tyb
Exec Chairman's latest buy.
Link to see history. Been very busy on the buy side.
https://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/1506307.htm
Foxconn founder's presidential bid(of Taiwan) raises question of succession
TAIPEI – Foxconn chairman Terry Gou’s decision to run for the Taiwanese presidency has raised questions about the future of his $41 billion tech empire, not least who will be chosen to run the business at a time when its largest client Apple is suffering an unprecedented decline in sales of its iconic iPhones.
The 69-year-old Gou, who is a follower of Taoism, consulted the sea goddess, Mazu, about his decision at her temple in New Taipei City on Wednesday morning. Hundreds journalists and the faithful jostled for position in the temple waiting for Gou’s arrival. Many of those present called out to Gou to run for the presidency.
"Mazu appeared in my dreams and talked to me a few days ago. She said I should be inspired by her spirits to do good things for people who are suffering, to give hope to young people and to support peace in cross-straits [China-Taiwan] relations," Gou told media in the Taiwanese dialect, or Hokkien dialect, at the center to the Mazu Temple. "She said I must come forward [to run for presidency]. I will definitely follow her instruction."
The business tycoon sealed his ambition on a visit in the afternoon to the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang’s headquarters, where he announced that he would seek the party's nomination for the presidential race.
"Peace, stability, economics and future – these are my core values… If I win, I will run for the presidency on behalf of KMT, and if I lose, I will support KMT’s candidate," Gou told KMT party members and media after receiving an honorary certificate to celebrate his 50 years of party membership.
Gou’s planned departure from Foxconn may have delighted the faithful but it will pose a challenge for the company he founded as an electrical components manufacturer under the name Hon Hai Precision Industry in 1974. Today Apple's biggest supplier, Foxconn has suffered two straight years of net profit decline as a result of the global slump in smartphone sales and the iPhone's own loss of momentum.
Gou's name is synonymous with the company. The Taiwan-born executive is known for his rigorous control of the company’s strategic planning and he has worked tirelessly to cultivate the political relationships that have helped to ensure its success in both the U.S. and China despite the sometimes frosty relationship between the two countries.
Should he gain the KMT nomination to run for the presidency the question is who will take the reins? And should he win the presidential race, then who will he trust to take Foxconn through its next phase as it seeks to reduce its reliance on smartphone assembly and become a broadly based, cutting edge tech company?
Gou on Wednesday declined to address questions about succession. In fact, few expect the still fit executive to retire completely, even if he wins the presidency. He may just take a leave of absence. But he does appear to have been doing some planning nonetheless.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Foxconn-founder-s-presidential-bid-raises-question-of-succession
I know what they do. It's the optics of allowing that to habben. That alone should give people pause.
All good fren
o7
The Bank of Japan Is Now A Top-10 Shareholder In 50% Of All Japanese Companies
(that's going to end well…not)
While traders continue to obsess over daily "China trade deal optimism" headlines, Japan's central bank is quietly nationalizing its entire market.
The last time we looked at how much of the stock market the Bank of Japan controls, we found that Kuroda's central bank owned a stunning 75% of all Japanese ETFs as the central bank keeps buying stocks under its ultraloose monetary policy. Perhaps more importantly, as of March 2018, the Japanese central bank has also become a major shareholder in nearly 40% of listed companies. According to Nikkei calculations at the time, the bank was one of the top 10 shareholders in 1,446 listed companies out of 3,735
Fast forward to today, when according to the latest BOJ holdings update following even more ETF purchases, the BOJ held over 28 trillion yen ($250 billion) in ETFs as at the end of March, or 4.7% of the total market capitalization of the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. This, of course, in addition to the BOJ's trillions in Japanese JGB holdings, which at last check were over 100% of GDP and 43% of all outstanding.
It gets better. According to the latestNikkei calculations, not only has the BOJ also become the top shareholder in 23 companies, including Nidec, Fanuc and Omron, through its ETF holdings, but as of Q1, it was among the top 10 holders for 49.7% of all Tokyo-listed enterprises.
In other words, the BOJ has gone from being a Top 10 holder in 40% Japanese stocks last March, to 50% just one year later.
But wait, there's more: as the Nikkei further calculates, the Bank of Japan will overtake a state-run pension fund - the world's largest - as the top shareholder in Tokyo-listed companies as early as 2020, even as concerns rise regarding the central bank's outsize role in the nation's capital market. Assuming that the bank maintains its current target of 6 trillion yen (just over $53BN at prevailing rates) in new purchases a year, its holdings would expand to about 40 trillion yen by the end of November 2020. This would place it above the Government Pension Investment Fund's TSE first-section holdings of more than 6%.
There are even more serious considerations as the BOJ bravely pursue its goal of nationalizing the entire stock market: a drop in share prices, which would squeeze the central bank's capital, could also erode confidence in the yen. "If the Nikkei Stock Average falls below about 18,000, the market value of the ETF holdings would fall below their book value," according to Deputy Gov. Masayoshi Amamiya. What that would mean for the BOJ's balance sheet is unclear, but the bank would counter that it could just print more money at that point.
What is most shocking, however, is that there are allegedly reputable and respected economists, who look at this absolutely insane Ponzi arrangement - which is straight out of 1960s USSR - in which money printed out of thin air is used to lift stock prices, and find nothing wrong with it.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-17/bank-japan-now-top-10-shareholder-50-all-japanese-companies
Nasdaq 100 Hits Record High As Semis Soar; Healthcare & Small Caps Hammered
()=Additions
(had it on track for a positive close but nope….so sorry and thanks for all the fish)
Positive (well managed) data from China overnight was met with a yawn by equity investors.
But the Chinese money markets are starting to get spooked.
(overnight repo rates broke out at start of there session today- the noise in the chart-cap #2 is becuase each time it climbed and threatened to break-out the PBOC printed up moar yuan-did it again last night and it's still not enough)
European markets rallied, led by DAX again.
(yawn…)
With the US economic data dumping near two-year lows. (Wholesale Inventory's rose-not good for company's and consumer's)
Bonds & Commodities seem in agreement on the state of play.
But stocks disagree- cap 3
And Nasdaq 100 hits a new record high as earnings tumble.
(Again there is that word-Bifurcation)
FANG Stocks were weaker today.
VIX Flash-crashed before the cash market open and pushed above 13.00 intraday.
This was covered previously-all the signs are there for another VIX termination Event.
Gold fell back to its lowest since Xmas Eve.
remember it's 'on-sale'-and you should LOVE IT.
Because it's not different this time….
(It's not..just a sea of printed Chinese Yuan, Algo trading and who knows what else, keeping this shit-pile afloat here).
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-17/small-caps-slammed-healthcare-hammered
Of Note Cap 5 10year T Note has no gap in it.
digga, digga, digga
https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/bond/tmubmusd10y?countrycode=bx