In today’s briefing:
- Why Is LG CNS One of the Hottest Stocks in Korea in the Past One Month? Answer: Stablecoin Platform
- Smartpay (SPY NZ/SMP AU): Shift4’s Binding Proposal at NZ$1.20
- Tencent (700 HK): Top Trades and Strategy Insights from Options Trading
- Latest Borrow (Net Short Interest) To Float Ratios — Screening a Starter Basket for Short Flow
- Taiwan Dual-Listings Monitor: TSMC Historically High Spread Persisting; UMC High Premium
- Advantest – High-Performance Chip Boom & Share Buybacks Make This A Stock To Watch!
- Lucror Analytics – Morning Views Asia
- Salesforce.Com Inc – Salesforce’s AI Bet Is Getting Bigger—But Can It Outrun Its Own Margins?
- Deutsche Telekom: Initiation of Coverage- Could Mobile ARPU Strategy Shield Profits in a Saturated Market?
- Microsoft’s OpenAI Divorce Could Trigger a Tech Earthquake: Here’s What The Tech Behemoth Stands to Lose!
Why Is LG CNS One of the Hottest Stocks in Korea in the Past One Month? Answer: Stablecoin Platform
- LG CNS has been one of the hottest stocks in the Korean stocks market in the past one month (up 87%), sharply outperforming KOSPI.
- The biggest driver of LG CNS’s share price in the past month has been that this company has the potential to become a leading stablecoin platform in Korea.
- Many investors believe that LG CNS has the expertise in blockchain/AI/cryptocurrency backend solutions to become one of the leading Won based stablecoin platforms in Korea.
Smartpay (SPY NZ/SMP AU): Shift4’s Binding Proposal at NZ$1.20
- Smartpay Holdings (SPY NZ) has entered a scheme implementation deed with Shift4 Payments (FOUR US) at NZ$1.20 (A$1.12), a 19.4% premium to the last close price of NZ$1.005.
- The scheme is subject to shareholder and OIO approval. In the absence of a competing proposal, the offer is the best and final offer.
- Microequities has provided an irrevocable, and the other substantial shareholders should be supportive as the offer is attractive.
Tencent (700 HK): Top Trades and Strategy Insights from Options Trading
- Context: Over the past five trading days, Tencent (700 HK) multi-leg option strategies showcased a variety of approaches. Strategy highlights are provided.
- Highlights: With 20% of all strategies traded being Diagonal or Calendar Spreads, this remains a popular strategy. Directional positioning does not exhibit a bullish or bearish bias.
- Why read: This breakdown of complex option strategies sheds light on market sentiment and positioning. Detailed examples provide actionable insights that could inspire similar strategies,
Latest Borrow (Net Short Interest) To Float Ratios — Screening a Starter Basket for Short Flow
- Dropped an Excel below with all names showing borrow as of today’s close — includes short interest and borrow-to-float using latest float data.
- Tables below flag names with borrow-to-float >4% (>3% for small caps) and plenty of unused borrow — solid candidates for potential short flow.
- Not auto-shorts — still need basic checks. But with borrow rising, this set looks like a solid starter basket to watch for short flow.
Taiwan Dual-Listings Monitor: TSMC Historically High Spread Persisting; UMC High Premium
- TSMC: +22.1% Premium; Consider Shorting ADR Spread at Current Level
- UMC: +3.5% Premium; Extreme vs. History, Consider Shorting ADR Spread
- ASE: +2.4% Premium; Approaching Level to Long the ADR Spread
Advantest – High-Performance Chip Boom & Share Buybacks Make This A Stock To Watch!
- Advantest Corporation delivered a robust performance in FY 2024, with record-high sales, operating income, and net income, primarily driven by sustained demand for AI-related high-performance semiconductor testing.
- The company effectively addressed the increased complexity in semiconductors through strategic procurement, supply chain diversification, and long-term agreements.
- This allowed Advantest to meet the elevated demand, particularly in SoC and memory tester sales.
Lucror Analytics – Morning Views Asia
- In today’s Morning Views publication we comment on developments of the following high yield issuers: SK Hynix
- Front-end UST yields declined on Friday, on the back of Fed Governor Christopher Waller’s comments that a rate cut could come as early as July. The UST curve bull steepened, with the yield on the 2Y UST falling 3 bps to 3.91%, while that on the 10Y UST declined 1 bp to 4.38%.
- Equities retreated amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. In addition, semiconductor stocks fell after WSJ reported that the US could revoke export waivers for Western chipmakers to manufacture in China.
Salesforce.Com Inc – Salesforce’s AI Bet Is Getting Bigger—But Can It Outrun Its Own Margins?
- Salesforce reported revenue of $9.83 billion for the quarter, representing 8% year-over-year growth in both nominal and constant currency terms.
- Subscription and support revenue grew by 9% in constant currency, while operating cash flow totaled $6.5 billion, a 4% increase over the prior year.
- Remaining performance obligations rose to $60.9 billion, up 13% year-over-year, and current RPO increased 12% in nominal terms and 11% in constant currency.
Deutsche Telekom: Initiation of Coverage- Could Mobile ARPU Strategy Shield Profits in a Saturated Market?
- Deutsche Telekom reported a solid first quarter for 2025, revealing a strong financial and strategic start to the year.
- The company reaffirmed its midterm targets and bold financials indicate significant growth across various segments.
- However, the results encapsulate both positive and challenging aspects of the company’s current business environment.
Microsoft’s OpenAI Divorce Could Trigger a Tech Earthquake: Here’s What The Tech Behemoth Stands to Lose!
- Microsoft’s long-standing alliance with OpenAI, once hailed as one of the most successful partnerships in tech, appears to be nearing a dramatic and possibly messy end.
- The tensions have come to a head in recent weeks amid reports of OpenAI considering antitrust action against Microsoft, internal disagreements over IP access and corporate restructuring, and mounting competitive overlap in AI services.
- Simultaneously, Microsoft is preparing for another round of layoffs, this time targeting its massive sales workforce, in a bid to contain costs associated with its multibillion-dollar AI infrastructure investments.
💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma
Sign Up for Free
The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network
- ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
- ✓ Personalised Alerts
- ✓ Custom Watchlists
- ✓ Company Data and News
- ✓ Events & Webinars
