No. of Recommendations: 11
Here is what he has to say about the Japanese trading companies, as reported by Yahoo:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/charlie-munger-rave...""If you're as smart as Warren Buffett, maybe two, three times a century, you get an idea like that," Munger said on the podcast. He cited Japan's low interest rate environment as a key factor, saying, "The interest rates in Japan were 0.5% a year for 10 years, and these trading companies were really entrenched old companies."
Berkshire Hathaway's strategy involved borrowing money in Japan at a mere 0.5% interest and investing in companies there that offered a 5% dividend yield.
"It was like having God just opening a chest and just pouring money into it," Munger said.
Initially, Berkshire Hathaway declared a $6 billion investment across five Japanese trading houses ' Itochu International Inc., Marubeni Corp., Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and Sumitomo Corp. Group ' in August 2020. That investment has grown substantially and is now valued at approximately $17 billion, thanks in part to both additional share purchases and soaring stock prices of the companies involved.
Munger provided more detail on the mechanics of the investment, indicating it wasn't an overnight success but rather a result of patient, incremental actions.
"The only way you could get it was to be very patient and just pick away at little pieces at a time. It took forever to get $10 billion invested, but it was awfully easy money," Munger said.
In contrast, U.S. interest rates have escalated to over 5% since last spring, adding another layer of context to the wisdom of this Japanese trade.
"We could do that, nobody else could," said Munger, highlighting that Berkshire's strong credit rating gave them access to such favorable borrowing terms in Japan."
