Mark Grammer
Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Grp
MTU-N
TOP PICK
Apr 25, 2006
The biggest bank in Japan has a result of a merger between Mitsubishi and UFJ Group. Have a strong corporate side from Mitsubishi and a strong retail side from UFJ. Loan losses are going down. Starting to write new loans. Interest margins are going up. Not expensive.
If you are looking at investment outside of Canada, one way to do it is through large companies. An investment in this company pretty much gives you an investment in the Japanese economy.
Strongest bank in Japan. Haven’t seen it yet, but interest margins should start to expand for Japanese banks. He expects there will be another interest rate rise soon in Japan.
(A Top Pick (A year ago?) Down 24%.) Japanese banks had a tough year in general. Expectations where that interest rates would go up much faster than they did. Likes Japanese banks longer term.
It has been a miserable ride for the Japanese banks for the last 18 months. The big issue is that the interest rate spreads in Japan are so low. It had been expected that interest rates in Japan would rise, but it looks like they won't go up for another 60 or 8 months.