鉴于日本央行今年货币政策的转变，这笔交易是对投资者对日元债券需求的一次关键考验。外界普遍预计日本央行在10月31日下次政策会议上将维持利率不变，一些经济学家推迟了年底加息的预测，新首相石破茂上周表示当前不宜采取这一行动。Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway issued 2,81.8 billion yen (approximately $1.89 billion) multi-term bonds on Thursday. The deal sparked speculation that the legendary investor would increase their exposure to Japanese assets.
Berkshire will price a seven-part bond with a term ranging from 3 to 30 years. This is the largest yen-denominated bond issued by the company since 2019.
The billionaire's financing activities in Japan have attracted close attention from stock investors because Buffett used yen funds raised in the bond market to buy Japanese company shares. His increase in shares of five major trading companies drove the Nikkei 225 Index to record highs earlier this year. If Berkshire's investment options expand to other stocks, such as investing in banks, insurance companies, and shipping companies, as some analysts speculate, it may drive the Japanese stock market to rise further.
Given the Bank of Japan's monetary policy changes this year, the deal is a critical test of investors' demand for yen bonds. Outsiders generally expect that the Bank of Japan will keep interest rates unchanged at the next policy meeting on October 31. Some economists have postponed their predictions for interest rate hikes at the end of the year. The new Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiwari, said last week that it is inappropriate to take this action now.
