Mazda Motor has been enjoying a three-year recovery run, set to culminate in record sales and profits in FY23. While the automaker managed to improve its quality of sales and increase its profit margins, the next challenge will be tackling the transition to electrification and developing software. With market conditions deteriorating and expenses set to rise, Mazda is now facing a phase of consolidation.
ASEAN has long been considered one of the global auto markets with the best growth prospects, but expectations have not been met. With China in trouble and ASEAN auto sales lacklustre, Japanese automakers need to review their positioning in Asia. Analyst Julie Boote provides a short-term outlook for the ASEAN auto market, and discusses Japanese assemblers’ options within this context.
Toyota Motor impressed markets with excellent results in the last three quarters, heading towards record sales and profits in FY23. The share price rally so far this year is evidence of investors’ recognition of the company’s successful hybrid strategy. Therefore, Toyota is not only benefiting from strong earnings growth, but from a complete reassessment of how the automaker will fare in a new mobility world.
Bullish Outlook Intact; U.S. Dollar (DXY) Rolling Over We continue to see more and more global indexes and Sectors breaking out to new highs. This is classic bull market behavior. Our bullish outlook (since early November 2023) remains intact; continue to ride this trend higher, and treat pullbacks as buying opportunities. U.S. Dollar (DXY); 10-Year Treasury Yield. We continue to get more evidence that suggests the U.S. dollar (DXY) is rolling over; last week we discussed the failed breakout a...
In our 2010 Japan Perspective, written close to the nadir of the bear market, we discussed what was wrong with Japan, but also what it was starting to do right. Fourteen years on, the Nikkei 225 - though not yet Topix - has hit a new all-time high. This report looks at how Japan built on those things that were going right, while also starting to address what else needed to be done, and looks at whether more is needed to be done if the market rally is to continue from here.
Once again topping expectations, Toyota produced excellent FY23 Q3 results, thanks to the triple benefits of strong volume growth, firm pricing and currency gains. Despite Daihatsu related losses to be booked in Q4, Toyota is now heading for an all-time record year for both sales and profits. However, analyst Julie Boote cautions that deteriorating market conditions could be reflected in more subdued guidance numbers for FY24.
Renault’s decision to cancel the IPO of its EV unit Ampere might be the right move considering the poor market conditions, but it is also an indication that Ampere’s operational and financial targets could be too ambitious. This raises questions about Nissan’s commitment to invest in Ampere. While Nissan states that its position towards Ampere has not changed, analyst Julie Boote questions whether this is true, or, indeed, wise.
While Japan’s automakers have upped their game in the EV space, they remain laggards on the global stage. With the EV markets now in trouble, analyst Julie Boote assesses whether or not the Japanese assemblers have been vindicated in their more cautious approach to electrification.
Honda has been enjoying a strong sales and profit rebound, thanks to near-perfect business conditions. Now, analyst Julie Boote suggests that there is a risk FY24 business results could disappoint as the earnings outlook deteriorates.
Tesla’s plans to halve EV manufacturing costs rely heavily on the increased use of gigacasting. Using massive aluminium die-casting machines to achieve this, however, is not only a major technological challenge, it requires substantial initial investments. Nevertheless, global automakers and suppliers are now exploring the possibilities of gigacasting, as the race for EV cost competitiveness is on. In this report, analyst Julie Boote outlines the benefits and challenges of gigacasting, examines ...
Toyota is on a roll, posting record sales and profits, with market expectations high for an earnings upgrade in FY23 Q2. While the sales and profit outlook is indeed bright, analyst Julie Boote asks whether the enthusiasm over Toyota can last.
As electric vehicles are set to replace combustion engine cars over time, established automakers need to prove they can remain competitive in this new market. In this context, much attention has been given to battery technology, but the creation of an optimal EV auto platform is just as important. Here, the jury is still out, as we are in the early development days. Analyst Julie Boote discusses how the prefect EV platform should look like and where automakers are currently positioned.
This has been an impressive earning season for Japanese automakers, with FY23 Q1 net sales and OP of the seven listed companies all surging by double-digit rates. Analyst Julie Boote takes us through the factors behind the performance and highlights the positives and negatives to consider going forward.
Int'l Equity Strategy Global equities (MSCI ACWI) have marginally broken above the top-end of our anticipated 2023 trading range of $93 on ACWI-US. In our April 18, 2023 Int'l Macro Vision we acknowledged that a break above $93 and a reach to $96-$97 was also possible – and it appears that this is where things are headed. The break above $93 signals a 1-year inverse head-and-shoulders breakout, a very bullish pattern that provides a “measured move” target of $110.29, or roughly 18% upside. W...
It has been a mixed earning season for Japanese automakers, although most are predicting strong profit growth for FY23. Despite the positive outlook, the market’s reaction has been lukewarm, due to concerns over overoptimism for sales growth and rapidly rising expenses. Analyst Julie Boote explores what the most important share price drivers could be for the seven listed automakers for FY23.
Over the last two years, Mazda engineered an impressive turnaround, on the back of upmarket model launches, lower incentives and cost improvement efforts. While the automaker should continue to benefit from its successful rebranding strategy in FY23, it will increasingly have to deal with longer-term challenges, such as the EV transition. Analyst Julie Boote evaluates Mazda’s chances and risks.
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