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☆ Warren Buffett's love for Japan may be far from over after $8 billion paper profit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has made billions of dollars from its big investments in Japan, and the Oracle of Omaha's love for the land of the rising sun is only growing deeper. The Omaha-based conglomerate priced 263.3 billion Japanese yen of bonds worth $1.7 billion, marking one of its biggest yen bond sales, according to a regulatory filing released Thursday. The cost of the positions was 1.6 trillion yen ($10.35 billion) and the 2023 yearend market value of the five stakes was 2.9 trillion yen ($18.76 billion), Berkshire revealed in its annual report. Meanwhile, the five Japanese trading companies are all dividend payers, yielding from 1% to more than 3%. Buffett even paid a visit to Japan with his designated successor Greg Abel and met with the heads of the Japanese firms last year.

Persons: Warren, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Chamath Palihapitiya, Greg Abel Organizations: Berkshire, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo ., Tokyo Stock Exchange Locations: Japan, Omaha, Berkshire, Sumitomo . Berkshire

☆ 'A fantastic market': Strategist names one under-the-radar stock to play in Japan right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Several investors have been looking favorably at Japanese stocks in the past few months, and market strategist Matt Orton is no exception. "Japan overall, has been a fantastic market ... Japan was the top performer within the Asian equity market complex," the chief market strategist at asset management firm Raymond James Investment Management told CNBC's " Squawk Box Asia " on April 1. One stock that stands out to Orton is Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group . Of the 14 analysts covering the stock, 10 give it a buy or overweight rating, while four have a hold rating, according to FactSet data. Analysts' average price target for the stock is 9,537.50 Japanese yen ($62.89), giving it around 11% potential upside.

Persons: Matt Orton, Raymond James, CNBC's, levered, they've, Orton Organizations: Raymond James Investment Management, Japan's Nikkei, Tokyo Exchange, Orton, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Sumitomo Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Philippines

The BOJ will now look to utilize its short-term interest rate as its primary policy tool. It will employ an interest rate of 0.1% to current account balances held by financial institutions at the central bank from March 21, while encouraging the uncollateralized overnight call rate (another interest rate used as a policy lever by the bank) to remain at around 0 to 0.1% — effectively raising interest rates from -0.1% previously. It would resort to "nimble responses" in the form of increased Japan government bond purchases and fixed-rate purchases of JGBs, among other things, if there is a rapid rise in long-term interest rates. Japanese investors have looked elsewhere for better returns given years of artificially depressed interest rates in their home market. The Fed is due to announce its own interest rate decision on Wednesday.

Persons: Japan Alexander Spatari, Kazuo Ueda, Rob Carnell, BOJ, Ueda, Michael Brown, —, JGBs, Vishnu Varathan, Hayden Briscoe, Briscoe Organizations: Japan's, Japan Inc, Asia, ING, CNBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Bank of America, Barclays, U.S . Federal, UBS Asset Management Locations: Dotonbori, Japan, Japan's, U.S, Mizuho's, Asia

☆ This analyst predicted the Nikkei would cross 40,000. Here's where he thinks it'll go next
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Koll was referring to the asset and equity bubble Japan saw in the late 80s, which resulted in the Nikkei hitting its 1989 highs. In July last year, Koll told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" he expected the Nikkei to hit 40,000 "over the next 12 months." watch nowWhen asked what drives his optimism, Koll told CNBC on Monday that it was in part due to Japan's ability to be a "capital value-creating superpower." There is no question that Japanese 'salarymen CEOs' created more fundamental economic value than Wall Street's superstar CEOs. He said Japanese CEOs are the "undisputed global champions of delivering on the hard part, true economic value creation."

Persons: Jesper Koll, Koll, CNBC's, Fumio Kishida, Wall, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Organizations: Nikkei, Monex Group, CNBC, Bank, Monex, Wall, Berkshire, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Itochu

☆ Woman Could Have Prevented Great Recession; Ignored by Wall Street Men
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Josie Cox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

The story of Brooksley Born is not only the tale of a remarkable regulator whose Cassandra-like warnings — if heeded — could've prevented the great financial crisis from exploding into raging, ruinous enormity. Not long after she assumed chairmanship of the CFTC, Born started to feel a lingering unease with the rapidly expanding derivatives market. So to Rubin, Born was more of an inconvenience than anything, and she certainly wasn't in his club. Not long after, Treasury officials lobbied Congress to pass legislation preventing the CFTC from being able to regulate the OTC derivatives market. In the months and years that followed, it became increasingly hard to deny that the multi-trillion-dollar OTC derivatives market was the root cause of the great financial crisis.

Persons: Lehman Brothers, jolting, — could've, It's, Potter Stewart, Henry Edgerton, Porter, she'd, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Janet Reno, Brooksley, Michael Greenberger, Born, Gibson, weren't, Robert Rubin, Goldman Sachs, Rubin, Michael Hirsh, Alan Greenspan, Greenspan, Ayn Rand, Hirsh ., Hirsh, Greenspan didn't, braggadocian machismo, lauding Rubin, Lawrence Summers, Arthur Levitt, Josie Cox, Levitt, Summers, Jim Leach, Richard Lugar, —, Bethany McLean, Joe Nocera, Bob Rubin, Born's Cassandra, George W, Bush, Lauren Rivera, Christine Lagarde, Lehman, ABRAMS Organizations: Stanford University, Stanford Law School, Stanford, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Arnold, Futures Trading Commission, American, CFTC, Bankers Trust, Procter, Gamble, Sumitomo, Federal Reserve, Fed, Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Markets, Abrams, Term Capital Management, Enron, SEC, Born, Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, Financial, International Monetary Fund, Lehman Brothers, Reuters, Street, The Washington Post, Guardian, Abrams Press Locations: California, Vietnam, United States, Washington, America, ABRAMS , New York

☆ Warren Buffett: Berkshire’s boom days may be over as his company approaches $1 trillion in value
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Berkshire Hathaway neared a $1 trillion market valuation Monday after a record-breaking year, but CEO Warren Buffett warned in his annual letter to investors that more skyrocketing performances are likely a thing of the past. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) saw its shares jump nearly 2%, to $429, on Monday morning after closing with a market cap of $905 billion on Friday. Only a handful of companies worldwide has ever reached the $1 trillion milestone, among them tech giants Amazon, Apple and Microsoft. Berkshire has about $167.6 billion in cash and equivalents, breaking last quarter’s record-high $157.2 billion. For the year, operating earnings rose to $37.3 billion, after setting a record of $30.8 billion in 2022.

Persons: Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, ”, Buffett, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Berkshire, Apple, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo Locations: New York, Omaha , Nebraska, Berkshire, Omaha, United States, ”

☆ Warren Buffett says Berkshire may only do slightly better than the average company due to its sheer size
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger at press conference during the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, April 30, 2022. Berkshire Hathaway 's Warren Buffett said his sprawling conglomerate may only slightly outperform the average American company due to its sheer size and the lack of buying opportunities that could make an impact. The 93-year-old Buffett said Berkshire's group of diversified, quality businesses should provide "slightly better" performance than the average U.S. company, but anything more than that is unlikely. 'With our present mix of businesses, Berkshire should do a bit better than the average American corporation and, more important, should also operate with materially less risk of permanent loss of capital," Buffett said. "Anything beyond 'slightly better,' though, is wishful thinking."

Persons: Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway, Apple —, Buffett, — Organizations: Berkshire, BNSF Railway, Apple, Oracle, Occidental Petroleum, Berkshire ., Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo Locations: Omaha , Nebraska, Omaha, Dairy, Berkshire, Alleghany, U.S

☆ Here's how to play Japan stocks, finally hitting a new high after 34 long years
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Japan's Nikkei 225 index , a price-weighted index of 225 Japanese stocks, has also hit an historic high. A few months before that, on December 29, 1989, Japan's Nikkei 225 Index hit an historic high that stood until this week. That's about the amount the U.S. stock market dropped at the start of the Great Depression, from 1929 to 1932. .N225 5Y mountain Nikkei 225 Index in past five years. The Japanese stock market took 20 years.

Persons: it's, Japan's, Minoru Isutani, Arnold Palmer, Richard Ferris, Peter Ueberroth, Clint Eastwood, Nori, Bart Wakabayashi Organizations: Nikkei, CNBC, Japan's Nikkei, Mitsubishi, Rockefeller Center, Lone Cypress Company, Sumitomo Bank, Taiheiyo, Lone Cypress, Toyota, Honda, Sony, Hitachi, Nintendo, Sumitomo Mitsui, Japan Hedged Equity, Dow Jones, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Retailing, Softbank, Vision Fund, Foreign, Bank of Japan, White Oak Capital, Reuters Locations: Tokyo, New York, Japanese, California, Japan, U.S, Singapore

☆ Japan's stock market roared back to life in 2023, and investors expect even more gains ahead. How to trade it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Japanese stocks had one of their best years in recent memory, and they could rally even more in 2024. .N225 ALL mountain Big gains for Nikkei in 2023 That momentum has carried into early 2024. What's more, Wall Street sees no signs of Japanese stocks slowing down. In early 2023, Japanese stocks surged after the highest Shunto wage hike in 30 years was passed, at above 3% from above 2% the year prior, according to the Japan Times . Corporate earnings and economic growth Another driver for Japanese stocks this year could be strong corporate earnings and economic growth.

Persons: Warren Buffett, What's, BofA's Masashi Akutsu, Akutsu, Fumio Kishida, Scott Ladner, Ladner, we've, they're, Glovista's Carlos Asilis, there's, Bernstein, Neil Beveridge, Horizon's Ladner Organizations: Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Itochu, Sumitomo, Nikkei, Japan Times, Horizon Investments, Japan, Japan Hedged Equity, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of America, Toyota, U.S Locations: Japan, That's

☆ The 'Korea discount': Value stock or value trap?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A cameraman takes video footage of a stock index board showing South Korea's benchmark stock index (L) after a ceremony celebrating the New Year's opening of the South Korea stock market at the Korea Exchange in Seoul on January 2, 2023. Chaebol challengeIn South Korea, most market heavyweights are corporations called "chaebols," large family-owned global conglomerates that are usually controlled by the founder's family. However, IHS Markit highlighted in June last year that in South Korea, the ex-dividend date comes before the companies' dividend announcement dates. With such challenges, should investors be putting their money into South Korea stocks — or should they stay away? "If authorities continue to improve the investment environment further, the chances for the South Korean stock index to be included in the [MSCI World Index] will grow," he said.

Persons: Jung Yeon, JUNG YEON, Vikas Pershad, Jiang Zhang, Jeremy Tan, Zhang, Hebe Chen, Chen, Ryota Abe Organizations: South, Korea Exchange, Getty, Management, North, CNBC, Samsung Electronics, LG, SK, Hyundai, Samsung, Tiger Fund Management, IHS, South Korea's Financial Services Commission, IG International, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Locations: South Korea, Korea, Seoul, North Korea, Korea's, Southeast Asia

☆ Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group CEO dies at 65
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (SMFG)'s new chief executive Jun Ohta attends a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, December 14, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) (8316.T) on Monday said group CEO Jun Ohta died on Nov. 25 aged 65 of pancreatic cancer. Japan's second-biggest lender after Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T) said it plans to announce a successor in the near future as soon as an appointment is made. Ohta joined The Sumitomo Bank, a predecessor of SMFG, in 1982 and rose to group CEO in April 2019. Ohta recently sought to expand SMFG's footprint in overseas markets through an alliance with U.S. investment bank Jefferies Financial Group (JEF.N).

Persons: Jun Ohta, Kim Kyung, Japan's, Toru Nakashima, Ohta, Mariko Katsumura, Rocky Swift, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc, REUTERS, Rights, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Sumitomo Bank, Keidanren, Jefferies Financial, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, SMFG

☆ Euro bounces as investors cling to sliver of positive euro zone data
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The euro rose on Thursday for the first time this week, after data suggested the downturn in the euro zone economy may be starting to ease, although holidays in the United States and Japan kept trading activity muted. The euro rose broadly, gaining the most against the Swedish crown , after the Swedish central bank left rates unchanged, while also gaining on the yen and the Swiss franc. The survey showed the euro zone economy is on track to contract again in the fourth quarter. Its PMI rose to 43.8 from 43.1, beating the poll expectation for 43.4 but was still below breakeven. Sterling was last up 0.5% on the day at $1.2558, having risen to a high of $1.2575 after the PMI data.

Persons: Marcos Brindicci, There's, Michael Brown, Brown, Geert Wilders, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Jeff Ng, Changpeng Zhao, Vidya Ranganathan, Lincoln, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Swiss, PMI, European Central Bank, Fed, University of Michigan, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Markets, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, United States, Japan, Germany, Swedish, EU, Wednesday's, Netherlands, Asia, Singapore

☆ Holiday thins trading after data slows dollar's decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Vidya Ranganathan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With markets shut in Japan and the United States for the Thanksgiving holiday, currencies barely moved and cash U.S. Treasuries weren't traded in Asia. By 0530 GMT, however, the euro was 0.15% higher at $1.0902 and the dollar index was a tad weaker at 103.71. Adding to investors' confusion, data showed orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods fell more than expected in October, signalling an economy cooling considerably after hot third-quarter growth. The dollar's rebound comes after a three-week long spell of weakness driven by evidence of a slowing economy and disinflation, leading markets to price out any additional Fed rate hikes. The forward-looking flash November purchasing manager indexes (PMIs) are also due out globally on Thursday and should help investors assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts will begin.

Persons: Marcos Brindicci, Treasuries weren't, Jeff Ng, Treasuries, policymaker Mario Centeno, Joachim Nagel, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Vidya Ranganathan, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Federal, University of Michigan, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Fed, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Governing, PMI, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rights SINGAPORE, Japan, United States, Asia, Britain, U.S

☆ Japan's Mizuho applies to set up securities company in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mizuho Financial Group logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan August 20, 2018. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING/TOKYO, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Japan's Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T) has sought to establish a securities company in China, becoming the latest foreign firm to make inroads into China's onshore securities market with a fully-owned entity. The China Securities Regulatory Commission has received the application from the securities arm of the third-largest Japanese banking group, according to a filing record issued on Wednesday from the regulator's website. The application comes as Mizuho is hoping to tap China's lucrative capital markets fee pool, the largest after the United States and Europe. Citigroup (C.N) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L) are also in the process of establishing securities units in China after Beijing allowed wholly-owned foreign securities companies in 2019.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Mizuho, Makiko Yamazaki, Jacqueline Wong, Mrigank Dhaniwala, Kim Coghill Organizations: Mizuho Financial, REUTERS, Rights, Mizuho Financial Group, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Citigroup, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Hong Kong, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights BEIJING, TOKYO, China, Mizuho, United States, Europe, Beijing, Hong

☆ Holiday thins trading after data nudges dollar higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

With markets shut in Japan and the United States for the Thanksgiving holiday, currencies barely moved and cash U.S. Treasuries weren't traded in Asia. The dollar index rose overnight, bouncing from a 2-1/2 month low, after economic data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week. The weakness in the dollar has buoyed the yen , along with expectations the Bank of Japan may shift away from its ultra-loose monetary policy next year. The dollar index was just 0.03% lower at 103.84, with the euro unchanged at $1.0887. The forward-looking flash November purchasing manager indexes, or PMIs, are also due out globally on Thursday and should help investors assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts will begin.

Persons: Treasuries weren't, Jeff Ng, Treasuries, policymaker Mario Centeno, Joachim Nagel, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao Organizations: U.S ., Federal Reserve, University of Michigan, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Fed, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Governing, PMI Locations: Japan, United States, Asia, Britain, U.S

☆ As the hype around 'solid-state' EV batteries grows, UBS reveals the global stocks to cash in
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

UBS has identified the stocks set to benefit from the growth of next-generation "solid-state" battery electric vehicles. Solid-state batteries are viewed as a potential breakthrough technology because they can store more energy than lithium-ion batteries and charge faster. Toyota's targets for solid-state batteries are about double the capacity of the longest-range Tesla vehicles. The automaker's planned transition to solid-state batteries for its EVs by the late 2020s makes the company's stock an attractive investment, according to the investment bank. The table below shows some of the global stocks best positioned to capitalize on the shift to solid-state batteries, according to UBS: UBS named Toyota Industries , which has already partnered with Toyota Motor on developing lithium-ion batteries, as another stock that could benefit from the shift to solid-state batteries.

Persons: Kohei Takahashi, Morgan Stanley, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: UBS, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Toyota Industries, Toyota Motor, Mitsui Mining & Smelting, Sumitomo Metal Mining

☆ Japan's Nikkei seen rising to 35,000 by mid-2024 on earnings boost: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man looks at an electric board displaying the Nikkei stock average outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan June 14, 2023. The median forecast for the Nikkei's level in mid-2024 was 35,000, with responses ranging from 31,143 to 39,500, the Reuters poll of 10 stocks strategists taken Nov. 10-20 showed. Japan's equity benchmark started this week by pushing to its highest level since March 1990 at 33,853.46 following a three-week winning streak. That would mean some stagnation for equities in the latter half of next year, with the Nikkei still stuck at 35,000 at year-end, according to the median poll response. "35,000 looks to be about the level where Nikkei gains line up with the timing of the BOJ getting rid of negative interest rate policy," Sycamore said.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Masayuki Kichikawa, IG's, Tony Sycamore, Sycamore, Kevin Buckland, Junko Fujita, Noriyuki, Rahul Trivedi, Pranoy, Alex Richardson Organizations: Nikkei, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, Federal, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, IG's Sydney

☆ Leasing giant SMBC places order for 60 Airbus A320neo planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Airbus is seen at the Milipol Paris, the worldwide exhibition dedicated to homeland security and safety, in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBLIN, Nov 21 (Reuters) - SMBC Aviation Capital placed an order for 60 Airbus (AIR.PA) A320neo family aircraft, the world's second largest aircraft leasing firm said on Tuesday, without disclosing the financial details of the deal. Nikkei Asia, which first reported the deal, said it was thought to be worth around $3.4 billion, based on the A320neo's market price. Boeing won new orders for 196 aircraft while Airbus agreed deals for 55 jets amid soaring demand for wide-body planes. "This transaction is further testament of sustained global demand for technologically advanced, fuel-efficient aircraft, and comes amidst the continuing strong recovery in air travel worldwide," SMBC CEO Peter Barrett said in a statement.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Peter Barrett, Padraic Halpin, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Airbus, REUTERS, Rights, SMBC Aviation Capital, Nikkei, Boeing, Dubai Airshow, Japan's Sumitomo Corp, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Thomson Locations: Paris, Villepinte, France, Nikkei Asia

They said some battery operators are already supplying back-up power to grids at a price competitive with gas power plants, meaning gas will be used less. British independent Carlton Power dropped plans for an 800 million pound ($997 million) gas power plant in Manchester, northern England, in 2016. MODELS UNDER SCRUTINYDevelopers can no longer use financial modelling that assumes gas power plants are used constantly throughout their 20-year-plus lifetime, analysts said. Many countries world-wide, but especially in Europe, provide payments for standby power plants through capacity markets. In Europe, 40 million electric vehicles are expected by 2030, capable of displacing around one third of the region's gas power capacity, according to Kaluza.

Persons: Andrew Boyers, Carlton Power, Keith Clarke, Clarke, Carlton, Nigel Scott, Banks, Simon Virley, Helen Sanders, Sanders, Carlton's Clarke, Sarah McFarlane, Susanna Twidale, Simon Webb, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Global Energy Monitor, Power Ventures, Carlton, Carlton Power, Reuters, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Investors, Electricity, KPMG, Union, Octopus Energy, Thomson Locations: Finedon, Britain, Europe, United States, New Jersey, Manchester, England, London

☆ Vale Canada, Sumitomo Metal sign initial agreement to sell 14% stake in Indonesia nickel miner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ritsuko Shimizu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Vale Base Metals said its Vale Canada unit and Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining signed an initial agreement on Friday to sell a 14% stake in their Indonesian nickel mining unit to Indonesia's state miner. Share divestment is a condition required by Indonesia to extend Vale Indonesia's mining permit, which will otherwise end in 2025. Upon completion, MIND ID will become the largest shareholder of Vale Indonesia with its stake rising to 34% from 20%. Vale Canada will hold 33.9%, down from 43.79%, and Sumitomo 11.5%, down from 15.03%, according to the statement. "The divestment will make MIND ID as the biggest shareholder of Vale (Indonesia), so MIND ID and Vale Canada can exercise a joint control over Vale (Indonesia)," he said in a statement on Friday.

Persons: Ritsuko Shimizu, Wirjoatmodjo, Deshnee Naidoo, Joko Widodo, Widodo, Fransiska Nangoy, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kirsten Donovan, William Mallard Organizations: Sumitomo Metal Mining, REUTERS, Rights, Base Metals, Vale Canada, Vale, Sumitomo, Mineral Industri, Vale Base Metals, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights JAKARTA, Vale Canada, Mineral Industri Indonesia, Indonesia, Vale Indonesia, Indonesian, Vale

☆ Vale Canada, Sumitomo Metal sign initial deal to sell 14% stake in Indonesian nickel miner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ritsuko Shimizu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Mining company Vale Base Metals said its unit Vale Canada Ltd and Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd signed an initial agreement on Friday to sell a 14% stake in their Indonesian nickel mining unit to Indonesia's state miner. Share divestment is a condition required by Indonesia to extend Vale Indonesia's mining permit, which is currently due to end in 2025. Upon completion, MIND ID will become the largest shareholder of Vale Indonesia with 34% of shares, up from 20%. Around 20% of Vale Indonesia's shares are publicly traded. Vale Base Metals is committing around $10 billion of investment in Indonesia over the next decade.

Persons: Ritsuko Shimizu, Deshnee Naidoo, Fransiska Nangoy, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Sumitomo Metal Mining, REUTERS, Rights, Base Metals, Vale Canada, Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining Co . Ltd, Vale, Sumitomo, Mineral Industri, Vale Base Metals, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights JAKARTA, Vale Canada, Mineral Industri Indonesia, Indonesia, Vale Indonesia, Indonesian

TOKYO, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's vote of confidence in Japanese trading houses is helping Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T) overcome long-held investor wariness about its complex global business that covers everything from sausages to natural gas, a top executive said. "Until fairly recently, being an industrial conglomerate had negative connotations," Kobayashi said in an interview. Appointed as the trading house's first chief stakeholder engagement officer in April, Kobayashi is now focused on wooing investors who focus on growth, not just value. Berkshire first announced roughly 5% stakes in August 2020, with Buffett saying the trading houses "have many joint ventures throughout the world and are likely to have more". read moreStill, Mitsubishi is trading at a price-to-book ratio of just a little over 1, or at almost no premium to the value of its assets.

Persons: Warren Buffett's, wariness, Berkshire Hathaway, Kenji Kobayashi, Kobayashi, Itochu, outperforming, Buffett, Benjamin Graham, that's, Anton Bridge, Miho Uranaka, David Dolan, Miral Organizations: Mitsubishi Corp, Berkshire, Reuters, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nikkei, Columbia University, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Berkshire, Japan

The logo of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co is pictured at the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Ritsuko Shimizu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining (5713.T) is considering producing cathode battery materials in the United States among other options as it looks to expand output to meet demand from electric vehicles, an executive said on Thursday. Sumitomo Metal plans to bolster its annual output capacity to 120,000 tons by March 2028 and 180,000 tons by March 2031. The consortium consists of Sumitomo Metal, Mitsubishi (8058.T) and Mitsui (8031.T). Sumitomo Metal is targeting to boost annual nickel output capacity to 150,000 tons in a long-term from 82,000 tons now.

Persons: Ritsuko Shimizu, Katsuya Tanaka, ARL.AX, Masaru Takebayashi, Yuka Obayashi, David Evans Organizations: Sumitomo Metal Mining, REUTERS, Rights, Sumitomo Metal, Panasonic, U.S, Kalgoorlie Nickel, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, United States, Niihama, Pomalaa, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

☆ Goldman leads new funding for Fnality blockchain payments firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Goldman Sachs company logo is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Fnality, a blockchain-based wholesale payments firm, said on Tuesday it has raised 77.7 million pounds ($95.09 million) in a second round of funding backed by Goldman Sachs and other blue chip financial firms as it awaits Bank of England approval to start operations. UK-based Fnality seeks to bridge the gap between mainstream and digital finance to cut the time and cost of settling, managing collateral and making payments for financial market transactions. Fnality said the round was led by Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas, with participation from settlement houses DTCC and Euroclear, as well as Nomura and WisdomTree. Finality raised 55 million pounds in its first whip round in June 2019.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Brendan McDermid, Fnality, Mathew McDermott, Goldman's, Huw Jones, Susan Fenton Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, of, BNP, Nomura, Banco Santander, BNY Mellon, Barclays, CIBC, Commerzbank, ING, Lloyds Banking Group, Nasdaq Ventures, Street, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, UBS, Sterling, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, DTCC

A banknote of Japanese yen is seen in this illustration picture taken June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 14 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. The policy pressures facing Japanese authorities are intense, and the potential risks to financial markets if policymakers misstep are growing. After battling against deflation for decades, the Bank of Japan is moving away from ultra-loose policy. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Florence Lo, Jamie McGeever, Xi Jinping's, Joe Biden, Shunichi Suzuki, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank's George Saravelos, Xi Jinping, Fed's Jefferson, Barr, Mester, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Economic Cooperation, U.S, Japanese Finance, Bank of, Deutsche Bank's, Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Tokyo, San Francisco, Asia, Bank of Japan, Japan, India

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