price of JPY2,298 per share (28 November).
  • Looking at recent large Japanese placements is instructive to understand the potential trading pattern. So far, Denso’s shares have followed the pattern of previous large placements.
  • The offering will likely be priced on 13 December. Investors participating in previous large Japanese placements tend to secure positive returns.

2. Zozo-Owned Yutori IPO This Month

By Michael Causton, JapanConsuming

  • Zozo may lead in online fashion malls but its customer base, while young, is getting older.
  • In 2020, it acquired a majority stake in Yutori, a fledgling fashion mall targeting the young, which will now list this month.
  • Yutori has grown sales to ¥2.47 billion since launching five years ago. As well as Japan, it sees a major opportunity across Asia given Japanese street fashion popularity there.

3. GoTo: Thoughts on the New Tokopedia/TikTok Partnership

By Shifara Samsudeen, ACMA, CGMA, LightStream Research

  • GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk PT (GOTO IJ) announced on Monday a partnership with TikTok  which would combine former’s e-commerce biz Tokopedia with TikTok Shop Indonesia.
  • TikTok was forced to close its e-commerce services in Indonesia following regulations banning online shopping on social media platforms in September citing protection of smaller merchants and data privacy.
  • It seems TikTok will certainly be a winner if the deal is approved but surprised at GoTo’s move to retain a minority stake given e-commerce business is nearing profits.

4. Merdeka Battery Materials Lockup Expiry – US$1.5bn Lockup Expiry, Some Have Sold Beforehand

By Ethan Aw, Aequitas Research

  • Merdeka Battery Materials (MBMA IJ) was listed on 18th Apr 2023, when it raised around US$591m in its Indonesian IPO. Its eight-month lockup will expire on 11th Dec 2023.
  • MBMA owns one of the world’s largest nickel mines in terms of contained nickel at the Konawe Nickel Mine. 
  • In this note, we will talk about the lock-up dynamics and updates since our last note.

5. DS Dansuk IPO Bookbuilding Results Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • DS Dansuk reported solid bookbuilding results. DS Dansuk IPO price has been determined at 100,000 won per share, which is 12.4% higher than high end of the IPO price range.
  • A total of 1,843 institutional investors participated in this IPO book building. The demand ratio was 342 to 1. DS Dansuk IPO will start trading on 22 December.
  • Given the strong IPO bookbuilding results, we believe shares of DS Dansuk are likely to trade above the high end of the IPO sensitivity analysis (137,877 won). 

6. Mankind Pharma Placement – Its Expensive, but at Least It’s High Quality

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • A group of shareholders is looking to raise around US$600m via selling a 6.9% stake in Mankind Pharma.
  • MP is a pharmaceutical company engaged in developing, manufacturing and marketing a range of pharmaceutical formulations across various acute and chronic therapeutic areas, as well as several consumer healthcare products.
  • We have looked at the IPO and lock-up release earlier. In this note, we talk about the other deal dynamics.

7. DOMS Industries IPO – Thoughts on Valuation – Isn’t Cheap, Neither Are Its Peers Cheap

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • Doms (DOMS IN) is looking to raise around US$140m in its India IPO.
  • DOMS is a leading player and brand in India’s stationery and art products market. It designs, manufactures, and sells a wide range of products, primarily under its flagship brand ‘DOMS’.
  • We have looked at the company’s past performance in our earlier note. In this note, we talk about valuations.

8. Rept Battero IPO: Valuation Insights

By Arun George, Global Equity Research Ltd


9. India Shelter Finance IPO – Strong Track Record Could Justify a Premium Valuation

By Clarence Chu, Aequitas Research

  • India Shelter Finance (0570670D IN) is looking to raise US$144m from its India IPO.
  • India Shelter Finance (ISF) is a retail-focused HFC targeting the self-employed customer with a focus on first time home loan takers in the low and middle income group.
  • In this note, we will look at past performance, and share our thoughts on valuation.

10. Inox India IPO – Offering Access to a Niche Sector

By Ethan Aw, Aequitas Research

  • INOX India Limited (INOX IN) is looking to raise up to US$175m in its Indian IPO.
  • Inox India is a manufacturer of cryogenic equipment. As per CRISIL, the firm was the largest Indian exporter of cryogenic tanks in terms of FY23 sales.
  • In our previous note, we looked at the company’s background. In this note, we talk about the company’s performance and share our quick thoughts on valuation.

Weekly Top Ten Equity Capital Markets

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Weekly Top Ten Event-Driven and Index Rebalance – Dec 17, 2023

By | Event-Driven and Index Rebalance

1. JIC Consortium Possibly In Line to Win Shinko At “¥800bn”, Which Makes You Go 🤔…

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • A Nikkei article today suggested that Fujitsu had granted preferential negotiating rights to buy Shinko Electric Industries (6967 JP) to a JIC-led consortium (including DNP and Mitsui Chem) for ~¥800bn.
  • This happened late in the afternoon session. Shares spiked 5+%, then were halted. A gray market ensued. 
  • A Bloomberg article provided more info, and the same info nuanced slightly differently. The wording in yet other articles was interesting enough that it is worth discussing. 

2. Bain Deal for Outsourcing (2427): Cheeky, Opportunistic, Too Low

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • On Friday 8 December, Bain announced an MBO with Outsourcing Inc (2427 JP) Chair Haruhiko Doi to take the company private at a 51% premium. Looks good at first glance.
  • It is, however, an offer at ~6.6x Management Forecast derived Dec 2024 EBITDA. This for a top player in a fast-growing market where Street/mgmt both see up-and-to-the-right results from here. 
  • This is a delayed start (late-Jan) for regulatory approvals. It is too cheap. It is blockable. But Doi-san is young at 64yrs old and he could come back years later.

3. MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index Rebalance: TSMC Is the Big Sell

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics


4. Benefit One (2412): M3 Extends For a Full Month

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • Today after the close, Benefit One Inc (2412 JP) amended its Tender Offer Target Opinion Statement to note that Dai Ichi Life had made a proposal to acquire 100%.
  • To allow the Board time to evaluate this proposal, the Company requested a Tender extension. Bidder M3 Inc (2413 JP) was obliged to extend 10 days. They extended 20 days.
  • This tells us a bunch of things. It is worth thinking about what happened to get here.

5. NASDAQ 100 Index Rebalance: 6 Regular Changes + 1 Adhoc Change; US$37bn to Trade

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics

  • There were 6 inclusions and 6 exclusions for the Nasdaq-100 Stock Index (NDX INDEX) at the annual December reconstitution. Then another ad hoc change was added on top of that.
  • Impact on the inclusions ranges from 1-8 days of ADV to buy, while the impact on the deletions varies from 0.7-2.6 days of ADV to sell.
  • Apart from the constituent changes, there are expected to be inflows in Tesla Motors and Broadcom and outflows from Apple, Microsoft, Amazon.com and NVIDIA.

6. JIC Deal For Shinko Electric Is LIGHT, and There’s Room To Complain, But Will Trade Wide

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • 29 minutes after I published a long, musing piece on the possibilities of structure and announcement later this week, JIC and Shinko Electric announced 5 minutes before midnight.
  • A warning for the future: The Nikkei and every other media outlet got the number wrong. It is NOT a total acquisition cost of “around ¥800bn”. It is under ¥700bn. 
  • It IS a split deal. And if JIC won with that price, it tells you something about the state of the market and future deals in the space.

7. Shinko Electric (6967 JP): JIC’s Pre-Conditional Tender Offer at JPY5,920

By Arun George, Global Equity Research Ltd

  • After months of speculation, Shinko Electric Industries (6967 JP) has recommended the JIC alliance’s preconditional tender offer of JPY5,920 per share, an 18.9% premium to the undisturbed price (31 May). 
  • The pre-condition relates to regulatory approvals in Japan, China, Korea, and possibly Vietnam. The offeror may waive the pre-condition. The offer is long-dated and expected to start in August 2024.
  • The minimum acceptance condition requires a 33.3% minority acceptance rate. Despite the low 7.1% premium to the last close, the offer resulted from a competing bidding process. 

8. Denso Corp Placement – Quick Update – In Better Shape Now, Size Concern Remains

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • On 28th Nov 2023, Toyota Motor (7203 JP) announced that it would sell around 9.4% of Denso Corp (6902 JP) in order to reduce its cross-shareholding.
  • The shares hadn’t corrected much till our last note on 7th Dec 2023, they have since corrected by 6% .
  • We have covered the deal background and deal dynamics in our earlier notes. In this note, we talk about the recent share price movement, as compared to prior deals.

9. HSTECH Index Rebalance Preview: Tongcheng Travel (780 HK) Could Replace GDS (9698 HK)

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics


10. A Review of Tender Offers of Korean Companies in 2023

By Douglas Kim

  • We review the major tender offers of Korean companies in 2023. Some of the major M&A tender offers that have closed this year include Osstem Implant and SM Entertainment.
  • Among the 15 companies targeted for tender offers, there are 5 companies including Osstem Implant, SM Entertainment, Lutronic Corp where the purpose of the tender offers is for M&A. 
  • There were a total of 18 companies that submitted tender offer results announcements in 2023 (as of 11 December), up 157% YoY.

Weekly Top Ten Event-Driven and Index Rebalance

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Weekly Top Ten Macro and Cross Asset Strategy – Dec 17, 2023

By | Macro and Cross Asset Strategy

1. 2024 High Conviction Idea: The Case for a Rotation Out of Japan into Hong Kong – Part 1

By Rikki Malik

  • Risk reward favours this shift in allocation between these markets.
  • Japan will suffer from base effects on economic data and earnings this year as JPY move reverses.
  • Year end Positioning could provide attractive entry points for both legs.

2. The Psychology of Money: A Book Review

By Douglas Kim

  • In this insight, I review a fantastic book written by Morgan Housel called The Psychology of Money (published in 2020). 
  • “The most important part of every plan is planning on your plan not going according to the plan.” 
  • Three parts of the book were particularly outstanding including letter to author’s son, the story of Rick Guerin, and how mice helped the Russians to defeat the mighty German army. 

3. Foreign Investors Allowed to Begin Buying Korean Stocks Without Prior Authorization on 14 December

By Douglas Kim

  • On 13 December, the FSS announced that foreign investors will be allowed to start purchasing Korean stocks without prior authorization starting this week. 
  • The revised Capital Market Act will start to be implemented on 14 December repealing the time consuming and inconvenient pre-registration system for foreign investors.  
  • As a result of the Korean government making this change regulatory change, one of the beneficiaries is likely to be Interactive Brokers Group, Inc (IBKR US).

4. Steno Signals #77 – Oil Demand Is ALL TIME HIGH

By Andreas Steno, Steno Research

  • Happy Sunday and welcome to our weekly flagship editorial from Steno Research.
  • It has been an incredibly odd week in the economic calendar and our thesis of a strong year-end for USD key figures has so far been proven right, which especially after the NFP report re-ignited the USD and front-end USD rates, which has been our bet against especially European peers.
  • Most recent economic key figures from the US have not surprised positively to the extent we saw through the autumn, while Chinese key figures have woken up and made a decent comeback relative to expectations over the past months.

5. 5 (+1) Central Banks We Watch – Fed, ECB, BoE, Norge’s Bank, BoJ & BCB

By Andreas Steno, Steno Research

  • It’s central bank week once again, and that of course calls for us to share our thoughts ahead of the biggest meeting over the next week with Powell being the first to take the stage on Wednesday, expecting to hawk up the rhetoric a bit whilst keeping the Fed funds upper band steady at 5.5%.
  • The ECB has recently claimed the title as the most dovish central bank in G10 after markets have added roughly 20 bps of cuts in 2024 to market pricing, and markets now price in approx.
  • 115 bps of cuts in 2024.

6. Central Bank Review: Powell, a Genius or a Madman? 2024 Looks like a Year of Fat Tails

By Andreas Steno, Steno Research

  • USD markets felt almost EM like for a couple of hours after Jay Powell and the committee allowed markets to chase the cutting narrative by communicating three expected cuts in the dot plot for 2024.
  • I am not always convinced that the dot plot is a wise guidance tool as policy makers likely judge that a dot signaling three cuts relative to market pricing (ahead of the meeting) hinting of more than four cuts net/net should lead to a hawkish surprise.
  • The opposite of course happened since narrative chasers in markets rather look at the sequential move than the nominal forecast.

7. Great Game – Climate, Chips and Corruption!

By Mikkel Rosenvold, Steno Research

  • Welcome to your weekly geopolitical update from the Great Game! With a relatively quiet week in global affairs, we have time to dive into a couple of issues that we’ve been looking at over the past weeks.
  • But let’s start at the main stage with the current COP28 summit that’s about to wrap up.
  • Will “majlis” sit-downs save the climate?

8. In A Bitcoin Frenzy; Long BTC Miners & Short BTC

By Pranay Yadav, Mint Finance

  • BTC’s phenomenal +57% surge since September is propelled by key forces—ETF euphoria, a robust “Risk On” asset bull run, regulatory clarity, and the imminent BTC halving.
  • While BTC maintains resilience, mining firms, exemplified by Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI), have seen a 30% underperformance over the last 3 months.
  • Mining firms that have scaled up hash-rate over the past year and built up BTC holdings to support outperformance to BTC. However, ample cash reserves are vital.

9. Rate Cuts: How Much? How Quick? How Real?

By Srinidhi Raghavendra, Mint Finance

  • Western central bankers have made it amply clear that rate cuts are not a given. They remain data dependent. And the data is sending mixed signals.
  • Meanwhile markets are opting for selective hearing and are pricing sharp rate cuts soon. Inflation is hard to tackle in general. The last mile gets nasty. Are markets ready?
  • Base effects have contributed to the rapid slowdown in inflation. When these base effects fade, the false sense of safety could crater leading to a very different inflation narrative.

10. Positioning Watch – Are markets ready for Powell Wednesday?

By Andreas Steno, Steno Research

  • With Powell taking the stage on Wednesday, likely turning more hawkish in his rhetoric after weeks of financial conditions easing, we have had a look at if we are starting to see signs of markets reversing their ultra-bullish positioning.
  • In general markets have taken a bit of a breather from a positioning perspective after the historically bullish sentiment seen throughout November, and people are now starting to hedge their longs based on recent option volumes, with the aggregate US intraday put-call ratio now back solidly above 1.
  • Looks like traders are starting to hedge their equity bets going into the central bank bonanza this week.

Weekly Top Ten Macro and Cross Asset Strategy

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Weekly Top Ten Tech Hardware and Semiconductor – Dec 10, 2023

By | Tech Hardware and Semiconductor

1. Taiwan Tech Weekly: TSMC Extending Lead Vs. Samsung with 3nm Tech; Hon Hai Result Positive for Apple

By Vincent Fernando, CFA, Zero One

  • Is TSMC Leaving Samsung in the Dust with its New 3nm Process Technology?
  • Our Pick Himax a Top Loser… Apple Lens Supplier, Yageo Peer, and Taiwan AI Chip Designer Top Winners
  • Positive Sign for Apple Revenue — Hon Hai November Revenue Higher Than Expected, Guides for Better December

2. MediaTek (2454.TT): Rebounding from Cycle Bottom.

By Patrick Liao

  • Mediatek Inc (2454 TT) has rebounded from the bottom of the cycle, and it will be able to reach more than 20% YoY in 2024F.
  • The demand for 4G and 5G Smartphone SoC will be split around 55/45 by shipment volume, with Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) (2330 TT) being the primary supplier for MediaTek.
  • The MediaTek Dimensity 6000 series will be the new flagship product line in 2024F.

3. Semiconductor Events Deserving Your Attention @6/12/23

By William Keating, Ingenuity

  • Global semi sales for October 2023 amounted to $46.6 billion, an increase of 3.9% MoM but still down 0.7% compared to the year-ago period
  • Global semiconductor equipment billings amounted to $25.6 billion in Q323, down 11% YoY and down 1% QoQ
  • China is on track to maintain the global #1 semi WFE spender slot for the fourth year in a row and by the widest margin ever. 

4. Hamamatsu Photonics (6965 JP): Buy into Current Weakness

By Scott Foster, LightStream Research

  • The shares are down 27% from their May high, largely discounting excessive inventory and a decline in profits that is likely to continue through next March or June.
  • Inventory adjustment, the revival of semiconductor, factory automation and medical related demand, plus the leveling off of depreciation, should enable a return to growth after that. 
  • Projected valuations are at the low end of their 10-year ranges. Buy into the current weakness, keeping in mind that 1Q results are likely to be weak.

5. Cerebras. G42 Deal Is A Life Saver. Or Is It?

By William Keating, Ingenuity

  • ~$900 million supercomputer deal is off the charts compared to all previous deals
  • Without the deal, Cerebras would likely soon have run out of cash. With the deal, Cerebras is effectively working as a supercomputer contractor for G42 for the next several years
  • Three supercomputers to be built in the US, we suspect the remaining six to be built in the UAE. That’s likely to raise some eyebrows. 

6. Stories Behind the Reported Nov 2023 Taiwan Semi/Tech Sales

By Andrew Lu

  • More clear y/y improvement for 8/12″ raw wafer, WiFi IC, GaAs RF/VCSEL, and memory vendors but more y/y deterioration for OLED/LCD driver, LCD panel, design service, equipment/materials, and foundry vendors.
  • GaAs RF and gaming GPU card vendors showed very impressive y/y sales growth of 54% and 63%, respectively. ABF substrate vendors showed the weakest sales decline of 34% among all.
  • Except A Data (+2.5% m/m) and Phison Electronics (+5.6% m/m) might see stronger share price to reflect stronger November sales, most of others see good/bad news in the price already.

7. GUC (3443.TT): Why the Company Did Show a Bit Cautious Attitude with the Market Price?

By Patrick Liao

  • On December 8th, GUC reached its daily limit at the closing price, but the company did not consistently demonstrate an agreeable attitude.
  • The “AI” is an explicit knowledge for today, while GUC is a company of project based. 
  • GUC’s monthly revenue decreased by 22.15% YoY in November 2023.

Weekly Top Ten Tech Hardware and Semiconductor

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Weekly Top Ten Equity Capital Markets – Dec 10, 2023

By | Equity Capital Markets

1. Rakuten Bank (5838 JP) Overnight Offering at a Fat Discount

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • After the close today, Rakuten Group (4755 JP) announced the sale of 25.5mm shares of Rakuten Bank (5838 JP), right as the IPO lockup was reaching its expiry. Expected.
  • Pricing is 6-7 Dec (pre-Tokyo open 7 Dec), delivery 11 Dec 2023. Indicative price range is 8.5-12.5% discount for a deal of US$425mm or so.
  • In an interesting technical detail, this will take Rakuten below 50%. There is some near-term index demand, some in April, some next October. Rheos could be more overhang.

2. Toyota To Sell Harmonic Drive (6324 JP) Shares in Overseas Offering

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • Today, Toyota Motor (7203 JP) announced it would sell 4.379mm shares (4.55%) of Harmonic Drive Systems (6324 JP) in an overseas placement. 
  • This is not so big as it is emblematic, adding to the recent news on Toyota unwinds.
  • Harmonic Drive is heavily held by foreign institutions. This is a foreigners-only deal. But it will need to be absorbed by that group too. 

3. Rakuten Bank Placement – Was Expected at Some Point, Current Timing Seems Opportunistic

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • Rakuten Group (4755 JP) aims to raise US$430m via selling around 14.6% of Rakuten Bank (5838 JP)
  • RB is the largest internet bank in Japan, by number of accounts. As of Sep 23, it had 14.3m deposit accounts with a total deposit base of JPY9.5tn.
  • In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and updates since our last note.

4. REPT BATTERO Energy Pre-IPO – PHIP Updates – Leaning on ESS

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • REPT BATTERO Energy (REPT HK) is now looking to raise around US$300m in its upcoming Hong Kong IPO, down from the US$1bn it was aiming for earlier.
  • REPT BATTERO Energy (REPT) is a lithium-ion battery manufacturer in China, focusing on R&D, production, and sales of EV/ESS lithium-ion battery products such as battery cells, modules and packs.
  • We have looked at the company’s past performance in our previous note. In this note, we talk about its PHIP updates.

5. Harmonic Drive Placement – Cleanup Share Sale Will Remove the Overhang

By Clarence Chu, Aequitas Research

  • Toyota Motor (7203 JP) is looking to raise US$116m from selling its entire stake in Harmonic Drive Systems (6324 JP).
  • Toyota Motors has indicated over the past one-two weeks that it will be looking to sell/trim its stakes in various entities as part of its exit from its multiple cross-holdings.
  • While the deal would be a relatively large one to digest at 10 days of ADV, Toyota Motors will be selling its entire stake, clearing the overhang.

6. Evolution Mining Placement – Back to Equity Markets Again to Fund Another M&A Deal

By Clarence Chu, Aequitas Research

  • Evolution Mining (EVN AU) is looking to raise around US$350m to partially fund its acquisition of an 80% stake in the Northparkes copper and gold mines.
  • While the acquisition wasn’t explicitly flagged, the firm has guided that it had been eyeing acquisitions into gold/copper pathways. Thus, we would argue that the deal is somewhat well flagged.
  • That being said, at 14 days of three month ADV, the deal isn’t a particularly small one for the firm to digest.

7. Dekon Food and Agriculture Group IPO Trading – Tight Float at Listing, Subscription Rates Were Tepid

By Clarence Chu, Aequitas Research

  • Dekon Food and Agriculture Group (DFAG CH) raised around US$128m in its Hong Kong IPO. 
  • Dekon Food and Agriculture Group (DFAG) is a vertically integrated livestock farming enterprise in China.
  • We have covered various aspects of the deal in our previous note. In this note, we will talk about the demand and trading dynamics.

8. 2024 Major IPOs Pipeline in Korea

By Douglas Kim

  • This is our 9th “Annual Edition of the Major Korean IPOs Pipeline Preview” at Smartkarma.
  • This insight will feature 50 of the biggest potential IPOs in Korea in 2024.
  • These 50 IPOs in Korea are likely to represent more than 80% of all capital raised through IPOs in Korea next year.

9. Rept Battero IPO: The Bull Case

By Arun George, Global Equity Research Ltd

  • REPT BATTERO Energy (1998104D CH), a leading EV battery manufacturer, is premarketing a US$300 million HKEx IPO, according to press reports.  
  • According to Frost & Sullivan, in 1H23, Rept was the tenth-largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer globally for annual installations for new energy applications. 
  • The bull case rests on rapid ESS revenue growth, reducing customer concentration risks, ambitious capacity expansion plans, promising margin trajectory and improving cash collection cycle. 

10. Kasumigaseki Capital (3498 JP) – An Offering Worth Examining

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • Kasumigaseki Capital is a small cap consulting real estate speculator/developer. They have an interesting, aggressive model. People will recognise the model from pre-GFC but this one is structured better.
  • The company had planned explosive growth and in October, brought growth plans forward and guidance way up. Now there is an offering to fund that growth. 
  • It appears to also be an offering to get a very large short position out of a risk of potential squeeze. For that, I expect this goes smoothly.

Weekly Top Ten Equity Capital Markets

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Weekly Top Ten Event-Driven and Index Rebalance – Dec 10, 2023

By | Event-Driven and Index Rebalance

1. Dai-Ichi Life (8750) Proposes a Full Takeover of Benefit One (2412), Overbidding M3

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors


2. New Benefit One Deal Recalculated, More Benefit for All, Less for One

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • The deal from Dai-Ichi Life for Benefit One Inc (2412 JP) appears language I did not get the first time around. The JPY 1800/share price is a proposed combined value.
  • The deal would then lower the TOB price to Pasona, and share the benefits from that lower price to Benefit One minorities. 
  • That suggests more upside to Benefit One than I originally thought, and less upside (but still a chunk) to Pasona.

3. Benefit One (2412) – Pro-Ration Expectations Update

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • Since the announcement of the Benefit One Inc (2412 JP) partial offer, the stock has traded 16+mm shares in the market, which is about 40% of Real World Float.
  • Some of that has been traded multiple times. Looking only at that data would suggest a higher pro-ration, but I expect there is other data one must take into account.
  • Benefit One shares are currently trading at a level suggesting either lower participation OR higher back-end despite the earnings guidance downgrade at announcement.

4. Nikkei 225 Index Rebalance Preview (Mar 2024): Update on Ranking, Capping, Funding & Other Changes

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics

  • The review period for the Nikkei 225 (NKY INDEX) March rebalance ends end January. There could be three changes at the rebalance with sector balance in focus.
  • Depending on the changes, passives trackers will need to buy 2.4-22.5x ADV (10-24% of real float) on the inclusions and sell between 3.5-42.5x ADV on the deletions.
  • Fast Retailing (9983 JP) capping, Nitori Holdings (9843 JP) increase in PAF, a big funding trade, and potentially new stocks being added in two-steps. 

5. March 2024 Nikkei 225 Rebal – Socionext, Disco, and a Consumer Goods Stock to ADD and ¥1trn To Trade

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • Minimal changes in the rankings since last time. Socionext (6526), Disco (6146), and a Consumer Goods stock (Zozo (3092) top-ranked, Ryohin Keikaku (7453) a better choice) are ADDs.
  • The DELETEs are still Takara Holdings (2531), Pacific Metals (5541), Sumitomo Osaka Cement (5232) with a dark horse candidate in Hitachi Zosen (7004) to replace Takara.
  • There is the upweight to Nitori (9843) AND funkiness with Fast Retailing (9983) to consider. We are right on the threshold. The question is whether it gets “help” in January.

6. S&P/​​​​ASX 200 Index Rebalance (Dec 2023): There Is Positioning but Probably Not Enough

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics

  • There are 3 changes for the S&P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) that will be implemented at the close on 15 December. One name is a relative surprise.
  • There will be 8-15 days of ADV to buy on the inclusions and there will be 12-18 days of ADV to sell on the deletions.
  • Cumulative excess volume and changes in short interest indicate there will be positioning in most stocks. But it may not yet be enough to cover the passive trade.

7. NIFTY200 Momentum30 Index Rebalance Preview: 58% Turnover & Strong Momentum

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics

  • There could be 18 changes for the Nifty200 Momentum 30 Index that will be implemented at the close on 28 December.
  • If all changes are on expected lines, one-way turnover is estimated at 58.2% and that will result in a one-way trade of INR 20bn (US$240m).
  • Since July, the potential adds to the index have outperformed the index and the potential deletes by a big margin. Momentum could keep the outperformance going till implementation date.

8. New Deal for Benefit One (2168) Could Mean Lots More Money for Pasona (2168)

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • Today, Dai Ichi Life Insurance (8750 JP)  announced a proposed counter/over-bid for Benefit One Inc (2412 JP). ¥1800/share for minorities and a better (undefined) outcome for Pasona Group (2168 JP)
  • This throws the cat amongst the pigeons as it is unsolicited, for 100% not just to get Pasona’s stake, and it will require Benefit One recommend or not.
  • For Pasona, this deal structure would likely increase the net result from the stake sale, possibly substantially so. It’s in the details. 

9. MVIS Australia Equal Weight Index Rebalance Preview: Stocks Close to Deletion Zone

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics

  • AMP Ltd (AMP AU) and A2 Milk Co Ltd (A2M AU) could be deleted as the lowest ranked current index constituents.
  • There are three other stocks that are close to the deletion threshold and a change in the free float could result in the stocks being deleted.
  • With the exception of A2 Milk Co Ltd (A2M AU), shorts have been increasing on nearly all the potential and close deletions.

10. Swire (19 HK / 87 HK) Announces NEW, Bigger, Better Buyback

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • Yesterday afternoon, Swire Pacific (A) (19 HK) | Swire Pacific (B) (87 HK) announced a new buyback program. The last one was announced August 2022 and ran until the AGM.
  • That was HK$4bn. In the meantime the company paid an HK$8.12 special div on the Swire As (14%) in September (on top of the HK$1.20 regular div). 
  • Now they have announced a new HK$6bn buyback buying both A Shares and B shares. Details, index impact, historical B/A trading patterns, etc, below.

Weekly Top Ten Event-Driven and Index Rebalance

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Weekly Top Ten Macro and Cross Asset Strategy – Dec 10, 2023

By | Macro and Cross Asset Strategy

1. Global Liquidity On The Rise: Is This Gold’s (And BitCoin’s) Breakout Moment?

By Michael J. Howell, CrossBorder Capital

  • High street inflation could fall in 2024 and real interest rates stay high, but the gold price and BitCoin (BTC$) may still break higher
  • Gold has a 1.5-1.6 times sensitivity factor to the growth in Global Liquidity. BitCoin is a whopping 5 times this! It is ‘exponential gold’
  • Global Liquidity looks set to double in size over the next decade driven by soaring World debts. Alongside, the US dollar has been eclipsed as the marginal World reserve asset

2. FSS Provides Further Details of Korean Companies That Plan to Change Dividend Payout System in 2024

By Douglas Kim

  • FSS provided further details as to the number of Korean companies that plan to change their dividend payout system to their shareholders in 2024.
  • There are 636 companies out of a total 2,267 listed companies in Korea (28%) that have confirmed that they will change their dividend payout system starting 2024.
  • As listed companies set different voting rights and dividend record dates from the end of the year, investors need to check the dividend record date and dividend amount before investing.

3. The Fate of Quantitative Tightening: Not Solely in the Hands of the Fed

By Said Desaque, DeSaque Macro Research

  • The twin pillars that underpinned US monetary policy since the global financial crisis made policy normalisation difficult. Investors believe quantitative tightening (QT) ceases once the federal funds rate is lowered.
  • Contrary to the fears encountered during the taper tantrum in 2013, QT has not dramatically tightened US financial conditions since 2017, thereby raising questions about whether any cessation is required.
  • High levels of bank reserves do not guarantee financial stability, but elevated Treasury borrowing and lower repo market liquidity pose threats that could ultimately force the Fed to end QT.

4. Positioning Watch – Everything better turn out the way markets want it

By Andreas Steno, Steno Research

  • Hello everyone, and welcome back to our weekly positioning watch, where we dig into everything positioning and sentiment-related.
  • This week will be all about equities and fixed income, which seems to be running the show at current junctures – just give the gold chart a look, which jumped some 2% on the back of pivot hopes and strong buying activity this morning during Asian hours, while sellers were nowhere to be seen, but fast-forwarding 10-11 hours, gold is now down somewhere near 0.2%.
  • A huge turnaround in markets which smells a lot like a short-squeeze or tight liquidity in the Asian markets today.

5. Steno Signals #76: The Fed Has Lost Control of Liquidity Trends

By Andreas Steno, Steno Research

  • Happy Sunday from frosty Copenhagen and welcome to our flagship editorial! The underlying demand trends are not strong.
  • Running credit card data has been weak in October/November, the credit impulse is worsening and there are signs of actual labour market softening around the otherwise sticky service sectors in the West, yet markets are partying like there is no tomorrow.
  • What is causing this disconnect and could it continue into the year-end?

6. 5 Things We Watch – Liquidity, Bond positioning, Oil, Consumer spending & Rates

By Andreas Steno, Steno Research

  • We’ve spent the past 2 days in London, meeting clients and hedge funds, and there was a lot of support for the idea/notion that SOFR-Fed Funds spreads reveal that USD Liquidity is not ample and that the Fed will have to end QT early.
  • The spread widening in SOFR – Fed Funds, caught a lot of attention over the past few days and it is interesting how swiftly the market jumps to the conclusion that it will lead to the Fed panic-ending QT already in Dec or January.
  • Why are SOFR – Fed Funds spreads widening and how do we deal with it?

7. Mint Macro Roundup: Dissecting The Recent Jobs Data

By Pranay Yadav, Mint Finance

  • Nonfarm payrolls showed 199k jobs added, higher than October and above expectations; Unemployment fell to 3.7% but wage growth strong at 4% YoY.
  • Earlier this week, JOLTs survey showed job opening slide 6.7% to 8.73 million, lowest in 2.5 years with jobs declining across industries.
  • Job market observed to be loosening and on-track to achieving soft-landing. going forward, it’s vital to watch for job losses.

8. The Week That Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Indofood’s On Track, ROTI’s Rising, and BliBli’s Omnichannel

By Angus Mackintosh, CrossASEAN Research


9. India Politics: State Elections Show Favourable Political Winds for Modi

By Manu Bhaskaran, Centennial Asia Advisors

  • Premier Modi’s BJP outperformed expectations by winning three state assembly elections, putting it in prime position for re-election in the 2024 general election. 
  • Modi’s personal appeal and welfarist policies will likely deliver dividends in the next elections. But a landslide win is far from guaranteed given the political dynamics. 
  • The government will thus avoid rocking the boat in terms of economic policy.  

10. The Market Meaning of a Gold Breakout

By Cam Hui, Pennock Idea Hub

  • Gold bulls became very excited when gold tested resistance at the 2000–2100 level. We have been more interested in the drivers of gold strength than trying to forecast gold itself.
  • Our analysis indicates that gold is rising on expectations of falling real rates, which also depresses the USD.
  • These factors should be bullish for the price of risky assets. Specifically, we would focus on financials and other early market cycle groups.

Weekly Top Ten Macro and Cross Asset Strategy

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Weekly Top Ten Equity Capital Markets – Dec 3, 2023

By | Equity Capital Markets

1. Denso Offering, Buyback, and New Cross-Holding Reduction Policy – It WAS a Trap

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • 15 minutes after I published what I thought was a considered analysis, Denso dumps the details. I thought it might be a trap. It looks like a trap.
  • A holistic view of the three different documents here suggests, indeed, “It was a trap”. 
  • This giant offering is not bearish overhang but likely tilts bullish with greenshoe support, a large buyback, a new cross-holding reduction policy, and the follow-on effects from that.

2. Huge Denso (6902) Secondary Sale by Toyota Group – Admiral Ackbar Says “It’s A Trap!”

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • Yesterday, Reuters reported that multiple Toyota Group companies would sell ~10% of Denso Corp (6902 JP) worth ¥700bn in a secondary share sale by year-end.
  • The sellers would be Toyota, selling down to just over 20%, Toyota Industries (6201) (selling down a bit more than half, and Aisin Seiki (7259 JP) selling its 2% stake. 
  • Denso would buy back shares. This whole thing is both interesting and complicated so I discuss the interesting complications below. It looks bigger than it probably is.

3. Denso (6902 JP): US$4.0 Billion Secondary Offering and US$1.4 Billion Buyback

By Arun George, Global Equity Research Ltd

  • Denso Corp (6902 JP) announced a secondary offering of up to 294.8 billion shares (including overallotment) and a buyback (maximum shares of 125 million or maximum value of JPY200 billion).
  • Denso also announced a cross-holding reduction policy. In an unspecified timeframe, it will sell part of its holdings in Toyota Industries (6201 JP) and Aisin (7259 JP).
  • Looking at recent large Japanese placements is instructive to understand the potential offer price. The pricing date will fall between 13 and 18 December (likely 13 December).

4. Asahi Group (2502 JP): The Current Playbook

By Arun George, Global Equity Research Ltd

  • Since the US$1.3 billion secondary placement announcement, Asahi Group Holdings (2502 JP)’s shares are down -6.2% from the undisturbed price of JPY5,804 per share (16 November).
  • Looking at recent large Japanese placements is instructive to understand the potential trading pattern. So far, Asahi’s shares have followed the pattern of previous large placements. 
  • The offering will likely be priced on 28 November. Investors participating in previous large Japanese placements tend to secure positive returns.

5. Zensho Placement – Good Price to Raise At, at Least for the Company

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • Zensho Holdings (7550 JP) aims to raise around US$300m via a public offering.
  • As per the company it will use the proceeds from the deal for potential M&A transactions.
  • In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and run the deal through our ECM framework.

6. Denso Corp Placement – Toyota to Raise US$4.4bn, as Expected

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research


7. Zeekr Pre-IPO – Quick Note – Recent Filing Updates – 007, Earnings on Track

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • ZEEKR (ZK US), a premium EV brand by Geely Auto (175 HK), aims to raise around US$500m in its US listing.
  • Zeekr was formed in Mar 2021 as a JV between Geely and its founder. Its first model was launched in Apr 21 with deliveries starting in Oct 21.
  • We have looked at the company’s past performance and valuations in our earlier notes. In this note, we talk about the updates from its recent filings.

8. Tata Technologies IPO: Trading Debut

By Arun George, Global Equity Research Ltd


9. LS Materials IPO Bookbuilding Results Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • LS Materials IPO price has been determined at 6,000 won per share, which is higher than the high end of the IPO price range (5,500 won). 
  • A total 2,025 institutional investors participated in this IPO book building. The demand ratio was 396.8 to 1. The IPO offering amount is 87.8 billion won. 
  • We believe that its share price is likely to trade higher than the high end of our valuation range (7,953 won per share) post IPO. 

10. Sino-Synergy Hydrogen IPO – High Potential but Comes with Ample Issues

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • Sino-Synergy Hydrogen Energy Technology (9663 HK) (SHET) is looking to raise around US$200m in its Hong Kong IPO. 
  • SHET is a hydrogen fuel cell company in the PRC focusing on research, development, production and sales of hydrogen fuel cell stacks and hydrogen fuel cell systems.
  • In this note, we will look at the company’s background and talk about valuations.

Weekly Top Ten Equity Capital Markets

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Weekly Top Ten Event-Driven and Index Rebalance – Dec 3, 2023

By | Event-Driven and Index Rebalance

1. KWEB Index Rebalance: Fenbi (2469 HK) & YSB (9885 HK) Added

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics


2. Denso Corp (6902 JP): Potential US$4.6bn Placement & Limited Passive Buying

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics


3. Denso Corp Placement – Possible Placement by Toyota to Raise US$4.7bn

By Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research

  • As per Reuters, Toyota Motor (7203 JP) could look to sell up to 10% of Denso Corp (6902 JP) to raise around US$4.7bn before the end of the year.
  • Toyota is the company’s largest shareholder and its largest customer.
  • In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics.

4. CSI Medical Service Index Rebalance: Chunky Flows for Some Stocks

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics

  • There are 4 changes for the CSI Medical Service Index that will be implemented at the close on 8 December.
  • The constituent changes plus capping result in one-way turnover of 5.9% and in a one-way trade of CNY 1.86bn (US$261m).
  • Some stocks will have passive flows from global trackers at the end of November while there will be flows from other local passive trackers at the close on 8 December.

5. Breaking Down Korean Regulators’ Official Details on New Short Selling System

By Sanghyun Park, Clepsydra Capital

  • Concerning the newly imposed 90-day mandatory repayment period for institutional investors, the elimination of the recall risk during this period is not included in this improvement plan.
  • The right to re-establish the same short-selling position after the 90-day repayment period is unlimited. We should pay attention to the potential of this creating new trading events.
  • Institutions borrowing stocks from overseas are not subject to the 105% collateral ratio. However, everyone is subject to the 90-day repayment period, even for investors who borrow stocks from overseas.

6. Asahi Group Placement – Follow Up – Shaping up for a Christmas Cheer

By Clarence Chu, Aequitas Research


7. Itoen Pref (25935 JP) – Big Discount, Big Buyback, No Big Governance Change

By Travis Lundy, Quiddity Advisors

  • This is always a tough subject, but every now and then I throw myself on the mercy of the ho-humming crowd and write about the Ito En Prefs (25935 JP).
  • No strong catalyst. Limited capacity for strongly better governance. Even less apparent corporate interest in good governance. 
  • But we have a mini-catalyst, and it has been a while, and I think there IS a good way to think about this stock, so here’s another crack at it.

8. CNI Semiconductor Chips Index Rebalance: Yet Another Index Inclusion for Hygon

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics

  • There are 3 changes for the CNI Semiconductor Chips Index that will be implemented at the close on 8 December.
  • This is yet another index inclusion for Hygon Information Technology C (688041 CH) – the stock continues to move higher on expected passive buying over the next two weeks.
  • Over the last 6 months, the adds have underperformed the deletes but there has been a significant improvement in performance over the last 2 months.

9. ChiNext/​​ChiNext 50 Index Rebalance: Adds Outperforming Deletes Now

By Brian Freitas, Periscope Analytics

  • There will be 6 changes for the ChiNext Index (SZ399006 INDEX) and 5 changes for the ChiNext 50 Index. Implementation is at the close on 8 December.
  • There is a lot of overlap between the adds and deletes across both indices with the one-way trade across both indices estimated to be CNY 2.4bn.
  • The adds and deletes have drifted lower over the last few months. However, the adds have outperformed the deletes significantly in the last month.

10. Merger Arb Mondays (27 Nov) – Origin, OreCorp, Healius, Taisho, JSR, Eoflow, Hollysys, Haitong Intl

By Arun George, Global Equity Research Ltd


Weekly Top Ten Event-Driven and Index Rebalance

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