Active Investing in Japan

General Motors’ Asia Pacific president Rick Brown at the Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday said comparing GM to Toyota is a waste of time and energy — ?????????????????????????????? — referring to the much talked about point that Toyota could surpass GM in global vehicles sold (volume) annually, as early as this year. GM’s Brown said what’s most important is to focus on design and production, as well as satisfying dealers. Have to agree with Brown on that point, but his attitude of something like who cares, “Toyota may pass GM” or “it may not pass GM”, seems inappropriate, especially at the Tokyo Motor Show. continue reading…

The following is a schedule of fiscal Q2 earnings release dates for Japanese stocks focused on those with ADRs. The list has been updated to include earnings dates for some that were previously unavailable. continue reading…

Japan market summary for Wednesday (Oct. 24)
Nikkei 225 Stock Average: -92.19 (-0.6%) to 16,358.39
Nikkei 225 futures Osaka: -110 (-0.7%) to 16,370, Singapore (SGX) -110 (-0.7%) to 16,375, Chicago (CME) *10/23 +70 (+0.4%) to 16,580
TOPIX: -6.69 (-0.4%) to 1,563.86; Advancers 657 x decliners 932 (unch. 136), New highs 14 x new lows 66
Nikkei Jasdaq: +1.60 (+0.1%) to 1,858.27
Yen: mostly flat against the US$ at 114.35-40 level late in Tokyo; weakened about 0.1% against the euro to 162.75 level
Notes: Emerging stock indices MOTHERS and HERCULES both traded to the upside, +2.2% and +1.7%, respectively. The title effectively explains what happened in Wednesday’s market. Other Asian benchmarks also faced heavy selling and reversals late in the day.