Ace investor Warren Buffett-owned Berkshire Hathaway is mulling a return to the yen bond market to make investments in the country's businesses more attractive, a report said.
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The development comes just as the Japanese currency is declining against the dollar. The US company has mandated banks for a possible benchmark yen-denominated bond offering, a person aware of the matter told Bloomberg.
The deal could transpire soon and given the market condition this could be a good time. The yen touched a five-year low against the dollar this week, with experts expecting more losses as Japan's dovish monetary policy varies from that of its aggressive peers, including the US’ Federal Reserve.
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Berkshire Hathaway's cash stock reached a record high in early 2020 at $149.2 billion in the third quarter, the company announced in November.
Global rating agencies have rated Buffett’s firm higher than the Japanese government, and its yen bonds have offered local investors a unique opportunity.
Similar to other investors in today's low-yielding environment, Berkshire Hathaway too has struggled to find high-yielding assets. Back in 2019, it priced one of the biggest yen bond offerings ever by an overseas firm, and the following year, it shocked markets by announcing it had built up stakes of about 5 percent in Japan's largest trading companies.
A debt offering in 2022 would be the group's fourth foray into the yen bond market after selling 160 billion yen ($1.38 billion) of notes in a three share deal in April.
Also, Berkshire Hathaway's 5 percent stake in Apple, which it purchased for $36 billion in 2016, is now valued at a whopping $160 billion following the stock's recent boom.
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As of September 30, the firm possessed 887 million shares of Apple, which gives is it a 5.4 percent stake in the iPhone manufacturer.
Buffet has also lauded Apple and bragged about his ownership of the company on multiple events. He even referred to the holding as a family jewel in an interview in 2020 and called the consumer electronics giant as likely the best company he is aware of.
(Edited by : Kanishka Sarkar)