PRE-MARKET JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: Japan's health ministry halts new Tavneos use, questions Kissei approval data; Mitsubishi Corp approves US copper mine; Samsung Electro-Mechanics joins NVIDIA substrate supply chain

US TECH SECTOR Cash session: Tech outperformed in a firmer US session, with the NDX +1.20% at 29,845. Among large caps, NVIDIA (NVDA) +2.5%, AMD (AMD) +3.4%, Micron (MU) +2.0%, Apple (AAPL) +1.3%, while Alphabet (GOOGL) -1.6%; SpaceX (SPCX) +7.8% and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) +9.6% after their results and guidance. AI/semis newsflow: NVIDIA CEO's GTC keynote saw a raft of partnerships, incl. Google Cloud (GOOGL) scaling NVIDIA Vera Rubin infrastructure to 960k GPUs, and NVIDIA outlined plans with supply chain partners to expand substrate and packaging capacity. Lam Research (LRCX): Q1 FY27 Adj. EPS 2.20 (exp. 2.18), Revenue 8.22bln (exp. 8.13bln); on the call, said its preliminary CY27 WFE outlook exceeds USD 200bln (exp. CY26 USD 150bln), driven by DRAM, NAND and foundry/logic demand. LRCX -6% after-hours. Texas Instruments (TXN): Q3 EPS 2.62 (exp. 2.42), Revenue 6.06bln (exp. 5.92bln); Next Qtr. Rev. 5.8-6.3bln (exp. 5.75bln). TXN +1.5% after-hours. Meta (META): Q3 Revenue 64.6bln (exp. 63.31bln), EPS 3.83 (exp. 6.67); Q4 revenue guidance 73-76bln (exp. 73.64bln), FY26 capex guidance 135-145bln (prev. 130-145bln). Shares were +7.4% at best after-hours before waning to c. +4%. IBM (IBM): Q3 Operating EPS 2.95 (exp. 2.86), Revenue 17.1bln (exp. 16.81bln); raised FY FCF outlook. IBM +5.1% after-hours. Tesla (TSLA): Q3 Adj. EPS 0.48 (exp. 0.45), Revenue 28.0bln (exp. 28.1bln); shares rose 2% after-hours before falling during the earnings call (last -1.3%). JAPAN Dai Nippon Printing (7912 JT) - Co. is considering a fourth consecutive dividend increase for FY ending March 2028, having planned an annual dividend of JPY 41 for the current year, on growth in display-related materials. (Nikkei) - Separately, said customer information on its e-book site "honto" may have leaked after unauthorised access at an email delivery contractor. (Nikkei) JX Advanced Metals (5016 JT) / Japan Steel Works (5631 JT) - To raise production capacity of titanium copper alloy for AI data centre connectors by 50% by FY2029 vs. FY2026, investing a total of JPY 10bln. (Nikkei) Kansai Paint (4613 JT) - To invest JPY 10bln in three Indian factories to double automotive and industrial coatings capacity by FY2030. (Nikkei) Kissei Pharmaceutical (4547 JT) - Japan's health ministry said there may be problems with the reliability of documents submitted by Kissei for the approval of vasculitis drug Tavneos; the ministry halted new prescriptions, urged existing patients to stop or switch treatment, and plans to decide on administrative action, potentially including revoking approval, by year-end. (Jiji/Nikkei) Mitsubishi Corporation (8058 JT) - Made a final investment decision on the Copper World mine in Arizona with Hudbay Minerals (HBM), with total investment of USD 1.023bln (c. JPY 152.6bln) and production from H2 2029; Mitsubishi will receive c. 30k tonnes of copper per year. (Nikkei) NTT (9432 JT) - NTT West subsidiary NTT Solmare said up to c. 4.2mln records, incl. member information, were leaked from its "Comic Cmoa" e-book store following unauthorised access. (Nikkei) - Separately, NTT will introduce a group-wide staff transfer system covering 100k employees. (Nikkei) Sakura Internet (3778 JT) - Suspended some cloud service functions to address the critical PHP vulnerabilities. (Nikkei/Jiji) SoftBank Corp (9434 JT) - CFO said the enterprise business is aiming to beat its profit targets, such as by leasing data centres, as it expands AI-related demand. (Nikkei) Strike Companies (6196 JT) - Said FY26 net profit likely came in at JPY 7.1bln, JPY 1.4bln above its previous forecast, on more M&A deals than expected; revenue raised by JPY 2.5bln to JPY 27bln. (Nikkei) Tasuki Holdings (166A JT) - Said FY26 net profit likely rose 53% Y/Y to JPY 7.5bln, JPY 1.7bln above its previous forecast, as condo selling prices beat plan. (Nikkei) Tokyo Electric Power (9501 JT) - Household electricity bills for November usage are expected to hit a record high for a second straight month on higher LNG import prices. (Nikkei) Tsuruha Holdings (3391 JT) - Targets private-brand sales of JPY 400bln by FY ending February 2029, an 80% increase from FY ending February 2026. (Nikkei) Japanese property - Japan's ruling LDP is considering measures to curb soaring condo prices in big cities, such as restricting short-term resales. (Nikkei/Nikkei Asia) Japanese retailers - Japan's tax-free shopping rules for foreign visitors move to a refund system in November, with some department stores and jewellers expecting a temporary drop in sales of luxury goods; separately, September foreign visitors fell 5.0% Y/Y to 3.1mln. (Nikkei) SOUTH KOREA E-Mart (139480 KS) - To begin full-scale operation of deep-discount household goods chain Wow Shop, expanding to five locations this year, to compete with Daiso and Coupang (CPNG). (Seoul Economic Daily) EOFlow (294090 KS) - The US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Insulet's (PODD) petition for an en banc rehearing in their trade secrets lawsuit; Insulet can still appeal to the US Supreme Court until January. (Chosun) Gaon Cable (000500 KS) / LS Eco Energy (229640 KS) / LS Marine Solution (060370 KS) - Combined Q3 revenue at the three LS Cable & System units rose 47.2% Y/Y to KRW 1.41tln and operating profit 88.7% to KRW 81.1bln; Gaon Cable posted record quarterly revenue of KRW 986.5bln and operating profit of KRW 52bln. (Seoul Economic Daily) HD Hyundai Marine Solution (443060 KS) - Completed the main design for its first FSRU conversion project, secured in September 2025. (Chosun) Hyundai Rotem (064350 KS) - Signed a KRW 239.2bln (USD 169mln) contract with Taoyuan City Government to supply rail E&M systems, incl. seven driverless trainsets, for the Green Line's Zhongli extension. (Seoul Economic Daily) Samsung Biologics (207940 KS) - Q3 net profit KRW 391.1bln (-21.2% Y/Y), operating profit KRW 640.1bln (prev. 633.5bln Y/Y), revenue KRW 1.49tln (+18.5% Y/Y). Raised FY sales growth guidance to 20% (prev. 15-20%). (Yonhap) Samsung Electro-Mechanics (009150 KS) - Joined NVIDIA's (NVDA) semiconductor substrate supply chain under a multiyear agreement starting in 2026, with the collaboration supporting facility upgrades and new factories in Sejong and Busan; by 2028, NVIDIA's allocation is expected to account for a significant portion of Co.'s annual package substrate capacity. (Yonhap/Seoul Economic Daily) Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Regained the top spot in India's smartphone market in Q3 with a 19% share (6.7mln units), the first time since Q1 2024, according to Omdia. (Seoul Economic Daily) SK Hynix (000660 KS) - FSS Governor said a potential Nasdaq listing of US subsidiary Solidigm could constitute a dual listing; SK Hynix is reviewing a potential listing, though it said no official decision has been made. (Chosun)