Kokusai Chart Corporation (3956) Increases 1.2% on Aug 5

August 5, 2017 - By Stephen Andrade

Shares of Kokusai Chart Corporation (TYO:3956) last traded at 253JPY, representing a move of 1.2%, or 3JPY per share, on volume of 10,200 shares. After opening the trading day at 246JPY, shares of Kokusai Chart Corporation traded in a close range. Kokusai Chart Corporation currently has a total float of 6.00M shares and on average sees shares exchange hands each day. The stock now has a 52-week low of 199JPY and high of 363JPY.

TSE: Lifting Japan Since 1878

Japan is one of the best countries in the world. It is home to the best innovations and a compelling economy as well. Of course, such is the case because of the nation’s rich equity market.

How It Came to Be

The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) was established in 1878, being one of the first stock exchanges in Asia. When the World War II (WWII) broke out, the TSE has consolidated with five other stock exchanges in Japan in 1943, forming a broader TSE. Two years later, the TSE had to close amid the repercussions of the WWII. Nonetheless, in 1949, it was relaunched to build the Japanese economy from the ground up. Japan has never moved backwards since then.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun or Nikkei 225 or Nikkei Stock Average, which opened on September 7, 1950, is the benchmark index monitoring the 225 best-performing stocks on the TSE. Unlike most indices that are measured based on market capitalization, the Nikkei 225 is a price-weighted index. It tracks the most active stocks on the TSE using the base value of 176.21 and the base date of May 1949, the time when the TSE reopened.

The components of the Nikkei 225 are reviewed annually, particularly every September. Any changes made during the annual review are to reflect in the following month.

In the 1980s, the Nikkei 225 had its most glorious decade. As the government strived to recover in the post-war period, it had used monetary stimuli to drive the economy. Stock prices had tripled in the latter part of the decade. That time, the TSE had made up 60% of the total market capitalization in the world.

On December 29, 1989, the Nikkei 225 had recorded its all-time high of 38,957.44. Upon reaching its peak, however, the TSE had fallen roughly 33% come 1990.

The Nikkei 225 Futures was first introduced on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) in 1986; on the Osaka Securities Exchange (OSE) in 1988; and on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) in 1990.

Japanese Equity Market Today

When the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 broke out; the Japanese equity market is one of those that had taken a great hit. In October 2008, the Nikkei 225 had sunk below the 7,000 mark, down by about 80% from its all-time high. Kokusai Chart Corporation is a stock traded on the Japan stock exchange.

Nonetheless, the Nikkei 225 was still able to recover. Last year, it had reached a 20,000 mark after Japan was able to recoup from the 2011 earthquake.

Like the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) in the US, the Nikkei 225 is today’s commonly quoted index in Japan. Weighing 225 blue-chip companies, it is the leading indicators of the present state of the Japanese economy as well as near-term and long-term forecasts. Kokusai Chart Corporation has relatively good liquidity.

The Nikkei 225 is also one of the fastest indices in Asia, boasting with a speed of 15 seconds since January 2010.

Japan is already one of the world’s economy giants and it still continues to grow. This is why investors are making long-term investments in TSE stocks as they bet on the Japanese economy. Professional analysts might be interested how this will affect Kokusai Chart Corporation.

Kokusai Chart Corporation is primarily engaged in manufacturing and selling recording products. The company has market cap of $1.52 billion.