Discussion Forum

October stock prices rose toward the end of the month against the backdrop of a weak yen and strong U.S. stock market after the general election, after a decline due to concerns about the ruling party’s expected difficulties.

The CG Top 20 stock market outperformed both TOPIX and JPX400 for the sixth consecutive month in October.

October stock market began the month with a buy-back lead by higher U.S. stock market after a sharp decline at the end of the previous month. Thereafter, investors became more risk averse due to the view that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) would struggle in the general election. After the general election, the market rebounded and closed higher on the back of a relaxed sentiment, a weaker yen, and higher U.S. stock prices.

One year has passed since TSE requested companies to “manage their companies with an awareness of the cost of capital and stock price” (so-called “P/B raise”). As of the end of March, more than half (885) of the prime market listed companies had disclosed their measures, and more companies are expected to do so once the companies whose fiscal year ends in March begin to disclose their measures. In recent disclosures, some companies have broken down their ROE and indicated target values when referring to the cost of capital, partly as a result of TSE’s publication of good practices in disclosure materials.

In August 2024, The Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants asked Mr. Nicholas Benes, Representative Director of The Board Director Training Institute of Japan (BDTI), about what role certified public accountants should play as an inside director, outside director, or outside statutory auditor (kansayaku), and the skills and mindset required for certified public accountants to perform that role. He spoke based on overseas examples as well as his experience in Japan.

I have discussed several times in my previous articles the widening gap between companies with large and small market capitalizations in terms of profitability and corporate governance initiatives. In this article, I would like to examine this issue. In my previous articles, “Increasing Profitability to Gain Support from Overseas Investors Is a Condition for Higher Valuation” and “Why Are Companies with High Corporate Governance Practices Ratings More Profitable?”, I stated that companies with high foreign ownership tend to have larger market capitalization and higher profitability. In addition, these companies also tend to have superior corporate governance practices. This is due to the fact that the companies have improved their profitability and corporate governance practices through years of engagement with overseas investors. Overseas investors have been calling for the need to improve the board of directors and the effective use of cash flow and cash on hand, including cash allocation, in order to increase corporate value. Based on our analysis to date, it appears that management is aware of the 30% foreign shareholding level as a threshold. Once this level is reached, there is a marked tendency to be forced to incorporate the opinions of overseas investors. It is expected that the engagement of overseas investors as a driver will further enhance the profitability and corporate governance of their portfolio companies (which tend to have large market capitalization). Thus, it can be inferred that the gap between companies with large market capitalization and those without will widen more and more.