PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCKS NEWS: Japan and South Korean on holiday

AUSTRALIA

• a2 Milk Company (A2M AT) - Co. remains under pressure following a voluntary recall of US-labelled infant formula due to cereulide contamination. (Reuters)
• Codan (CDA AT) – Block of some AUD 300mln in shares said to be priced at AUD 39/shr. (Newswires)
• PEXA Group (PXA AT) - Co. reported 3Q26 trading update with strong transaction growth and reaffirmed FY26 guidance. (Company Update)
• Pinnacle Investment Management (PNI AT) - Co. increased its stake in Metrics Credit to 35% via a AUD 100.5mln deal. (ASX Announcement)
• Sigma Healthcare (SIG AT) - Co. highlighted strong Chemist Warehouse sales growth and expansion plans into the UK and New Zealand at the Macquarie Australia Conference. (AFR)
• Coles Group (COL AT) Cut to Hold from Buy by Bell Potter.
• Nickel Industries (NIC AT) Buy rating reiterated, price target AUD 1.51 by Bell Potter.
• Westpac (WBC AT) - H1 2026 (AUD): Net income 3.41bln (exp. 3.5bln). Operating revenue 11.29bln (prev. 10.79bln Y/Y), Credit impairments 443mln (prev. 250mln Y/Y), NIM 1.89% (prev. 1.92% Y/Y), DPS 0.77 (prev. 0.76 Y/Y), CET1 ratio 12.4% (prev. 11.25% Y/Y). Expenses -2% Y/Y, lending +7% Y/Y, mortgages +7%, business lending +16%. (Westpac/Newswires)

Other News

• RBA – Markets look ahead to the RBA rate decision, in which a 25bps hike is expected.

JAPAN (Holiday)

• Nintendo Co. (7974 JT) - Co. is in focus ahead of its FY earnings on 8 May, with analysts expecting strong sales growth driven by the Switch 2 rollout. (Moomoo)

Other News

• Japanese markets remain closed for Golden Week holidays from 4–6 May, with trading set to resume on 7 May.

SOUTH KOREA (Holiday)

• Coupang (CPNG US) - Co. is in focus ahead of Q1 earnings, with analysts expecting rev. USD 8.57bln and a loss of USD 0.59/shr, alongside updates on expanded logistics infrastructure. (Yahoo Finance)
• Hyundai Motor (005380 KS) - Co. April US sales rose 16% Y/Y alongside Kia, driven by hybrid and EV demand. (Korea Times)
• Kia Corp (000270 KS) - Co. April US sales rose 16% Y/Y alongside Hyundai, driven by hybrid and EV demand. (Korea Times)
• LG Corp (003550 KS) - Co. is projected to deliver 27% annual earnings growth, outperforming the broader market. (Nomura)
• LG Electronics (066570 KS) - Co. is reportedly collaborating with Nvidia on robotics and physical AI using the Isaac platform. (The Elec)
• Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Co. shares hit a record high amid strong HBM demand, while the Lee family completed a KRW 12tln inheritance tax payment and internal union tensions emerged. (Korea Herald)
• SK Hynix (000660 KS) - Co. shares surged to record highs with Barclays raising its price target on HBM leadership, while Co. also declared a dividend of KRW 375/shr. (Barclays)
• SK Square (402340 KS) - Co. became the third-largest KOSPI stock as pension fund inflows accelerated. (Bloomberg)
• SK On (Subsidiary of SK Innovation) - Co. faces risk to a USD 11bln battery supply deal with Nissan amid weakening EV investment trends. (Reuters)

Other News

• KOSPI surpassed the 6,900 level for the first time, supported by AI investment, strong earnings and easing Middle East tensions. (Reuters)
• Power equipment and cable stocks surged on AI-driven infrastructure demand, with Jeryong Electric hitting its daily limit. (ChosunBiz)
• Battery sector mixed as LG Energy Solution faces pressure while Samsung SDI gains on recovery expectations. (Bloomberg)
• Hanwha entered South Korea’s top five conglomerates, overtaking Lotte and POSCO amid strength in defense and energy. (Korea Times)