Investment Plans for Japan’s Insurers Will Likely Favor JGBs
- Yield approaching 2% seems a good level for insurers: SMTB
- Life insurers bought Japan bonds, sold foreign debt in FY23
Pedestrians walk past the Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg
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Japan’s life insurers are likely to buy more domestic sovereign bonds this year after the end of negative interest rates in the country.
The companies will lay out their investment plans for the new fiscal year starting this month. Global investors pay close attention to the plans of life insurers, which have combined assets of $2.6 trillion, as they often move markets. There is a particular focus on whether they will repatriate funds. The insurers are also expected to flag the continued sale of foreign debt that is hedged against the yen’s appreciation because of the associated costs for protection.