Goldman sees foreigners returning to Japan stocks

Bloomberg

Now could be the time for foreign investors to return to Japanese equities, according to Goldman Sachs. Corporate governance reforms, a recovery in domestic demand and the strong performance of local stocks in US dollar terms are all potential catalysts that may lure foreigners back after they sold net 1.1 trillion yen ($10 billion) of Japanese equities last quarter, strategists including Kathy Matsui wrote in a report on foreign investor positioning in the market.
The Topix index lagged other major markets in the first quarter, falling 0.4 percent. In dollar terms, however, it climbed 4.4 percent, not far off the S&P 500’s quarterly gain. The correlation between Japanese equities and foreign fund flows is decreasing because domestic flows are playing a greater role, the strategists said. Foreign equity funds have changed their sector allocation considerably since the end of last year, the report said, as enthusiasm wanes over Donald Trump’s ability to deliver on reforms. “We see the rollback of reflation and Trump trades reflected in foreign investors’ positioning,” it said.
Weightings are substantially lower in export-related industries such as automobiles and transportation equipment, as well as the financial sector, and higher in areas driven by domestic demand, including food, retail and pharmaceuticals, it said.
The recent selling was triggered by the appreciation of the yen – it has risen 5 percent against the dollar this year – and concerns about political risk for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the report said.