Latest news with #MizuhoSecurities
Japan Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Financial transactions via hijacked accounts top ¥500B in January-May
A total of 5,958 illegal online financial transactions worth ¥524 billion ($3.6 billion) were performed through hijacked customer accounts at securities houses in Japan in the first five months of 2025, the Financial Services Agency said Thursday. In May alone, there were 2,289 cases worth ¥209.4 billion. The number of securities companies where such illegal transactions occurred rose by seven from the end of April to 16. The newly affected companies are Mizuho Securities, SBI Neotrade Securities, Tachibana Securities, Naito Securities, IwaiCosmo Securities, GMO Click Securities and Okasan Securities. In addition, customer account hijacking was discovered at IG Securities. According to the Japan Securities Dealers Association, 10 major affected brokerage houses plan to pay some compensation to customers whose accounts were used in such transactions, regardless of the terms of their contracts, while other affected companies are considering similar action.
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
'Zombie company' apocalypse might be the point of Japan's minimum wage push
Efforts to push the minimum wage up by about 40% in just a few years could wreck a lot of smaller companies in Japan. And that just may be the point of the exercise. 'I think the significance of raising minimum wages faster than organic growth is to drive companies with low-productivity that are unable to raise wages out of business,' Shunsuke Kobayashi, chief economist at Mizuho Securities. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced last month that the government will work to increase the average minimum hourly wage to ¥1,500 ($10.50) by the end of the decade. That's about a 7% increase every year, a pace widely seen as overly ambitious. 'Realistically speaking, the prime minister's target will be quite difficult,' said Hisashi Yamada, a professor at Hosei Business School of Innovation Management. To a certain extent, the campaign may be unnecessary, Kobayashi said, since wages are expected to increase at a solid pace even without government intervention as companies need to attract workers amid serious labor shortages. Analysts say that rapid minimum-wage increases might accelerate the restructuring of small and midsize companies in Japan, many of which are referred to as "zombie companies." These companies cannot cover interest on debt with their profits. The number of zombie companies in Japan were estimated at 228,000 in fiscal 2023, according to Teikoku Databank, one of the highest levels in a decade. Because it would draw immense criticism, Ishiba will not openly say the government wants to slash the number of zombie companies, but his Cabinet probably has this goal in mind, Kobayashi said. Yamada echoed the point, saying, 'I believe there is such an intention.' He said a policy that reduces the number of zombie companies may be the right thing to do, but the effort could drive even relatively healthy companies out of business. Some small and medium-size enterprises are actually doing quite well, but they're struggling because their business clients won't agree to price increases as inflation pushes up operating costs. 'I think the government can pursue various approaches to foster wage growth, but pushing too aggressively could jeopardize public confidence in the government,' Yamada said. Ishiba's Cabinet is planning to support smaller companies in their efforts to increase productivity over the next five years and offer subsidies to prefectures that are keen to raise their minimum wages. According to a survey in March by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a lobby group for smaller enterprises, 19.7% of small businesses said it would be 'impossible' to keep up with Ishiba's minimum wage target, while 54.5% said it would be 'difficult.' While the survey indicates that many small and medium-size companies are worried about keeping up with Ishiba's target, some business leaders have indicated they are on board. Takeshi Niinami, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, is an advocate of accelerating minimum wage increases. He has said managers unable to keep up with the pace of minimum-wage increases 'are unfit for their positions' and their companies 'should exit.' The association he runs wants the ¥1,500 minimum to be achieved in three years. Under the administration of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the government set a mid-2030s deadline to achieve the ¥1,500 goal, but Ishiba has brought this forward. Japan's current average minimum wage is ¥1,055 an hour. It was increased by 5.1% last year. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase was 3% annually for several years, which was considered high at the time. The government is expected to compile its annual economic and fiscal management guideline — the honebuto no hōshin ― this month, and Ishiba's minimum wage goal will be a focus of discussion. Komeito, the coalition partner of Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party, has requested the prime minister to include the minimum-wage target in the honebuto.
Business Insider
30-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Mizuho Securities Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Crispr Therapeutics AG (CRSP)
In a report released on May 20, Salim Syed from Mizuho Securities maintained a Buy rating on Crispr Therapeutics AG (CRSP – Research Report), with a price target of $85.00. The company's shares opened today at $37.00. Confident Investing Starts Here: Syed covers the Healthcare sector, focusing on stocks such as Vaxcyte, Wave Life Sciences, and Cytokinetics. According to TipRanks, Syed has an average return of -9.6% and a 35.89% success rate on recommended stocks. Currently, the analyst consensus on Crispr Therapeutics AG is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $67.63, an 82.78% upside from current levels. In a report released yesterday, Citizens JMP also reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a $86.00 price target. CRSP market cap is currently $3.39B and has a P/E ratio of -8.19. Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 20 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is positive on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders buying their shares of CRSP in relation to earlier this year. Most recently, in February 2025, John Greene, a Director at CRSP bought 7,000.00 shares for a total of $313,880.00.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mizuho Increases Block's (XYZ) Price Target, Keeps Outperform Rating
On Tuesday, May 27, Mizuho Securities increased the price target for Block, Inc. (NYSE:XYZ), previously known as Square, to $71 from $68 and kept an 'Outperform' rating. Mizuho made this decision after an analysis that shows a link between Bitcoin's price and user engagement on Block's (NYSE:XYZ) Cash App. People using the Cash App paying for goods and services, highlighting the impact the of the company's payment tools. The analysis showed that the recent surge in the price of Bitcoin has led to an increase in weekly active users of Cash App. The firm noticed that in late April and early May, there was a notable uptick in activity. Previously, in February and March, user growth was slower. These findings are in agreement with statements from Block, Inc.'s (NYSE:XYZ) management, which highlighted a rebound in Cash App usage in April. If Bitcoin can continue climbing, Cash App could experience increased user engagement in the coming months. Block, Inc. (NYSE:XYZ) is an American financial technology company that offers a wide range of products and services to consumers and merchants. While we acknowledge the potential of XYZ as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than XYZ and that has a 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 11 Stocks That Will Bounce Back According To Analysts and 11 Best Stocks Under $15 to Buy According to Hedge Funds. Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
29-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals (EYPT) Receives a Buy from Mizuho Securities
Mizuho Securities analyst Graig Suvannavejh maintained a Buy rating on EyePoint Pharmaceuticals (EYPT – Research Report) today and set a price target of $26.00. The company's shares closed today at $7.04. Confident Investing Starts Here: Suvannavejh covers the Healthcare sector, focusing on stocks such as Axsome Therapeutics, Verastem, and Apellis Pharmaceuticals. According to TipRanks, Suvannavejh has an average return of -9.0% and a 37.69% success rate on recommended stocks. The word on The Street in general, suggests a Strong Buy analyst consensus rating for EyePoint Pharmaceuticals with a $31.57 average price target, a 348.44% upside from current levels. In a report released today, Scotiabank also reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a $18.00 price target. Based on EyePoint Pharmaceuticals' latest earnings release for the quarter ending March 31, the company reported a quarterly revenue of $24.45 million and a GAAP net loss of $45.2 million. In comparison, last year the company earned a revenue of $11.68 million and had a GAAP net loss of $29.28 million Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 23 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is positive on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders buying their shares of EYPT in relation to earlier this year. Earlier this month, Karen Zaderej, a Director at EYPT bought 10,000.00 shares for a total of $59,000.00.
