Baillie Gifford Japanese Income Growth Manager See Stands By Softbank

The company lost $6.2bn when WeWork filed for bankruptcy at the start of the month, in which SoftBank had invested in 2017. In 2021 it helped cut a deal to take WeWork public via a merger with a blank-check acquisition company.

Stock Spotlight: Toyota EV pivot may not be enough to catch Tesla

But See stood by SoftBank's leader: "We think that Son, unlike some press coverage would have it, is actually of one of the best capital allocators in Japan."

"He has actually made a lot of very good investments over the longer period," she argued, noting that unfortunately "a lot of the failures are very public and very highly visible".

See pointed to Alibaba and Arm, as well as bets within the Indian internet space, that had paid off, along with AI, a theme SoftBank is "very well positioned" to benefit form.

The firm is also "trading at a discount to the sum of its parts", she noted, and had bought back a "huge amount of shares" in recent years.

SoftBank is the sixth largest holding in the £492m income fund, comprising 3.3% of the portfolio.

Corporate reforms

See noted there had been "a bit of a Japan rally since the start of the year", as the country had been going through a period of corporate governance reform.

This has led to a lot of the "cheaper companies" growing far beyond the benchmark, which See attributed to the poor performance of the fund relative to the benchmark.

The fund has lost 9% over the last three years, while the TSE Topix index has offered 7% returns over the period, according to data from FE fundinfo. The average IA Japan has returned 4.5% during the same period.

Nippon Active Value nears £300m in assets following double merger

See pointed to the banking sector as an example of weaker stocks rallying, a "prime example" of low price to book ratio, stating they had rallied about 40% in the last six to eight months.

"We think that is a one off, now the landscape has improved, and that is priced in already," she explained.

Despite this, See argued the incoming reforms were set to lift the Japanese economy as a whole.

"The most important thing about the corporate governance change and why the regulator has tried to push for it is they believe value that can be unlocked by having a more independent board, challenging management, making decisions, having them allocate the capital more efficiently and having more focus on shareholder returns," she argued.

RECENT NEWS

Building Bridges: Strengthening Investor Confidence Through Enhanced Risk Data In Emerging Markets

In the dynamic landscape of emerging markets, investor confidence plays a pivotal role in driving economic growth and pr... Read more

Reading The Tea Leaves: Analyzing Market Responses To Speculation Of A Fed Interest Rate Increase

As speculation mounts regarding a potential interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve, investors are closely monit... Read more

Tesla's Stock Dilemma: Navigating Through Intensified Global Competition

Tesla, Inc., a bellwether in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, recently announced an ambitious plan to launch more aff... Read more

Evaluating Ukrenergos Standalone Debt Restructuring Versus National Efforts In Ukraine

As Ukraine navigates the complexities of post-war recovery, the debate surrounding the debt restructuring of its state g... Read more

Navigating The Shifting Sands: The Neutral Rate Of Interest In A Rapidly Evolving Economy

In the labyrinth of monetary policy tools, the neutral rate of interest stands out for its pivotal role in stabilizing e... Read more

Indias Stock Market Surge: A Sectoral Deep Dive And The Modi Effect

In the landscape of global finance, few markets have captivated investor interest quite like India's, particularly again... Read more