US Stock Markets Supported by the Internationalization of Easing and Firms

Published in Nihon Keizai Shinbun
(Japan) on 7 March 2013
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Ryo Christopher Kato. Edited by Kyrstie Lane.
The mirror of the U.S. economy, the Dow Jones Industrial, has hit its highest point in five years and five months. The U.S. is showing the world that it is recovering faster than any other industrialized nation from the “once-in-a-century” financial crisis.

Although the Federal Reserve’s monetary easing has helped greatly, it was the revitalization of the stock market that stimulated investments and consumption and opened up the path to recovery. This is also the case for the Japanese economy. For Japan, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe touts an escape from deflation, the new high reached by the U.S. stock market represents something big.

The Federal Reserve announced the third round of quantitative easing last September. Since then, Chairman Bernanke and the Board of Governors have repeatedly hinted at the importance of continuity and long-term relief. Due to the Federal Reserve’s consistent stance, there have been increased purchases of risky assets with high returns.

Signs of recovery and strengthening in the housing market, where a portion of the relief funds went, are a factor in the increasing optimism toward the U.S. economy.

It cannot be overlooked that U.S. firms have improved earning strength and attracted the money that flooded in with monetary easing.

After monetary easing, emerging economies such as China have expanded after bottoming out [in the crisis]. It was American firms that reacted to high growth in emerging countries, and actively promoted globalization.

In America, it is not rare for large firms to have foreign sales account for more than half of their total sales. By harnessing global economic growth, the top 500 American firms’ net profit grew by 6 percent between October and December of 2012. This is a big increase in momentum, after having crawled along between July and September of last year.

The Italian political situation became quite messy in Europe, and in the U.S. automatic budget cuts on annual expenditures came into effect. While it is unclear how politics will influence the economy, firms hold the key to sustaining the activity in the U.S. stock markets and increasing both investments and employment.

The next governor and vice-governor of the Bank of Japan have indicated their intention to strengthen quantitative easing. The use of relief funds to stabilize markets is growing internationally.

Japanese firms must change in order to reliably usher in a flow of funds to the stock market. They must not only cut costs, but also utilize the abundant capital at hand and expand revenue sources globally through investments, mergers and acquisition.


緩和と企業の国際化が支える米株式市場
2013/3/7 3:30
米国経済の鏡であるダウ工業株30種平均が5年5カ月ぶりに最高値を更新した。「100年に1度」とされたリーマン・ショックの痛手から、米国が先進国のなかで最も早く立ち直りつつあることを世界に示したともいえる。
 米連邦準備理事会(FRB)の金融緩和に支えられた面は強いものの、株式市場の活性化は投資や消費を刺激し、本格的な景気回復への道を開く。こうした構図は日本経済にも当てはまる。安倍晋三首相が脱デフレを掲げる日本にとって、米国株の高値更新が示唆するものは大きい。
FRBは昨年9月、量的緩和の第3弾に踏み切った。その後もバーナンキ議長らが、緩和の重要性と長期継続にくり返し言及してきた。FRBの一貫した姿勢によって、値下がりリスクがある半面で高い収益を期待できそうな資産を購入しようという雰囲気が、投資家の間で強まった。

 緩和資金の一部が向かった住宅市場には回復の兆しが強まり、米経済の先行きに強気の見方が増える一因となっている。
 見落とすわけにいかないのは、米国企業が収益力を高め、金融緩和であふれたお金を引きつけたという側面だ。
 金融危機の後も中国など新興国の景気は、底堅く拡大した。そうした新興国経済の高成長に対応し、グローバル化を積極的に進めたのは米国企業だった。
米国では、自国以外の国・地域の売上高が全体の半分以上を占める大企業が珍しくない。世界経済の成長をとりこむ形で、米主要500社の2012年10~12月期の純利益は6%増と、ほぼ横ばいだった昨年7~9月期から再び増勢に転じた。
 欧州ではイタリアの政局が混迷し、米国は歳出の強制削減が発動した。政治が経済に与える影響に不透明感が強いなか、米株式市場が活況を保って投資や雇用の拡大につながるかどうかのカギを握るのは、企業である。
 日銀の次期正副総裁候補は、量的緩和を強める意向を示した。緩和資金が市場を支える構図は世界的に一段と強まる。
あふれる資金を株式市場に確実に呼び込むには、日本企業が変わらなければならない。コスト削減策だけでなく、豊富な手元資金を生かし、収益源を世界に広げるためにM&A(合併・買収)などの投資にうって出るときだ。
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