日本負利率完結| 拆倉潮一觸即發?! 資金流去哪個市場?(English +中文CC)

阿豬 Ah Ju
27 Mar 202409:24

Summary

TLDRThe Bank of Japan has ended its eight-year negative interest rate policy, raising rates to 0.1% for the first time since 2007. Despite expectations of a yen rebound, the currency fell due to continued loose monetary policy and strong US economy. The market's reaction was mixed, with past rate hikes showing varied impacts on stocks. Institutional investors remain optimistic about Japan's economic prospects, with significant buying activity in Japanese stocks. The Bank of Japan's large holdings in ETFs and the potential impact of future sales on the market are a concern. Corporate governance improvements are driving a revaluation of Japanese stocks, which are still considered undervalued compared to global markets.

Takeaways

  • 📈 The Bank of Japan ended its negative interest rate policy and raised rates for the first time since 2007, moving from -0.1% to 0.1%.
  • 🌐 This decision followed global quantitative easing trends, where Japan had previously been more aggressive with rates below 0%.
  • 🔍 Market expectations were that the end of these policies would strengthen the yen, but it actually fell after the announcement.
  • 💹 Historically, Japanese stock markets have risen after interest rate hikes, with certain sectors like steel and machinery outperforming.
  • 🏦 The Bank of Japan's policy changes also included ceasing the purchase of ETFs and trust funds to support the market.
  • 🌿 Despite ending its market support, the Bank of Japan still holds a significant portion of the Japanese stock market, estimated at 7%.
  • 🌋 The economic impact of the policy change is complex and not solely dependent on interest rates; other economic factors are also crucial.
  • 💼 Institutional investors remain optimistic about Japan's economic prospects and have been buying Japanese stocks aggressively.
  • 💵 Japan's economy has transitioned from deflation to stable inflation, and wage increases are at a 30-year high, potentially boosting consumer spending and economic growth.
  • 📊 Japanese stocks are considered undervalued compared to other markets like the US, with lower P/E and Price to Book ratios.
  • 🏢 Improvements in corporate governance in Japan are leading to a revaluation of Japanese stocks, reducing the discount previously applied by investors.

Q & A

  • What is the main reason behind the Bank of Japan's recent decision to raise interest rates?

    -The Bank of Japan raised interest rates because it has achieved a stable 2% inflation, marking the end of its eight-year-long negative interest rate policy.

  • How has the market reacted to the Bank of Japan's interest rate hike?

    -Although many expected the yen to rise after the rate hike, it actually fell further because the Bank of Japan emphasized that it would maintain a loose monetary policy without hinting at further rate hikes. Additionally, the strength of the U.S. economy has kept the interest rate differential between Japan and the U.S. wide, leading to a continued decline in the yen.

  • What has been the historical impact of previous interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan on the stock market?

    -Historically, the impact of interest rate hikes on the stock market has been mixed. In 2006, Japanese stocks rose by 20% after a rate hike, while in 2000, the Nikkei index fell by 30%. Interest rates are only one factor that affects the market, and other factors, such as economic prospects, play a more important role.

  • Why are investors not worried about the Bank of Japan stopping its ETF purchases?

    -The Bank of Japan has already significantly reduced its ETF purchases since last year, and the market has largely adjusted to this. Therefore, the formal announcement of stopping ETF purchases is not expected to have a major impact on the market.

  • What concerns do investors have about the Bank of Japan holding a large amount of Japanese stocks?

    -Investors are worried that when the Bank of Japan decides to sell the stocks it acquired through ETFs, it could negatively impact the stock prices of companies like Fast Retailing (parent of UNIQLO) and semiconductor companies such as Advantest and Tokyo Electron, where the Bank of Japan holds significant shares.

  • Why are foreign institutional investors still buying large amounts of Japanese stocks despite the interest rate hike?

    -Foreign investors are optimistic about Japan’s future economic prospects, citing reasons like stable inflation, rising wages, and corporate governance improvements. Additionally, Japanese stocks are seen as relatively cheap compared to U.S. stocks.

  • How does Japan’s current Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio compare to the United States?

    -Japan's current P/E ratio is around 14 times, while the U.S. stock market has a P/E ratio of 20 times, indicating that Japanese stocks are cheaper in comparison.

  • What recent policy changes in Japan could drive further stock market growth?

    -The Japanese government has introduced policies to encourage domestic investors to buy stocks, which could create additional demand for the stock market.

  • How has Japan’s corporate governance improvement impacted stock valuations?

    -Japan’s improved corporate governance has gradually eliminated the discount that investors used to apply to Japanese stocks due to poor governance practices. As a result, stocks are returning closer to their true value, which has boosted valuations.

  • What are the broader economic implications of rising wages in Japan?

    -The recent wage increases in Japan, with an overall salary rise of 5.3%, are expected to boost consumer spending, which could stimulate the economy and contribute to GDP growth. This, in turn, is seen as a positive indicator for asset prices, including stocks and real estate.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Impact of Japan's Interest Rate Hike on Stocks and Yen

After 17 years, the Bank of Japan raised interest rates, ending negative interest rate policy and other loose monetary policies like yield curve control. This move was anticipated by investors and was a response to Japan achieving stable 2% inflation. Historically, interest rate hikes have had varied impacts on the stock market, with some sectors like steel and machinery performing well, while others like banks and retail underperformed. Despite the rate hike, the yen did not strengthen as expected but continued to fall due to the Bank of Japan's commitment to a loose monetary environment and strong U.S. economy. The video also introduces AhJu, a professional investor sharing market insights and investment strategies.

05:02

💹 Bank of Japan's Stock Holdings and Institutional Investor Trends

The Bank of Japan's decision to end its purchase of ETFs and trust funds raises concerns about the potential impact on the stock market. Despite holding a significant portion of the Japanese stock market, the bank is unlikely to sell its stocks abruptly to avoid market collapse. Institutional investors continue to buy Japanese stocks due to factors like Japan's transition to stable inflation, significant wage increases, government policies encouraging stock investment, and relatively lower stock valuations compared to the U.S. market. Corporate governance improvements are also attracting investors, leading to a potential revaluation of Japanese stocks. The video concludes with an invitation to join Patreon for more detailed analysis and information on the Bank of Japan's stock holdings.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Quantitative Easing

Quantitative easing is a monetary policy used by central banks to stimulate the economy by purchasing financial assets to increase the money supply and encourage lending and investment. In the video, it is mentioned that the Bank of Japan has been conducting quantitative easing for 17 years, which involved negative interest rates and buying ETFs and trust funds to support the market.

💡Interest Rate

An interest rate is the percentage at which interest is charged on borrowed money or paid on deposited money. The video discusses the Bank of Japan's decision to raise the interest rate from -0.1% to 0.1%, ending the negative interest rate policy that had been in place since 2016.

💡Yield Curve Control

Yield curve control is a monetary policy strategy where a central bank attempts to influence the shape of the yield curve by setting target interest rates for different maturities. The video mentions that the Bank of Japan has also cancelled this policy, which was part of their extremely loose monetary policies.

💡Exchange Rate

The exchange rate is the value of one country's currency expressed in terms of another country's currency. The video discusses how the yen's exchange rate against the US dollar has changed over the years, particularly noting the drop from 100 to 150, which affected travel and shopping costs in Japan.

💡Investment Banks

Investment banks are financial institutions that assist individuals, corporations, and governments in raising capital by underwriting or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities. The video's host, AhJu, is described as a professional investor with over a decade of experience working in investment banks.

💡ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds)

ETFs are investment funds and exchange-traded products that are traded on major exchanges much like stocks. The video discusses the Bank of Japan's decision to stop buying ETFs as part of their monetary policy changes.

💡Inflation

Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and subsequently, purchasing power is falling. The video mentions that the Bank of Japan has managed to return to a stable 2% inflation, which is a significant economic indicator.

💡Monetary Policy

Monetary policy refers to the actions of a central bank, such as the Bank of Japan, intended to influence a country's money supply and interest rates. The video discusses how the Bank of Japan's monetary policy changes, including ending negative interest rates and yield curve control, could impact the economy.

💡Corporate Governance

Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices, and processes by which a firm is directed and controlled. The video suggests that improvements in corporate governance in Japan are leading to a revaluation of Japanese stocks, as companies become more attractive to investors.

💡Shareholder Return

Shareholder return is the total profit an investor realizes from the ownership of a stock. The video discusses how improvements in corporate governance can lead to an increase in total shareholder return, making Japanese stocks more appealing.

💡P/E Ratio

The price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) is a valuation ratio of a company's current share price compared to its earnings per share. The video uses the P/E ratio to compare the valuation of the Japanese stock market to that of the US, suggesting that Japanese stocks are relatively cheaper.

Highlights

The Bank of Japan raised the interest rate for the first time since 2007, signaling the end of 17 years of quantitative easing.

Japan has finally achieved a stable 2% inflation, allowing for the shift away from negative interest rates.

Despite expectations, the yen continued to fall after the rate hike, due to the Bank of Japan's decision to maintain a loose monetary environment.

The interest rate hike in Japan is not necessarily leading to further increases in the yen’s value, especially with the ongoing strength of the U.S. economy.

Historically, the impact of interest rate hikes on the Japanese stock market has been mixed, with stock performances varying by sector.

The best performing sectors during past rate hikes were steel, machinery, and wholesale, while banks and retail sectors suffered.

The Bank of Japan has already ceased buying ETFs and JREITs, signaling the end of direct market support, yet Japanese stocks have continued to rise.

The Bank of Japan currently holds 7% of the Japanese stock market, worth over $450 billion USD, with significant unrealized profits.

One major concern for investors is how the Bank of Japan will sell its stock holdings without crashing the market.

Foreign institutional investors have poured 2 trillion yen into Japanese stocks within the first three months of the year, indicating strong confidence in the market.

Japan’s transition from deflation to stable inflation, coupled with a significant 5.3% wage increase, is seen as a positive driver for the economy.

Japanese stocks are relatively cheaper than U.S. stocks, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 14 times compared to 20 times for U.S. stocks.

The improvement in corporate governance in Japan is gradually removing the long-standing undervaluation of Japanese stocks.

Institutional investors continue to view Japanese stocks as undervalued, particularly due to reforms in corporate governance that enhance shareholder returns.

Japanese stocks still have room to grow, given that foreign investors' exposure to the market is not as high as it was in 2021.

Transcripts

play00:00

After 17 years of quantitative easing

play00:01

the Bank of Japan finally raised the interest rate

play00:05

Does this mean that

play00:06

Japanese stocks, which have risen so much

play00:07

in the past 2 years

play00:08

will fall back?

play00:09

What most Hong Kong people

play00:10

are even more worried about is

play00:11

whether the yen will rise

play00:13

So now while it’s cheap now

play00:14

buy in a little more yen first

play00:15

Today's video will answer these questions

play00:18

If you come to this channel for the first time

play00:19

AhJu is a professional investor who worked

play00:21

in investment banks for more than a decade

play00:23

In this channel I will share

play00:24

my views on the market and investment

play00:26

and use my experience to share

play00:27

something that can’t be learned from books

play00:29

If you are interested in making money

play00:30

Let’s subscribe to my channel

play00:35

Okay

play00:35

Firstly let’s talk about what happened

play00:37

Because the Bank of Japan

play00:39

has managed to return to a stable 2% inflation

play00:42

So last week on March 19

play00:44

they announced the end of the

play00:45

negative interest rate policy that had been taken

play00:48

for eight years since 2016

play00:49

Like You know that the whole world

play00:51

was doing quantitative easing before

play00:53

The US interest rate had not yet dropped to 0.25%

play00:56

but Japan was even stronger

play00:57

and reduce the interest rate to below 0

play00:58

to -0.1%

play01:00

That is finally over now

play01:01

and the interest rates was raised

play01:03

for the 1st time since 2007

play01:04

to 0.1%

play01:06

And other extremely loose monetary policies

play01:07

have also been cancelled

play01:09

Such as yield curve control

play01:10

And stop buying ETFs and trust funds

play01:12

to support the market

play01:14

What was the market's reaction to this news?

play01:17

Investors have actually been waiting for

play01:19

the Bank of Japan

play01:20

to end these policies for a long time

play01:21

It was expected to be done in January this year

play01:23

But there was an earthquake earlier this year

play01:25

which slowed down the economy

play01:26

So this rate-hiking cycle has been delayed

play01:29

And many people think that raised interest rates

play01:31

would make the trend of the yen become stronger

play01:34

Because in the previous three years

play01:35

the JAP-USA interest rate differential

play01:37

caused the yen to fall by half

play01:39

USD/JPY exchange rate went from 100 to 150

play01:42

Or to HKD, it fell from 7.6 to 5.2

play01:45

So travelling and shopping in Japan

play01:47

becomes much cheaper

play01:49

Now they finally increase the interest rate

play01:51

Many people predict that

play01:52

this means that the yen will finally rebound

play01:54

and increase in value

play01:55

But after this news came out

play01:57

the yen fell again

play01:59

From 149 now to 151

play02:01

That is 5.16 against HKD

play02:03

Back to last year's low

play02:06

Why does it continue to fall?

play02:07

Because the Bank of Japan has emphasized that

play02:09

it will maintain a loose environment

play02:11

and has not hinted at further interest rate hikes

play02:13

In addition, the U.S. economy is strong

play02:15

and inflation has begun to be higher than expected

play02:16

so the JAP-USA interest rate difference

play02:18

may not be necessarily narrowed so quickly

play02:20

Investors who do carry trades are then

play02:23

not in a hurry to convert back into Japanese yen

play02:25

Therefore, the Japanese yen not only did not rise

play02:28

but continued to fall

play02:29

And what impact does this policy change

play02:31

have on the stock market?

play02:33

If we look back at the past

play02:35

interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan

play02:36

what impact did it have on the stock market?

play02:38

The last time was July 2006

play02:41

The interest rate at that time rose from 0 to 0.25%

play02:44

One year after the interest rate hike

play02:45

the Japanese stock market rose by 20%

play02:47

And during this period of time

play02:49

The best performing sector

play02:50

was steel

play02:51

machinery

play02:51

and wholesale

play02:52

kind of similar to the current situation

play02:53

They increased by 50%

play02:55

Sectors with the worst performances

play02:56

were banks and retail

play02:58

which fell by several percentage points

play02:59

Although the Japanese yen

play03:01

raised interest rates during this period

play03:02

it also fell 3% against the US dollar

play03:05

The last rate-hiking cycle before this

play03:07

was in August 2000

play03:09

The yen fell even more that time

play03:11

From 110 to 125

play03:13

That is a 10% devaluation

play03:15

The Nikkei Index

play03:16

fell by 30% the following year

play03:18

The worst performing sector at the time was

play03:20

electronics and IT

play03:22

Instead

play03:23

energy and utilities rose

play03:26

If interest rates rise once

play03:28

and fall at the another time

play03:29

what does that mean?

play03:30

It means that interest rate

play03:31

is only one of the factors affecting the stock market

play03:34

not the only factor

play03:36

If it were that simple

play03:37

falling when interest rates increased

play03:38

rising when interest rate decreased

play03:39

then everyone would be comfortable

play03:41

The more important is to

play03:41

understand Japan’s economic prospects

play03:44

From this perspective

play03:45

institutional investors are still very optimistic

play03:47

Because in the past three months

play03:49

they have continued to buy lots of Japanese stocks

play03:51

I will talk more about this in a moment

play03:53

Let’s talk about this policy change first

play03:55

In addition to ending negative interest rates

play03:57

and raising interest rates

play03:58

the Bank of Japan will also

play03:59

stop buying Japanese ETFs and trust funds

play04:03

Many people are worried that

play04:04

if they do so

play04:06

will Japanese stocks fall back

play04:07

without their support?

play04:09

This answer is

play04:10

no

play04:11

Because in fact, since last year

play04:13

the Bank of Japan has basically

play04:14

stopped buying ETF to support the market

play04:18

They bought the most

play04:19

during the epidemic in 2020

play04:21

In fact, they only bought it three times last year

play04:24

And in terms of JREIT

play04:25

which is Japanese real estate investment trust

play04:28

They didn't buy any of it last year

play04:29

So actually this policy

play04:31

has already ended very early

play04:32

Now it is just a formal statement to stop it

play04:36

But the next problem is that

play04:37

it bought so many Japanese ETFs

play04:39

in the past few years

play04:40

and now holds so many stocks

play04:42

The market estimates that they now hold

play04:43

7% of the entire Japanese stock market

play04:47

worth more than $450 billion USD

play04:49

And the Japanese stocks have risen so much

play04:51

So there are 20 billion in unrealized profits

play04:55

The Bank of Japan

play04:56

is the only one among developed countries

play04:57

that not only buys bonds but also stocks

play05:01

during quantitative easing

play05:03

Now that quantitative easing is over

play05:05

and they hold so many Japanese stocks

play05:07

how would they handle it?

play05:09

It's not like holding bonds

play05:10

because bonds have mature dates

play05:12

So if you continue to hold it

play05:13

the quantity will naturally decrease

play05:15

But stocks are permanent

play05:17

And this time they took this extreme action

play05:19

to save the market

play05:21

The market is saved now

play05:22

But if they still want this tool

play05:24

for the next time to save the market

play05:26

they need to sell these stocks beck to the market

play05:29

But how to sell it?

play05:30

If they sell all of them at once

play05:32

the market will definitely crash

play05:33

In this way, all their hard work

play05:34

and efforts to save the economy will be wasted

play05:37

So the only option is to sell them slowly

play05:40

But selling slowly

play05:41

will still have a big impact on some stocks

play05:43

Because when they supported the market

play05:45

and bought ETFs

play05:46

these ETFs just bought a bunch of stocks

play05:48

Therefore, many of the largest shareholders

play05:50

of these companies

play05:51

are already the Japanese government

play05:53

Such as the parent company of UNIQLO

play05:55

Fast Retailing

play05:56

This is one of the largest companies in Japan

play05:58

with a market value of $100 billion USD

play06:00

20% of its shares

play06:02

are held by the Bank of Japan

play06:04

due to ETF purchases in previous years

play06:06

The market is very worried

play06:07

about this type of stocks now

play06:09

Because when the government

play06:10

wants to reduce its balance sheet

play06:13

and sell ETFs

play06:15

it will have the greatest impact on these stocks

play06:18

Other central banks

play06:19

hold stocks with higher proportion

play06:21

including semiconductor companies

play06:23

that have risen sharply recently

play06:24

Advantest

play06:25

and Tokyo Electron

play06:26

There are also several more

play06:27

the Bank of Japan holdings of more than 10%

play06:29

If you want to get the whole list

play06:31

come to my Patreon

play06:32

Let’s talk about the institutional investors

play06:34

Foreign institutional investors

play06:36

continue to buy lots of Japanese stocks

play06:38

They have bought 2 trillion yen worth of stocks

play06:41

in the first three months of this year

play06:43

A lot of money has flowed

play06:44

into the Japanese market last year

play06:46

But throughout the year

play06:47

there was only an inflow of 3.5 trillion

play06:49

So it is a very large amount

play06:51

that there has been an inflow of two trillion

play06:52

in just three months of this year

play06:55

Why do they keep buying?

play06:56

There are several reasons

play06:57

Firstly

play06:58

Japan's economy finally turned from deflation

play07:00

to stable inflation

play07:03

And in the results of labor wage negotiation

play07:05

that was released in mid-March

play07:07

The overall salary increase is as high as 5.3%

play07:10

This is the largest increase since 1991

play07:14

If people have more money to spend

play07:16

and buy more things

play07:17

a cycle will be created to stimulate the economy

play07:19

Therefore, economists are optimistic

play07:21

about Japan’s future GDP growth

play07:23

And this is usually good for asset prices

play07:26

Therefore, Japanese real estate

play07:27

and stocks continue to rise

play07:29

The second reason

play07:30

The Japanese government

play07:30

has introduced some policies

play07:31

to encourage Japanese people to invest in stocks

play07:34

which will create a new demand

play07:35

for the stock market

play07:37

The third reason

play07:37

The stock value is not that expensive

play07:39

especially compared with the United States

play07:40

The current P/E of the US stock market is 20 times

play07:43

which is the blue line

play07:44

How about Japanese stocks?

play07:45

The yellow line of 14 times

play07:46

If you look at the Price to Book ratio

play07:48

and Return on Equity

play07:50

A trend line lower than the diagonal

play07:51

is considered as cheap

play07:52

higher than it is considered as expensive

play07:54

You can see that US and Indian stocks

play07:56

are expensive on this chart

play07:57

And Japanese trend line is below it

play07:59

So it is cheap

play08:00

In terms of position

play08:02

According to Goldman Sachs

play08:04

Although foreign investors bought

play08:05

a lot of Japanese stocks over the past year

play08:08

a total of 5 trillion

play08:10

in terms of its position

play08:11

The exposure of Japanese stocks among the globe

play08:15

is not as high as in 2021

play08:17

So to some extent

play08:18

Some funds are still buying in

play08:20

And the forth reason

play08:22

It is the improvement of corporate governance

play08:24

leading to an increase in total shareholder return

play08:26

This is a big and important topic

play08:29

Japanese stocks

play08:30

have been undervalued for many years

play08:31

Because people don't like

play08:33

their way of corporate governance

play08:35

Now they are finally willing to change

play08:36

and this underestimation gradually disappears

play08:39

That is, if something is originally worth $1,000

play08:41

the investor will give it a discount

play08:42

Let say $800

play08:44

But because of improved corporate governance

play08:45

This discount from $800

play08:47

to $900

play08:48

and it finally back to the true value of $1,000

play08:51

This topic is very important

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If you want to know more about it

play08:54

you may watch my last YouTube video

play08:56

The link will be put in the description box

play08:57

and the end of this video

play08:59

This is the latest policy change of the Bank of Japan

play09:02

and the impacts on the market

play09:04

If you want to know what stocks

play09:06

the Bank of Japan holding

play09:07

which make investors worried the most

play09:09

and my regular view on the Japanese market

play09:11

with the Japanese stocks I pay attention to

play09:12

join my Patreon

play09:14

There is a 7 days free trial now

play09:16

That’s it for today’s video

play09:17

If you find these information useful

play09:19

please give a like to support this channel

play09:21

see you nex time

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الوسوم ذات الصلة
Japan economyinterest ratesstock marketyen valueinvesting tipsmonetary policyBank of Japanforeign investorsquantitative easingeconomic outlook
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