PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCKS NEWS: Japanese markets closed for holiday

AUSTRALIA

  • 4DMedical (4DX AT) - Co. announced a one-year engagement with GlaxoSmithKline to provide lung imaging analytics. (Company Announcement)
  • A2 Milk (A2M AT) - Co. faces potential headwinds after a recall of US-bound baby formula following cereulide toxin detection. (ADVFN)
  • Bank of Queensland (BOQ AT) - Co. confirmed the completion of a AUD 3.6bln loan sale. (Company Statement)
  • Coles Group (COL AT) - Co. reported third-quarter supermarket sales rose 4%, while shares fell 3.6%. (Newswires)
  • Mineral Resources (MIN AT) - Co. rallied 3% after upgrading production guidance. (Motley Fool)
  • National Australia Bank (NAB AT) - Co. H1 (AUD) net profit fell 19% Y/Y to 2.75bln. (Motley Fool)
  • ResMed (RMD AT) - Co. shares fell roughly 7.7% over the week despite beating Q3 earnings estimates, as investors remained concerned about the impact of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs on sleep apnea device demand. (Motley Fool)
  • Woolworths (WOW AT) - Co. shares fell 7.8% after warning rising fuel costs and supply-chain inflation would impact 4Q26 earnings, prompting Bell Potter to downgrade the stock to hold while Morgans upgraded it on valuation grounds. (Motley Fool)

JAPAN (Holiday)

  • Fast Retailing (9983 JT) - Co. raised its FY operating profit forecast to JPY 700bln following strong earnings before the Golden Week break. (Company Announcement)
  • Mazda Motor (7261 JT) - Co. formally announced it will end domestic production of the Mazda2 compact car as part of a strategic lineup shift. (Company Announcement)
  • Mitsubishi Electric (6503 JT) - aims to establish a joint venture with Rohm (6963 JT) and Toshiba (6502 JT) to integrate their power semiconductor businesses, signalling continued progress in three-way consolidation talks. (digitimes)
  • SoftBank Group (9984 JT) - Co. is reportedly pivoting its AI infrastructure strategy towards data centre batteries that do not require lithium or cobalt. (Nikkei)
  • Sumitomo Corporation (8053 JT) - Co. announced a 4-for-1 share split, a share repurchase of up to 22mln shares worth roughly JPY 50bln, and plans to sell its Madagascar nickel mine business, resulting in a projected USD 540mln non-operating loss. (Company Announcement)
  • Japan Retail Sector - Analysts warned of weakening retailer momentum during Golden Week as high inflation weighed on average domestic holiday spending despite high traveller volumes. (Analyst Commentary)
  • Japan Market Sentiment - Suspected Ministry of Finance intervention to defend the yen remained a dominant market focus after the currency breached 160 per dollar. (Newswires)
  • Tokyo Stock Exchange - Exchange remained closed through Golden Week, with normal trading set to resume after the holiday period. (Exchange Schedule)

SOUTH KOREA

  • Celltrion (068270 KS) - Co. remained in focus after a large volume spike, with analysts pointing to its biosimilar pipeline, including Zymfentra, as a key healthcare-sector driver. (Newswires)
  • Hanwha Aerospace (012450 KS) - Co. was highlighted as a key driver of Hanwha Group’s market-cap gains amid strong demand for defence assets. (Top Daily)
  • Hanwha Ocean (042660 KS) - Co. was highlighted as a key driver of Hanwha Group’s market-cap gains amid strong demand for energy and shipbuilding assets. (Top Daily)
  • Hyosung Heavy Industries (294870 KS) - Co. is reportedly weighing a stock split to improve retail accessibility and liquidity as shares near KRW 4mln. (Seoul Economic Daily)
  • Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Analysts noted Co. and SK Hynix now represent roughly 38%-42% of the KOSPI’s total market value and profit weight. (Bloomberg)
  • Samsung Securities (016360 KS) - Co. set a 4,900 KOSPI target for 2026, based on assumptions for 20% annual growth in global liquidity and US profits. (Maeil Business News)
  • SK Hynix (000660 KS) - Co. was described by analysts as an “emperor stock” after a 93% Y/Y market-cap surge helped drive rapid growth in SK Group’s market value. (Korea Economic Daily)
  • South Korea Market Strategy - Four out of 10 top brokerage CEOs now expect the KOSPI to break 8,000 this year. (Seoul Economic Daily)
  • South Korea Sector Strategy - Analysts noted rotation from AI and chips into batteries amid valuation fatigue in semiconductor leaders. (Korea Herald)
  • Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Citi lowered price target by 6.3% to KRW 300,000, citing potential labour-related bonus provisions that could impact 2026 operating profit by up to 11%. (Newswires)
Context

Japanese markets are closed for a holiday, which may dampen broader regional trading activity. In Australia, several companies are facing challenges and opportunities, notably A2 Milk with its recall-related downturn and Mineral Resources enjoying a production guidance upgrade. Meanwhile, in South Korea, analysts are highlighting a shift in investment focus towards the battery sector amid valuation concerns in semiconductors, suggesting a potential change in market dynamics that could impact future performance across various sectors.

Trade the TapeGet this analysis live, the moment it breaksNewsquawk's real-time dashboard delivers market-moving headlines and instant context to your desk before the rest of the market reacts.
Open Dashboard
#UNITED STATES#USD#EUR#AUSTRALIA#JAPAN#JPY#SOUTH KOREA#KRW#UNITED KINGDOM#ASIA#EUROPE#GLAXOSMITHKLINE PLC#9983.JT#MAZDA MOTOR CORP#7261.JT#MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP#6503.JT#SOFTBANK CORP#9984.JT#SUMITOMO CORP#8053.JT#TOSHIBA CORP#6502.JT#BANK OF QUEENSLAND LTD#BOQ.AT#MINERAL RESOURCES LTD#MIN.AT#NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LTD#NAB.AT#RESMED INC#RMD.AT#WOOLWORTHS LTD#WOW.AT#BELL AG#6963.JT#042660.KS#HANWHA CORP#HYOSUNG CORP#005930.KS#016360.KS#012450.KS#SK HYNIX INC#000660.KS#CELLTRION INC#FOREX#EQUITIES#METALS#ASIAN SESSION#INFLATION#NICKEL#HIGHLIGHTED#COMMODITIES#RESEARCH SHEET#GOLD#HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT#METALS & MINING#HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES#MATERIALS (GROUP)#HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICES (GROUP)#S&P 500 INDEX#RESMED INC#RMD#DXY#ASIAN EQUITIES#AI
Published: Updated: