International giants plan to simplify

These two global leaders now plan to shrink their operations. That’s good news for investors, as stock markets tend to prefer—and reward—companies with easy-to-understand businesses rather than those with complex conglomerate structures. Even so, we prefer Unilever over Sony for your new buying.
UNILEVER PLC (ADR)… Read More

Japan will spur your gains

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND, $50.97, is a buy. The ETF (New York symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) aims to mirror the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International Japan Index.
The fund’s top holdings include Toyota, 5.6%; Sony Corp., 3.1%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 2.9%; Keyence (sensors),… Read More

Own Japan’s top stocks

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND, $61.49, is a buy. The ETF (New York symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) aims for the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan Index.
The fund’s top holdings include Toyota, 5.0%; Sony Corp., 3.3%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, 2.6%; Keyence (sensors),… Read More

Japan offers investors a bright future

The Japanese economy ranks third in the world and hosts some of the most-profitable global corporations.
The economy is, however, facing a declining and rapidly aging population. Still, an older population also presents opportunities, and Japanese companies are already coming up with innovative and technology-driven aids… Read More

Buy Japan’s leading stocks

ISHARES MSCI JAPAN INDEX FUND, $58.63, is a buy. The ETF (New York symbol EWJ; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) aims for the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Japan Index.

The fund’s top holdings include Toyota, 4.3%; Sony Corp., 3.5%; Keyence (sensors), 2.7%; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial,… Read More

Currency rates hurt Sony’s recovery

SONY GROUP CORP. ADRs $88 is a hold. The Japanese conglomerate (New York symbol SONY; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.3 billion; Market cap: $114.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 0.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.sony.com) reported 1.3% lower sales in its fiscal 2023… Read More