Steven Towns

Japanese Investors Saying 'No Thanks' to Government Bonds

@dieuwer: Re-read/think over my last paragraph. The point of this article is about yield, not marketing timing. Also, I'm sure you realize there was also a big tech (IT) rally in Japan, too. And believe it or not, gold has appreciated obviously in yen.

On Nov 05 03:40 PM dieuwer wrote:

> Local deflation should be meaningless to local Japanese investors.
>
> So what there was deflation from 1990 - 2000? Japanese could have
> invested in NASDAQ stock and make a 10-fold gain.
> So what there supposedly is deflation since 2000 again. Japanese
> could have invested in gold and commodity stocks and make a fat gain.

Japanese Investors Saying 'No Thanks' to Government Bonds

Based on demand: "The MoF now only expects to raise Y1.3 trillion (US$14.3B) this year from individual investors, down from a prior estimate of Y2.4 trillion, and considerably lower than the record Y7.2 trillion raised in ‘05." Also, there was an anecdotal report that an unnamed large domestic financial institution canceled its plans to promote the October individual investor JGB issue and instead direct clients into one and two-year emerging economy notes.

On Nov 05 12:33 PM user225084-justme wrote:

> >>The Mainichi Shimbun (original in Japanese) reported early Thursday
> that Japanese Government Bonds’ (JGBs) popularity is rapidly falling
> among individual investors.
>
> How did the report arrive at the conclusion made that the bonds popularity
> is rapidly falling??

Japanese Investors Saying 'No Thanks' to Government Bonds

Donald, while there are of course are other factors, the bottom line is that the yield is so paltry as to dissuade Japanese individual investors who have been earning even less on cash deposits and suffering in a deflationary environment to boot. Also, don't miss the fact that the Japanese savings rate may be down, but the Japanese have a tremendous amount of accumulated savings.

On Nov 05 12:24 PM Donald Ingram wrote:

> Other factors are to be considered besides low returns;
> 1/ An aging work force.
> 2/ A much lower savings rate.
> 3/ High unemployment.
> 4/ Collapsing export market.
> 5/ Diminished tax returns.
> 6/ Crushing social obligations.
> 7/ New, inexperienced government.
>
> To put forward your reasoning as just the poor rate of return, vis
> a vis the low interest rate, is to ignore the above mitigating factors.

A Look at Japanese Stock Valuations

Not sure why you had to choose to pick on Madonna. I'd argue that she's been far more successful than Japanese political leadership since she's remained relevant by way of recreating herself as necessary over the years. As for JP leadership, it's more like they're wearing the same "panties" (think LDP), as it's just more status quo and the overall situation is worsening / becoming more convoluted -- perhaps from not really changing the underlying, or at least not in a meaningful way (ex-Koizumi).


On Jun 05 12:27 AM doubleguns wrote:

> Japan changes prime ministers like Madona changes panties, leaving
> them with no leadership. As soon as they start to move in any direction
> a new captain is placed at the helm and he steers in another direction.
>
>
> Thier stock market will just flail around until some leadership establishes
> a direction for the economy and is allow to stay on course.
>
> The only reason they have not ran aground so far is they have stimulated
> the hell out of the economy to the point that the debt is 100% of
> GDP
>
> It would seem the master (seekingalpha.com/symbo...) is now
> taking lessons from the student (Japan).

Outlook for Japanese Stocks: A Rising Sun

Not quite feeling your optimism, and I still think the broader and deeper negatives far outweigh any incremental positives such as 7 Eleven opening up in Indonesia. And you should really take note that your figures for the DoCoMo - Oakmark deal and the size of Topix-1 are way off the mark: the former was a deal for Y31B or about $310M, not Y31T/$31B! The Topix-1 is definitely not $170B! At Y170T, it's more like $1.7T!

Will the Japan Plan Work?

Carl, you've asked some important questions; too bad you didn't give your opinion or provide some insight. In fact, the recent N225 lows do not exactly mean that a quarter-century of gains have been wiped out. Instead, as you likely know, the gains since the '03 recovery (post-bubble trough) have been wiped out. "Lost decade" --> lost two decades ('89-'09) and counting. Also, the government bought shares in the past, too, and had even been offloading some of its positions with increasing speed until last year. It's a no-brainer that whether its the GoJ or individual or institutional investors that do any buying, it is a survival of the fittest-like climate, setting the stage for a true Darwinian flush. Generally speaking, I see no need (and thus no rush) to get in now and I reiterate what I have been saying recently in that I think stocks, despite the perceived cheapness, are being priced fairly.

Japan's Nikkei: Black Hole or Buying Opportunity?

Let's not forget to recognize the reality in what is not being published, or in many cases is never published (except perhaps in The Economist): Japanese individuals have comparatively little of their wealth allocated to the stock market. This matter is a blessing in a deep bear market, but in recent years it hindered sustaining the recovery from '03 to early '07. That the N225 hasn't fallen with recent economic data is not something to be bullish about. Take for instance the horrendous GDP figure just published. No real reaction ... since, well maybe it was partially factored in; but more importantly, U.S. players sat the session out for the holiday back home, and market participants in Japan were awaiting the reaction of when European markets open. I wouldn't be bullish about the N225 happening to be above its low of last year. What's worrisome is that it and other indices have rather quietly fallen back to those levels. My take is that Japan is largely and rightfully at/around fair value. EWJ is not a good proxy given the counter effect of the yen (unless one has appropriately accounted for it). But without a weaker yen, EWJ will not be in play in any meaningful way. Worst case is the status-quo.

Why Hasn't the Bank of Japan Intervened to Weaken the Yen?

My take at this point is that it is too early to consider intervening. Can Japan intervene? Yes. But Japan will wait, because given the vanishing global demand for its exports -- blaming forex is (partially) accurate and convenient -- the fact that trade is driven fundamentally by supply and demand, there's no need to act prematurely and perhaps then eventually more than once.

Japan's Largest Private Equity Firm? The Mob

It wouldn't be the first time 893 is playing the market. Also have the sokaiya facet although seemingly to a lesser extent.

Nikkei Weekly Outlook: Eye on I-banks, Inflation and the Yen

Hi Lance,

Agreed re. the stubborn heights of some of the readings we've seen. Surely they'll ease, although it is comforting to see the resiliency in Japan now, compared to the past when it was almost knee-jerk with the N225 seeming to mirror the direction of the S&P 500. That said, still a ways to go to get back to last year's levels, but it's upside nonetheless. Widespread buying on bouts of weakness not a bad thing at all.

Is a Nikkei 225 Bottom Near?

GKM, thanks for your comment. I actually think there are quite a few out there who are aware of the seemingly attractive valuations of Japanese stocks and the potential for cap gains with a recovery of even just the 18,000-level (that would be nearly 50%) for the Nikkei 225. The problem is not many are willing to commit the capital and thus any recovery at all will take time. A key point of interest now are those dividend yields. Maybe we'll finally see Japanese investors begin to embrace domestic stocks.

James Grant's Long Case for the Yen

Ken, I think it does matter in a sense, since it was a foreigner (i.e. non-Japanese) behind the break-up. In another respect, this is a mere blip on the radar in terms of the size of the firms involved. In short, I like what Ichigo Asset Management is doing and think the quest to unlock shareholder value is a definite plus, with abundant opportunities. For more information on Ichigo, see: www.ichigoasset.com/en...

Bullish On The Yen Following The Selloff

We're seeing a rather quick strengthening of the yen, currently approaching ¥117. I didn't expect the yen to strengthen this fast, which leads me to think that with equities falling apart, even in Japan (at least partially due to the stronger yen), that the carry trade could fall like dominoes. The underlying theme I'm hearing out of Asia and among foreigner investors with Asia exposure is to "reduce risk". Essentially that means liquidation and is either putting direct pressure on the yen as carry trades unwind, or is shaking out the weak that believe the carry is/will fall(ing) apart. I'm not sure we're necessarily seeing both on a large scale because things could really get interesting, if so.