In today’s briefing:
- Key Schedule for Korea’s Dividend Policy Momentum: This Thursday – Short‑term Target Group Screened
- CVC Joins EQT In Pursuit Of AUB Group (AUB AU)
- Japan 2025 H1 Bank Guidance/Results UPDATE – Strong Uplift Continues on Better Core Biz Income

Key Schedule for Korea’s Dividend Policy Momentum: This Thursday – Short‑term Target Group Screened
- Dividend tax reform hits calendar: Assembly’s Strategy & Finance Committee starts hearings Nov 13; street buzzing as assembly headlines will push dividend theme.
- Ruling party resists 25% payout threshold; cutting that low kills dividend incentive, while keeping 40% pushes corporates in 20–40% band to hike payouts.
- From Thursday, dividend momentum likely drives locals into >4% yielders with >40% payout, so these names should be our near‑term targets.
CVC Joins EQT In Pursuit Of AUB Group (AUB AU)
- On the 28th October 2025, AUB Group Limited (AUB AU), an insurance “matchmaker”, announced a NBIO, via a Scheme, from EQT at A$45/share, a ~40% premium to undisturbed.
- The share price has consistently traded wide to terms, not just because of the transactions’ indicative nature; but EQT’s track record on progressing from indicative to firm is not optimum.
- This morning AUB announced CVC was teaming up with EQT, at $45/share; and concurrently requested additional due diligence. This has been granted by AUB.
Japan 2025 H1 Bank Guidance/Results UPDATE – Strong Uplift Continues on Better Core Biz Income
- This four-day week saw 10 new guidance revisions (+61% on average), and 21 H1 earnings results (13 which hadn’t guided, averaging +41%, 8 which had, averaging 5.7% uplift vs guidance)
- It was a Good Week, though banks fell 0.4% as TOPIX fell 1% on the week.
- Once again, lower credit costs, higher net interest income, and some equity sales dominated. H2 implied guidance lower in many cases, some because of expected portfolio rebalancing (loss-taking).
