A third of Japan firms likely to miss H1 forecasts, Reuters poll shows
Some 36% of firms to fall short of own forecasts for April-Sept
Around 70% of firms see dollar/yen in 140-150 range in March
Japan firms unruffled by U.S. concerns over U.S. Steel deal
By Kiyoshi Takenaka
TOKYO, Oct 10 (Reuters) -More than a third of Japanese companies are likely to miss their earnings projections for the first half of the business year that commenced in April due to slow sales and increased costs, a Reuters survey showed on Thursday.
The survey, conducted by Nikkei Research from Sept. 25 to Oct. 4, found that 36% of the polled companies expected they would not meet their original six-month estimates to September, while 18% anticipated exceeding their initial predictions.
Some 45% said they were on track to hit their targets. The survey reached 506 companies, with 241 responding.
Most Japanese firms closed their books on Sept. 30 for the financial results of the first six months of their business year. Earnings announcements for April to September are expected to get into full swing toward the end of this month.
In the transportation equipment sector, primarily consisting of car-related companies, 50% estimated their half-year earnings would underperform forecasts, while 14% said they expected to exceed their own estimates.
In July, Nissan Motor 7201.T cut its annual operating profit forecast by 17% and lowered its retail sales forecast by some 50,000 units to 3.65 million vehicles, citing weaker-than-expected sales in the United States and China.
Bucking the trend was the transportation sector, in which 40% of respondents saw their half-year earnings beating their own estimates, versus 35% of the firms that would likely miss their initial forecasts.
Nippon Yusen 9101.T and other shippers in July raised their annual outlook after armed conflicts in the Middle East prompted shipping firms to reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and use the roundabout Cape of Good Hope route, tightening container ship supply and driving freight rates higher.
For the second half of the current business year, which started on Oct. 1, 58% of respondents anticipated meeting their initial earnings forecasts, while 34% predicted they would fall short of their original projections.
The survey also found that 70% of respondents expected the Japanese yen JPY= to trade between 140 and 150 yen per dollar by the end of the current business year on March 31, with 21% predicting a range of 130-140 yen.
On Oct. 2, while the survey was being conducted, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba surprised markets by saying the economy was not ready for further rate hikes, sending the yen to a six-week low of 147.25 yen to the dollar the next day.
Asked what should be done in response to excessive foreign exchange fluctuations, 45% suggested implementing monetary easing or tightening while 33% advocated for government market intervention.
"Besides a difference in interest rates among countries, weakness in the Japanese economy is causing weakness in the yen. We need policy steps that strengthen the Japanese economy," a manager at a chemical company wrote in the survey.
Regarding Nippon Steel's 5401.T $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel X.N, 46% of surveyed firms said the Biden administration's concern about potential national security risks had not altered their stance on U.S. investments.
The remaining 54% said they were not engaged in investments in the United States, with none stating that U.S. security concerns over the proposed deal had affected their investment strategies.
As for measures to cope with a growing number of cross-border acquisitions targeting Japanese companies, 44% were striving to boost corporate value, while 21% were not taking any specific steps and 32% did not see themselves as M&A targets, the survey found.
Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
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إخلاء المسؤولية: تتيح كيانات XM Group خدمة تنفيذية فقط والدخول إلى منصة تداولنا عبر الإنترنت، مما يسمح للشخص بمشاهدة و/أو استخدام المحتوى المتاح على موقع الويب أو عن طريقه، وهذا المحتوى لا يراد به التغيير أو التوسع عن ذلك. يخضع هذا الدخول والاستخدام دائماً لما يلي: (1) الشروط والأحكام؛ (2) تحذيرات المخاطر؛ (3) إخلاء المسؤولية الكامل. لذلك يُقدم هذا المحتوى على أنه ليس أكثر من معلومات عامة. تحديداً، يرجى الانتباه إلى أن المحتوى المتاح على منصة تداولنا عبر الإنترنت ليس طلباً أو عرضاً لدخول أي معاملات في الأسواق المالية. التداول في أي سوق مالي به مخاطرة عالية برأس مالك.
جميع المواد المنشورة على منصة تداولنا مخصصة للأغراض التعليمية/المعلوماتية فقط ولا تحتوي - ولا ينبغي اعتبار أنها تحتوي - على نصائح أو توصيات مالية أو ضريبية أو تجارية، أو سجلاً لأسعار تداولنا، أو عرضاً أو طلباً لأي معاملة في أي صكوك مالية أو عروض ترويجية مالية لا داعي لها.
أي محتوى تابع للغير بالإضافة إلى المحتوى الذي أعدته XM، مثل الآراء، والأخبار، والأبحاث، والتحليلات والأسعار وغيرها من المعلومات أو روابط مواقع تابعة للغير وواردة في هذا الموقع تُقدم لك "كما هي"، كتعليق عام على السوق ولا تعتبر نصيحة استثمارية. يجب ألا يُفسر أي محتوى على أنه بحث استثماري، وأن تلاحظ وتقبل أن المحتوى غير مُعدٍ وفقاً للمتطلبات القانونية المصممة لتعزيز استقلالية البحث الاستثماري، وبالتالي، فهو بمثابة تواصل تسويقي بموجب القوانين واللوائح ذات الصلة. فضلاً تأكد من أنك قد قرأت وفهمت الإخطار بالبحوث الاستثمارية غير المستقلة والتحذير من مخاطر المعلومات السابقة، والذي يمكنك الاطلاع عليه هنا.
