PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: Reliance Worldwide reaffirms FY26 outlook, Hitachi announces JPY 500bln share buyback, Nissan revises op. profit

Australia

ANZ (ANZ AT) – Co. is to roll out upgraded international money transfers feature on ANZ Plus, with the service will offer customers in-app tracking, estimated payment delivery times and updates. (ANZ)

Aurelia Metals (AMI AT) – Co. states that no change in FY26 cost guidance is anticipated but is actively monitoring global diesel supply situation. (Newswires)

European Lithium (EUR AT) – US-listed Critical Metals (CRML) announced that it will acquire all of the outstanding stares of European Lithium, in a deal worth USD 1.2bln (AFR)

Oceana Metals (OM1 AT) - Co. has presented an acquisition target and associated capital raising to investors following a ten-week trading suspension. (AFR)

Pepper Money (PPM AT) - Co. is targeting HSBC’s USD 26bln loan book as it continues to pursue growth following a failed USD 1bln privatisation attempt. (The Australian)

Reliance Worldwide (RWC AT) - Co. reaffirmed FY26 outlook and expects U.S. tariff impact at the lower end of USD 25–30mln for FY26 and USD 5–7mln for FY27. Co. sees no material FY26 impact from the Iran war or Strait of Hormuz disruption and is offsetting higher costs via price increases. Co. warns a prolonged conflict could affect FY27 outlook. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

TerraCom (TER AT) - Co. Q3 total coal sales were 1.24mt and affirmed FY26 Blair Athol sales guidance at 1.6mt. (Newswires)

Judo Capital (JDO AT) upgraded to Buy from Accumulate at Morgans.

Regis Resources (RRL AT) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Morgans.

Japan

Daiwa Securities Group (8601 JT) - Co. is to acquire Orix Bank for JPY 370bln, making it a wholly owned subsidiary via its internet banking arm. (Nikkei)

Hitachi (6501 JT) - FY (JPY): Revenue 10.5tln (prev. 9.8tln), Net 802bln (prev. 615bln). To buyback JPY 500bln worth of shares. (Hitachi)

Idemitsu Kosan (5019 JT) - Co. is to supply Vietnam with around 4mln barrels of crude oil sourced via routes that avoid the Strait of Hormuz. (Nikkei)

Japan Investment Corp. (N/A) - Co. has decided to appoint a former president of Merrill Lynch Japan Securities as CEO. (Nikkei)

Kyocera Corporation (6971 JT) - Co. is commercialising a multilayer ceramic core substrate for advanced semiconductor packages including xPUs and switch ASICs amid rising AI data centre complexity. (Newswires)

Nippon Shokubai (4114 JT) - Co. plans to increase Chinese production capacity for battery electrolyte materials used in electric vehicles and storage cells. (Nikkei)

Nissan (7201 JT) – Co. confirms it is to revise FY25/26 Op. Profit to JPY 50bln (prev. loss JPY -60bln). (Nissan)

Nishi-Nippon Railroad (9031 JT) - Co. plans to develop 22k homes in Vietnam by 2035 via a partnership with a local developer. (Nikkei)

Toyota Motor (7203 JT) - Co. March global sales fell 5.8% Y/Y to 983,126 units amid weaker demand for the RAV4 ahead of a model refresh. (Newswires)

Other Japanese News:

• The Japanese government is to provide additional guidance for corporate takeovers, stating that target companies may consider economic security and the views of employees and business partners when determining an acquisition proposal, according to the Nikkei. (Nikkei)

South Korea

Doubleu Games (192080 KS) - Co. is considering a USD 183.7mln tender offer for DoubleDown Interactive (DDI). (Market Source)

HS Hyosung Advanced Materials (298050 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net fell 33.1% Y/Y to 6.7bln, operating profit fell 29.9% Y/Y to 34.4bln, rev. fell 2.9% Y/Y to 829bln. (Yonhap)

Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) – Co. intends to withdraw from the home appliance market in China by end-2026, Nikkei reports citing sources. (Nikkei)

Samsung SDI (006400 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net was 56.1bln (prev. loss Y/Y), operating loss was 155.6bln (prev. loss Y/Y), rev. rose 12.6% Y/Y to 3.57tln. (Yonhap)