Hirofumi Takeuchi

Oct 2, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Hirofumi Takeuchi

NEW YORK -- Private credit continues to enjoy "golden" moment after the recent interest rate cut in the U.S., Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman told Nikkei in an interview, anticipating strong borrowing demand in the corporate sector. Schwarzman expects the September rate cut by the Federal Reserve to improve the merger and acquisition cycle, spurring greater borrowing by corporations. "The lower interest rates become, the more activity there will be," he said.

May 24, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Hirofumi Takeuchi |Saki Akita |Yoshikazu Imahori

NEW YORK/TOKYO -- As the U.S. prepares to shorten its settlement cycle for equity and corporate bond trades from Tuesday, foreign investors are bracing for potential difficulty in securing dollars before the deadline that could result in failed trades. In the U.S., it typically takes two business days after a securities transaction before the securities and payments are officially transferred to the parties' respective accounts -- a system known as T+2.

May 5, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Hirofumi Takeuchi

OMAHA, Nebraska -- Berkshire Hathaway's cash holdings are at record levels and rising, reflecting the difficulty of finding the kind of value investments that have defined billionaire Warren Buffett's conglomerate. "We only swing at pitches we like," Buffett told shareholders at Berkshire's annual general meeting here Saturday.

May 4, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Hirofumi Takeuchi |Momoe Ban

OMAHA, Nebraska -- Warren Buffett had "overwhelmingly compelling" reasons for his investment firm Berkshire Hathaway to buy shares in Japanese trading houses, the legendary investor told shareholders on Saturday. Speaking at Berkshire Hathaway's annual general meeting in Omaha, Buffett noted that U.S. companies are still the main investment targets, but he talked about investment in five major Japanese trading houses since 2019 as an exception.

May 4, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Hirofumi Takeuchi

OMAHA, Nebraska -- The investment firm led by Warren Buffett has sold about 13% of its stake in Apple during the January-March quarter, according to Berkshire Hathaway's first-quarter earnings report released Saturday. Apple accounts for about 40% of Berkshire's equity portfolio. The unloading of Apple shares for the second quarter in a row may be a sign that Buffett has changed his views regarding the U.S. tech giant, which he has spoken highly of.