Daily BriefsThematic (Sector/Industry)

Daily Brief Thematic (Sector/Industry): Japan Activist Briefs | NAVF Back to Work After Trancom Windfall and more

In today’s briefing:

  • Japan Activist Briefs | NAVF Back to Work After Trancom Windfall
  • Is Quantum Computing An Existential Threat To NVIDIA?
  • Ohayo Japan | Mixed Message Monday
  • Japan Morning Connection: Persistent US Tech Weakness, but off the Days Lows


Japan Activist Briefs | NAVF Back to Work After Trancom Windfall

By Mark Chadwick

  • Nippon Active Value Fund redeployed ~$30m from Trancom tender offer in November into existing holdings
  • Meisei Industrial offers solid fundamentals, undervalued multiples (3.9x EV/EBITDA, 1x P/B), and potential for shareholder-friendly actions.
  • Shinko Shoji buys back 10.36% of outstanding shares, following activist’s stake, and potentially paving the way for future buybacks.

Is Quantum Computing An Existential Threat To NVIDIA?

By William Keating

  • This is the claim made by an analyst covering IonQ after Jensen’s comments at CES 2025 last week, which tanked share prices of the top four QC proponents
  • The CEO’s of both D-Wave and IonQ responded rapidly with press releases refuting his claims and sharing updated, positive news wrt their financials
  • What exactly did he say that caused such a response, is he correct or is QC going to eat NVIDIA’s lunch? 

Ohayo Japan | Mixed Message Monday

By Mark Chadwick

  • U.S. stock indexes were mixed on Monday as energy stocks rallied while Big Tech and retail faced headwinds
  • Yaskawa Electric has downgraded its full-year earnings guidance, citing weakening demand from the semiconductor industry
  • ITOCHU Corporation has invested in Protium Green Solutions, a UK-based green hydrogen production equipment provider

Japan Morning Connection: Persistent US Tech Weakness, but off the Days Lows

By Andrew Jackson

  • Market looking past new US semi restrictions with semi majors recovering off pre-market lows.
  • Earnings beat for KB Homes a shot in the arm for embattled Homebuilders… watch Sumitomo Forestry and Sekisui House for upside.
  • FA major Yaskawa numbers on Friday were a miss, but signs of a bottoming emerging.

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