"Will the 'Land of the Rising Sun' ever rise again?" asks Mike Burnick in Global Market Investor. "From a valuation perspective, Japan is a real bargain; in fact, half its stocks trade below book value." Here is his review.
"First, let's cover the bad news; Japan's economy is slowing right now, just like the U.S. and Europe. Consumer spending is slumping worse than in the U.S. In other words, the domestic economy looks dismal. But at the same time, Japan's exports are booming, businesses are flush with cash, and industrial production is running strong.
"The reason is that Japan is an economy in transition, for years they counted on exports to the U.S. and Europe, but today China is becoming its most important trading partner. Exports to China jumped nearly 14% in November, as overall exports expanded 10%. That's why a slowdown in the U.S. and Europe may not hurt Japan as much as some people think.
"What was already one of the world's cheapest markets just went into deep-discount territory last year. In fact, half the stocks listed in Tokyo now trade below book value. In other words, the share price is less than the stock's per share net worth – that's unheard of in developed markets.
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