Person pointing at a screen showing graphs
News

Market Review for June 2021

Date: 1st July 2021

TOPIX ended up on the previous month-end. The Japanese equity market was driven by the US equity market throughout the month. At the beginning of the month, the market rose on the good progress of the vaccination program in Japan. The market plunged after an earlier than expected tapering was hinted at by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) followed by a sharp fall in the US equity market. However, the market gradually offset the fall as US interest rate stopped rising towards the month-end.

Asakusa
Press Release

Sakigake High Alpha - Japan Thematic Growth Fund Marks Three Years of Outperformance

Date: 24th June 2021

This month marks the three years anniversary of its Sakigake High Alpha Japan Thematic Growth fund, which launched in June 2018 and has over USD 42million assets under management (AUM)**. Since its inception, the fund has outperformed its TOPIX benchmark index by +10.44% on a cumulative basis, returning 29.72% against the TOPIX’s 19.28%***.
Photo of people in an office
News

Japan's Governance Code Revision

Naoya Oshikubo, Senior Economist

Date: 21st June 2021

In June, a revised Corporate Governance Code was released. The Code was revised taking the reform of the Japanese stock market into consideration. It will go into effect in April next year, with the top-tier listings going into the Prime Market corresponding to the current First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange(TSE).
Person pointing at a screen showing graphs
Insights

Japan's Economy and Vaccination Rollout Progresses

Takayuki Toji, Economist

Date: 8th June 2021

Japan's real GDP growth rate was -3.9% on an annualised quarter on quarter (QoQ) basis in the January-March 2021, the first negative growth in three quarters, mainly due to a fall in personal consumption. However, if the vaccination rollout progresses, the Japanese economy is expected to recover due to a pick-up in personal consumption, etc.
Photo of koi carp in a pond
Press Release

SMT ETF Carbon Efficient Index Japan Equity Listing (TSE stock code: 2642)

Date: 4th June 2021

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President: Yoshio Hishida; hereinafter "SuMi TRUST") is pleased to announce the SMT ETF Carbon Efficient Index Japan Equity (TSE stock code: 2642) (hereinafter, “the ETF”) will be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on June 23, 2021.

People having a meeting in an office
News

Market Review for May 2021

Date: 1st June 2021

TOPIX ended up on the previous month-end. The market was supported by a pause in the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Japan and expectations for the progress of vaccination program whilst the market was temporarily impacted by a plunge of US IT stocks following a hike in US treasury rate in mid-month. The state of emergency in Japan which was extended by another month to mid-June but it did not affect the market.

Origami Planes
News

Vaccination and the Japanese Economy

Naoya Oshikubo, Senior Economist

Date: 18th May 2021

Japan has seen the biggest delay in the roll out of vaccines among the major nations of the world. The government is currently taking various measures to accelerate vaccinations due to a sense of crisis, and it is expected that the vaccine will spread to the general public by the latter half of the year.
Person pointing at a screen showing graphs
News

Market Review for April 2021

Date: 4th May 2021

TOPIX ended down on the previous month-end. The third announcement of the state of emergency in Japan due to resurgence of COVID-19 cases weighed the market. The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Japan has been slow compared with other developed countries due to supply shortage and delays, which depressed the market.