In an environment where no region presents an obvious opportunity from a valuation perspective in 2019, Japan offers investors the best chance to at least get access to a major market at something of a discount.
Maintaining overweight position to the region
Japanese stocks have more than doubled their returns since December 2012, on the back of Abenomics, but many investors are still not convinced of the sustainability of the rally.
The Japanese stockmarket offers opportunities for investing in growth companies that are benefiting from structural changes in business or consumption patterns, or from demographic patterns such as the ageing, declining population.
The Japanese equity market will resume its ascent, buoyed by favourable political conditions, strong and evolving corporate reforms and continued monetary easing by the Bank of Japan (BoJ).
Shinzo Abe's landslide victory in last year's presidential election leaves him in an unprecedented position of power and likely to become the longest-serving Japanese premier ever.
How important are shareholders to a business? Normally, very important.