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  4. Taking the long view on Japanese growth

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Taking the long view on Japanese growth

The JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust offers investors capital growth opportunities from a market often overlooked by UK investors.

J.P. Morgan Investment Trust Team

Investors searching for opportunities in today’s uncertain world may well overlook Japan. Economic headlines about the country could be discouraging: 2019’s consumption tax hike and GDP fall, followed by coronavirus and its effects (such as postponement of the Tokyo Olympics), and recession. But look behind the headlines, beyond the Dow, and Japan is home to a number of best-in-sector companies with exciting futures. The JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust offers the opportunity to tap into their growth.

Backing winners

Of course, Japan is not immune to global uncertainty. It is by nature more cyclical than other developed markets and can therefore be commensurately more impacted, both positively and negatively by the slings and arrows of economic fortune. However, rather than trying to predict the direction of the Japanese market and the global economy, The JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust focuses on generating long-term capital growth from attractively valued investment themes and individual stocks. Tokyo-based portfolio manager Nicholas Weindling, explains: ‘The companies we have invested in have strong structural growth outlooks, competitive positions and balance sheets. We believe they will perform well in the long-term regardless of the performance of the wider global economy. Backing long-term winners means that the earnings of our companies are less volatile.

Unknown strengths

The trust’s focus on the long-term (and that it is unconstrained by sector and market cap) means it can avoid structurally weak sectors such as steel, banking and automotive. Low-growth, old economy stocks – household names such as Canon, Toyota and NEC – dominate these sectors, and Japanese ETFs. Instead, explains Weindling, companies on the trust’s portfolio ‘are becoming household names or are well-known but people don’t know they are Japanese’. These highly-investible companies could be hidden in plain sight. For example, most job-seekers who have used Indeed, the world’s number one online recruitment website, will be unaware that its parent company, Recruit, is a Japanese-owned business.

On balance

Investing in the growth of Japanese companies like Recruit has been made easier by Japan’s corporate governance ‘revolution’ (or at least, modernisation). While a few years ago it would have been hard to talk about dividend yield in relation to Japanese companies, changes to regulations around corporate governance have enabled companies to offer buybacks and dividends. In contrast to dividend suspensions in Western markets, they have generally continued to do so. This, explains Weidling, is thanks to the strength of Japan’s corporate balance sheets: in Japan, well over 50% of non-financial companies have net cash positions, versus 15% for the S&P 500 and over 22% for the MSCI Europe. This corporate strength makes the trust even more solid, and while income is not the trust’s priority - its focus first and foremost is on growth - it does continues to pay a dividend.

Compelling performance

Of course, although past performance is not a reliable indicator of current and future results and dividend payouts can’t be guaranteed, the trust’s performance is nevertheless eye-catching: it has delivered a 10-year annualised NAV and share price returns of 13.6% and 14.7% respectively, and it sells on a 10.2% discount to net asset value (NAV). This performance has earned the Trust a five-star Morningstar rating. However, Weindling admits: ‘When the economy picks up very rapidly it can be a bit more of a struggle for our relative performance but in the long-term we have been investing in very good stock. I’m not saying we will always will, but I hope we will continue to out-perform.

Quality assurance

Past performance and economic outlook aside, investors should, like Weindling and his team, focus on the growth potential offered by the trust’s portfolio of best-in-class performers and future star names in a market that is often overlooked by UK investors. Weindling assures investors that, in uncertain times, they should take comfort in the quality of the companies that his team invests in. The qualities of the JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust should make it an attractive option for the investor looking for long-term growth.

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This document is a general communication being provided for informational purposes only. It is educational in nature and not designed to be taken as advice or a recommendation for any specific investment product, strategy, plan feature or other purpose in any jurisdiction, nor is it a commitment from J.P. Morgan Asset Management or any of its subsidiaries to participate in any of the transactions mentioned herein. Any examples used are generic, hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. This material does not contain sufficient information to support an investment decision and it should not be relied upon by you in evaluating the merits of investing in any securities or products. In addition, users should make an independent assessment of the legal, regulatory, tax, credit, and accounting implications and determine, together with their own professional advisers, if any investment mentioned herein is believed to be suitable to their personal goals. Investors should ensure that they obtain all available relevant information before making any investment. Any forecasts, figures, opinions or investment techniques and strategies set out are for information purposes only, based on certain assumptions and current market conditions and are subject to change without prior notice. All information presented herein is considered to be accurate at the time of production, but no warranty of accuracy is given and no liability in respect of any error or omission is accepted. It should be noted that investment involves risks, the value of investments and the income from them may fluctuate in accordance with market conditions and taxation agreements and investors may not get back the full amount invested. Both past performance and yields are not a reliable indicator of current and future results.
 

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