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☆ Japan's Itochu raises profit forecast on strong machinery business
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 6 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Itochu (8001.T) posted a 14.5% drop in six-month net profit on Monday but raised its full-fiscal year profit forecast on stronger expectations for its machinery business and the weaker yen. Itochu increased its net profit forecast for the year ending in March 2024 by 20 billion yen to 800 billion yen ($5.4 billion) after weaker coal and iron ore prices resulted in its half-year net profit falling to 412.90 billion yen. "We have raised our full-year profit forecast for the machinery segment, backed by strong performance of automobile, construction machinery and North America's power business," President and Chief Operating Officer Keita Ishii told a news conference. The full-year profit forecast for Itochu's machinery business -- its second-biggest profit contributor after the metals and minerals segment and which makes ship and car parts and industrial machinery -- was increased by 10 billion yen to 115 billion yen. The company also said it will buy back up to 1.2% of its shares, worth 75 billion yen.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Keita Ishii, Ishii, Katya Golubkova, Yuka Obayashi, Kim Coghill, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Itochu, REUTERS, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China

☆ Japan's Itochu H1 net profit down 14.5% y/y, sets buy back
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Itochu Corp is seen outside the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, November 7, 2016. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 6 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Itochu (8001.T) on Monday posted a 14.5% drop in six-month net profit but raised its full-fiscal year profit forecast on stronger non-resource business development expectations and weaker yen. Itochu's net profit to Sept. 30 was 412.90 billion yen ($2.8 billion), down from the same period last year on weaker coal and iron ore prices. It raised its net profit forecast for the year ending in March 2024 by 20 billion yen to 800 billion yen. The company will buy back up to 1.2% of its shares worth 75 billion yen, it added on Monday.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Katya Golubkova, Kim Coghill Organizations: Itochu, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Japan's Suzuki to make 'flying cars' with SkyDrive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, June 20 (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T) said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with SkyDrive Inc to make "flying cars". The companies will use a Suzuki Group factory in central Japan to make electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and aim to begin production by around spring next year, Suzuki said in a statement. SkyDrive will establish a wholly owned subsidiary to make the aircraft and Suzuki will help with preparations for the manufacturing, including securing talent, the automaker said. Headquartered in the city of Toyota in central Japan, SkyDrive has trading house Itochu Corp (8001.T), tech firm NEC Corp (6701.T) and a unit of energy company Eneos Holdings Inc (5020.T) among its main shareholders. The two companies signed a deal in March last year to team up in research, development and marketing of flying cars.

Persons: Suzuki, SkyDrive, Satoshi Sugiyama, Robert Birsel Organizations: Suzuki Motor Corp, SkyDrive Inc, Suzuki Group, Toyota, Itochu Corp, NEC Corp, Eneos Holdings, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

☆ Japanese companies team up for battery storage project to fuel clean energy expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - Japan's Itochu Corp (8001.T) said on Wednesday it has jointly established a power storage company with Osaka Gas Co (9532.T) and Tokyo Century Corp (8439.T), as the country's expansion in renewable energy drives demand for storage capacity. Batteries are central to Japan becoming carbon neutral by 2050, as they are critical for storage of renewable energy to smoothen output fluctuations. The project will have capacity of 23 megawatt hours and output of 11 megawatt, for which Itochu would provide storage batteries and construction, Osaka Gas would trade the power and Tokyo Century would do business management. Japan is targeting over $24 billion in investments both from the public and private sectors to develop domestic battery production capacity of 150 gigawatt hours (GWh) by 2030, including for electric vehicles, and global production by Japanese companies of 600 GWh. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Itochu, Katya Golubkova, Rashmi Organizations: Itochu Corp, Osaka Gas Co, Tokyo Century Corp, Osaka Gas, Thomson Locations: Osaka prefecture, Japan, Osaka, Tokyo

☆ Japan stocks are on fire this year. Here are 3 reasons why the rally could have 'staying power'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Since then, Japanese equities have rallied. Even so, Strategas Securities' Chris Verrone has remained optimistic on Japanese equities, saying this week that the rally is not yet overbought. Meanwhile, JPMorgan chief market strategist Marko Kolanovic said in a note, also on Tuesday, that the rally in Japan still has "staying power." For international investors, those remarks signaled that Japanese companies may be more transparent with shareholders in the future. Investors can also take a company-specific approach, according to Diamond Hill's Mohanraj, who favors Japanese companies that boast differentiated products.

OMAHA, Nebraska, May 6 (Reuters) - Warren Buffet on Saturday said he is more comfortable with Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) deploying capital in Japan than Taiwan, reflecting the growing tensions between the United States and China. The billionaire investor contrasted Berkshire's recently increased investments in five Japanese trading houses with its recent U-turn on a multi-billion dollar investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, or TSMC (2330.TW). "It's a marvelous company," Buffett said at Berkshire’s annual meeting, referring to Taiwan Semiconductor. But "I would feel better about capital that we've got deployed in Japan than in Taiwan.... That's the reality." Tensions between the U.S. and China have simmered in recent months, with some investors worried that China might invade Taiwan.

☆ Why Warren Buffett is so keen on Japan's versions of Berkshire Hathaway
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Tim Hornyak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

But Warren Buffett added a spark in April when he visited Japan to announce that Berkshire Hathaway boosted its investment in Japanese trading houses to 7.4%. Buffett said the five — Itochu Corp., Marubeni Corp., Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui, and Sumitomo Corp. — are comparable to Berkshire itself. Samurai roots for Buffett's Japanese stocks The five trading firms that Berkshire has invested in are the biggest of Japan's so-called sogo-shosha, or general trading companies. Today, Japan's trading companies derive most of their revenue from non-trade activities. Shosha: The Big Five Mitsubishi The largest of Japan's trading companies is Mitsubishi Corp. , set up in 1954.

☆ Warren Buffett's trip to Tokyo is seen as a 'stamp of approval' for investing in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Berkshire Hathaway's stakes in all five trading houses is now 7.4%. Buffett's trip is a "stamp of approval" — especially for domestic investors in Japan, according to Monex Group's Jesper Koll. He emphasized Buffett's trip has the potential to boost confidence among Japanese investors as the nation continues to grapple with low consumption. "The real focus is confidence for Japanese investors, and that's where Warren Buffett's visit was very, very important," Koll said. The trading houses have helped grow the Japanese economy and contributed to the globalization of its business.

☆ Buffett says he holds 7.4% stake in five Japanese trading houses, including Itochu, Nikkei reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, April 11 (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc's (BRKa.N) Warren Buffett is considering additional investment in Japanese stocks and said he holds a 7.4% stake in each of five Japanese trading houses, including Itochu Corp (8001.T), the Nikkei reported on Tuesday. In an interview with the newspaper, Buffett also said he would visit Japanese trading houses and Tungaloy Corp offices during his stay in Japan this time. Berkshire Hathaway had more than a 6% stake in each of those five trading houses, according to regulatory filings made in November last year. read moreThe other trading houses are Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T), Mitsui & Co(8031.T), Sumitomo Corp(8053.T) and Marubeni (8002.T). Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japanese trading houses rise as Warren Buffett says he plans on buying more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan in 2011. Shares of Japanese trading houses rose in Tuesday afternoon trade after Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway , said he plans to increase his holdings. In an interview with Nikkei, Buffett said he is considering additional investment in five major Japanese trading houses, adding that he was "very proud" of his existing investments in them. Shares of Mitsubishi Corp. rose 2.7% in Japan's afternoon trade, Mitsui & Co. gained 2.6%, Itochu Corp climbed 2.5% and Marubeni Corp. advanced 3.7%. Buffett told Nikkei that he is planning to meet with the companies later in the week "to really just have a discussion around their businesses and emphasize our support," according to the report.

☆ Why Warren Buffett is investing in Japan and how to know if you should too
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Warren Buffett has grown even fonder of his favorite Japanese trading houses, hiking his already-large investments and teasing of more to come. Berkshire Hathaway raised its stakes in five Japanese trading houses — Mitsubishi Corp. , Mitsui & Co ., Itochu Corp. , Marubeni and Sumitomo — all to 7.4%. Buffett will appear live from Japan on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. The five trading houses — roughly akin to a conglomerate structure, just like Berkshire— seem to check every box of Buffett's stock-picking criteria. In light of expectations for tighter policy, BlackRock , the world's largest asset manager, last month cut Japanese stocks to "underweight."

☆ Factbox: Warren Buffett's investments in financial firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, pauses while playing bridge as part of the company annual meeting weekend in Omaha, Nebraska U.S. May 6, 2018. Here is history on Buffett's involvement with banks and current holdings in his investment portfolio. The investment gave Berkshire preferred stock that paid a 10% along with warrants to pay $5 billion for 43.5 million Goldman shares at $115 each. Berkshire has financial services investments in other countries. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York Editing by Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

After a dearth of plant approvals last decade, developers have secured dozens of long-term contracts to finance new multibillion-dollar LNG plants. The United States was long an importer of LNG, but natural gas discoveries and production from the shale revolution flipped the country into an LNG exporter in 2016. U.S. LNG exports hit 10.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2022, making the country the second biggest LNG exporter behind Australia. But their production volumes will allow the United States to remain ahead of output from Australia and Qatar. The seven U.S. export plants already in service, including Freeport LNG, can turn about 13.8 billion cubic feet of gas into LNG each day.

☆ Itochu to supply renewable energy to Meta in U.S., Amazon in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Itochu Corp (8001.T) has agreed to supply wind-generated power to Meta Platforms (META.O) in the United States and solar energy to Amazon (AMZN.O) in Japan, it said on Wednesday. Itochu would supply wind-generated power to Meta from the Texas-based Prairie Switch Wind project, set to have capacity of 160 megawatts when launched towards the end of this year and where Itochu agreed to invest. Separately, Itochu agreed with Amazon to develop 700 solar power sites to supply the e-commerce giant with renewable power in Japan by next year, Itochu said in a statement. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; editing by Uttaresh.VOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Warren Buffett's energy bets in Japanese companies are turning out to be huge winners, with some up 100% since his initial investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Warren Buffett's investments in five Japanese companies are emerging as winners in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio. A Bloomberg analysis points out that share prices in Mitsubishi and Mitsui have respectively climbed 100% and 130% since Buffett's initial investments in 2020. Buffett is the third-largest shareholder in Mitsui & Co. and a leading investor in Mitsubishi Corp., Itochu Corp., Sumitomo Corp., and Marubeni Corp. Meanwhile, share prices of Mitsubishi and Mitsui – the two most profitable sogo shosha – have climbed 100% and 130%, respectively, since Buffett's initial investment in 2020. Buffett's investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, made its first disclosure of the investment in the sogo shosha in August 2020, with 5% stakes in each then worth a total of $6 billion, said Bloomberg.

☆ Japanese firms sign multi-year agreements to buy LNG from Oman, U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Yuka Obayashi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Global LNG supply has been tight since Russia invaded Ukraine and cut gas supply flows to Europe, leading European nations to import record amounts of LNG cargoes, straining global supplies and elevating prices. Mitsui and Itochu confirmed signing basic agreements with Oman LNG, but declined to give details. Other Japanese companies were also in talks with Oman LNG about term contracts, a government official told Reuters without naming the firms. If successful, they could take Japan's LNG imports from Oman above 3 million tonnes a year, he added. The agreements with Oman LNG were signed during a visit to Oman by Japanese industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.

☆ Japan's Mitsui, Itochu and JERA to sign new long-term contracts to buy LNG from Oman -NHK
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Japan's trading houses Mitsui & Co (8031.T), Itochu Corp (8001.T) and Japan's biggest power generator JERA are expected to sign new long-term contracts to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Oman, NHK said on Tuesday. The Japanese companies are expected to buy a total of about 2 million tonnes of LNG, starting from 2025, through around 10-year contracts, public broadcaster NHK said. The Japanese companies will likely make agree on the contracts on Tuesday and Japanese industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is currently visiting the Middle East, will attend the signing ceremony, NHK said. Japan imported 1.9 million tonnes of LNG in 2021, accounting for 2.6% of Japan's total imports. Other Japanese companies are also in negotiations with Oman to buy LNG, NHK said.

☆ Buffett's Berkshire boosts stakes in Japan's five biggest trading houses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), run by billionaire Warren Buffett, has raised its stakes in each of Japan's five biggest trading houses by at least 1 percentage point to more than 6%, regulatory filings showed on Monday, sending shares higher. The move is line with Berkshire's statement in 2020 that its investments in the Japanese trading houses were for the long term and the stakes could rise to 9.9%. The news boosted shares of the five trading houses, led by Mitsubishi and Marubeni, which were up more than 2% in morning trade, while the benchmark Nikkei (.N225) index was nearly flat. Berkshire's increased investments in the trading houses come as it this month bought more than $4.1 billion of stock in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (2330.TW), a rare significant foray into the technology sector by the conglomerate. Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway hikes stakes in Japan's five leading trading houses to over 6%
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has raised its stakes in Japan's five leading trading houses by at least 1 percentage point to more than 6%, regulatory filings showed on Monday. The conglomerate's stakes rose to 6.6% from 5% in Mitsubishi Corp. , to 6.6% from 5% in Mitsui & Co ., to 6.2% from 5% in Itochu Corp ., to 6.8% from 5.1% in Marubeni Corp. and to 6.6% from 5% in Sumitomo Corp ., filings showed. Marubeni and Mitsubishi shares jumped more than 2% after the news on Monday. Sumitomo and Itochu shares rose about 1%. Shares of Mitsui have climbed more than 40% this year, while Sumitomo and Marubeni have both risen about 30%.

☆ As yen tumbles, gadget-loving Japan goes for secondhand iPhones
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Miho Uranaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Salaryman Kaoru Nagase wanted a new phone but couldn't justify the price of a iPhone 14, which starts at 119,800 yen ($814). Instead, he bought a used iPhone SE 2 in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district for less than a third of that. "At more than 100,000 yen the iPhone 14 is too expensive and I just can't afford it. But in an annual regulatory filing last month, it said Japan sales fell 9% in the year ended September 24 due to the yen's weakness. With Japan open again to foreign tourists, the secondhand iPhone market is getting another boost.

"We are deeply concerned about recent rapid and one-sided market moves driven in part by speculative trading," Suzuki told the news conference. The remarks came after the government's decision on Thursday to intervene in the currency market to stem yen weakness by selling dollars and buying yen for the first time since 1998. read moreKuroda said the government's intervention was an appropriate move to deal with "rapid, one-sided" yen moves. "Monetary policy and currency policy have different goals and effects," he said. "It was a meaningful move that showed Japan's determination it won't leave unattended sharp market volatility," he said.

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