# 13 Reasons Japan Still Has a Bright Future



## ringledman (14 Apr 2011)

The Bull Case for Japanese Equities. Something the mainstream financial press don't report. 

Far better to write about the coming collapse of Japan to grab readers attention than report on the rather decent fundamentals for the equities market in Japan.


http://www.investmentu.com/2011/April/13-reasons-japan-has-bright-future.html

13 Reasons Japan Still Has a Bright Future Ahead
by Carl Delfeld, _Investment U’s_ Global Equities and Emerging Markets Specialist
Thursday, April 14, 2011: Issue #1491
The bear case for Japan is well known: high debt, slow growth, an aging population, gaping budget deficits and dysfunctional politics.
To many investors, Japan’s economy seems like yesterday’s story, while emerging markets look like the future.
But there are two sides to every story, and the case for keeping some Japan exposure in your portfolio is clear and compelling.
Here are a baker’s dozen of reasons why ignoring Japan may be a mistake…

*13 Reasons Japan Still Has a Bright Future Ahead*

Japanese companies and local banks are flush with cash. Deposits at Japanese banks exceed outstanding loans by $1.8 trillion.
Approximately 95 percent of Japan’s $10-trillion sovereign debt is held by Japanese investors. It’s not dependent on the whims of foreign lenders.
The country’s current gold and foreign exchange reserves of more than $1 trillion are second only to those of China.
Japan is quite possibly the only developed economy in the world to pull off trade surpluses with China, Taiwan and South Korea.
Japan’s creative spirits are alive and kicking. The country still grabs U.S. patents at a rate double that of the Koreans and Taiwanese together.
The strong yen is giving Japanese companies the upper hand in grabbing overseas companies and commodities at reduced prices.
The forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio that peaked at 70 in 1989 is now only 13.6 for Japan’s entire market (Topix index).
Share prices in Japan are just above book value compared with double book value in the United States.
Peter Tasker of Argus Research finds that 25 percent of Japan’s companies trade at less than 10 times earnings compared to just 4 percent for the S&P 500 index.
On a price to sales basis, Japan trades three times cheaper than a basket of the BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China).
Japan’s market beats its own drum. Having holdings tied to Japan in your global portfolio is a great diversifier. Over the last ten years, Japan has moved in sync with the S&P 500 only 30 percent of the time.
Japan’s government is injecting liquidity into the economy to offset the effects of the quake and tsunami and is proposing a cut in corporate tax rates.
Finally, keep in mind that Japan is still the world’s third-largest economy – just a hair behind China. A huge economy like Japan’s will not post headline-grabbing double-digit economic growth but can still deliver sizable profits and cash flow.


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## z107 (20 Apr 2011)

Lets hope they spend some of this money decommissioning, compensating and cleaning up Fukushima Dai-ichi.


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## Lamorna (25 Apr 2011)

Thanks for the link.
I'd add that Japanese youth (from the individuals I've met in France and in the UK) seem to be a decent, hard-working, imaginative lot. They don't spend several evenings a week binge drinking, but take their studies seriously.


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## enoxy (25 Apr 2011)

Are you insinuating that irish youths are binge drinking wasters who are unwilling to put serious effort into work/studies - what a generalisation, outrageous..... well, err...maybe on second thoughts.... you might have a point....(!)


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## ringledman (26 Apr 2011)

Part deux - 

http://www.investmentu.com/2011/April/why-you-should-buy-japan-now.html


> Why You Should Buy Japan Now
> by Alexander Green, _Investment U’s_ Chief Investment Strategist
> Monday, April 25, 2011: Issue #1498
> “Buy Japan _now_?” a friend asked recently. “Are you nuts?”
> ...


 
Please do your own research. 

Agree on Japanese youth. Asian kids in general are light years ahead of the West. 

Our education levels are dropping like stones.


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## EAP (27 Apr 2011)

*Is Japan a Value Trap*

Plenty of reasons why you should buy Japan, but here is an informed opinion from an Asian specialist as to why you should proceed with caution. I can't post the url, but check out the article "Is Japan a Value Trap" at the Value Investment Institute, valueinstitute.org, under articles.


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