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)