Overview
Baillie Gifford Japan aims to pursue long-term capital growth principally through investment in medium to smaller sized Japanese companies, which are believed to have above average prospects for growth.
The Company’s holdings are generally listed in Japan although the portfolio can also include companies listed elsewhere whose business is predominantly in Japan as well as unlisted companies. From time to time, fixed interest holdings, or non equity investments, may be held.
The portfolio is constructed through the identification of individual companies which offer long term growth potential, typically over a three to five year horizon. The portfolio is actively managed and does not seek to track the benchmark, hence a degree of volatility against the index is inevitable.
The website is found by clicking this link.
Fundamentals
Price
Research History
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12 Nov 2020 5 min read
QuotedData’s Economic Roundup – November 2020
Economic and Political Monthly Roundup Kindly sponsored by Allianz A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or […]
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09 Oct 2020 7 min read
QuotedData’s Investment Companies Roundup – October 2020
Investment Companies Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford and Aberdeen Standard Investments Table of contents New research Performance data Discounts and premiums Money in and out Major news stories Events Guide Appendix – Performance by sector full list New research Here is a list of research we published over September: Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust – […]
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06 Dec 2019 5 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – December 2019
Economic & Political Roundup Kindly sponsored by Polar Capital and Allianz A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you […]
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12 Nov 2019 1 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – November 2019
Economic & Political Roundup
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07 Oct 2019 5 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – October 2019
Investment Companies Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford New research Over September, we published notes on India Capital Growth, Jupiter Emerging & Frontier, International Biotechnology Trust, JPMorgan Russian Securities, Civitas Social Housing, Montanaro European Smaller Companies and JLEN Environmental Assets. We also launched a monthly real estate roundup, beginning with reviews of August and September. In […]
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04 Apr 2019 1 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – April 2019
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – April 2019 is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of March 2019. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. JPMorgan Indian, India Capital Growth, Aberdeen New India and Ashoka India Equity Investment […]
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18 Jan 2019 1 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – January 2019
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – January 2019 is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of December 2018. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. Extract from money raised and returned in December The only new issue […]
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19 Dec 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – December 2018
QuotedData’s economic roundup – December 2018 is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or sell any […]
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13 Nov 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – November 2018
QuotedData’s economic roundup – November 2018 is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or sell any […]
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07 Feb 2018 2 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – February 2018
QuotedData investment companies roundup – February 2018 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of January 2018. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. The oil price was up again over the month and this helped propel […]
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18 Jan 2018 1 min read
QuotedData – 2017 review of the year
QuotedData – 2017 review of the year – Many commentators, including us, were wary going into 2017. In the event, economic growth and markets surprised on the upside: US markets hit new highs despite three interest rate rises. Perceived low/no growth areas such as Europe and Japan burst into life. Asia’s technology stocks surged. India’s […]
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11 Dec 2017 2 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – December 2017
QuotedData investment companies roundup – December 2017 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of November 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. December Investment Companies Roundup Money raised and returned in November There were no […]
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10 Nov 2017 2 min read
QuotedData’s economic round up – November 2017
QuotedData’s economic round up – November 2017 – is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or […]
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1 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – November 2017
QuotedData investment companies roundup – November 2017 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of October 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. November Investment Companies Roundup Globalworth Real Estate’s discount was eliminated after it announced […]
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03 Aug 2017 1 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – August 2017
QuotedData investment companies roundup – August 2017 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of July 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. August Investment Companies Roundup Monthly NAV/Price moves: A couple of themes stand out […]
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12 Jul 2017 2 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – July 2017
QuotedData investment companies roundup – July 2017 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of June 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. July Investment Companies Roundup Money raised in July Newly launched in June were […]
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14 Jun 2017 1 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – June 2017
QuotedData investment companies roundup – June 2017 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of May 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. June Investment Companies Roundup Japan was one of the best places to be […]
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08 Nov 2016 1 min read
QuotedData’s round up of views on the global economy – November 2016
QuotedData’s collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from comments made by chairman and managers of investment companies. november-economic-and-political-roundup
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27 Oct 2016 1 min read
Quarterly investment companies roundup – Third quarter 2016
Q3 saw the market adapt to life post the UK’s EU referendum. Sterling continued to fall but most stock markets stabilised and discounts narrowed across most sectors. While the US election is dominating headlines, it does not seem to be having much impact on markets so far. q3-quarterly-roundup
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13 Oct 2016 1 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – October 2016
Our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of September 2016. october-investment-companies-roundup
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08 Apr 2015 1 min read
Is Japan on the road to recovery? – a look at the sector
A falling population, enormous government debt, low to no growth, persistent deflation; this is not most people’s idea of the recipe for attractive investment returns. While they disagree on the impact of government efforts to kick-start the economy, the investment managers of investment companies specialising in Japan believe many Japanese companies can thrive regardless. Japan
News
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04 Apr 2025 5 min read
The Great Wave (of returns) – Is now the time to invest in Japan?
The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a seminal piece of Japanese artwork. Created by Katsushika Hokusai in 1831, it depicts three ships struggling against the seas off the coast of Japan – and has been argued to be one of the most recognisable pieces of art ever made. In some ways it has also, until […]
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28 Mar 2025 3 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 28 March 2025 – BGFD, GMP, MVI
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 28 March 2025: Baillie Gifford Japan Trust (BGFD) has reported its unaudited interim results for the six months to 28 February 2025. During the period, the trust delivered a net asset value (NAV) total return of 1.5%, while the share price total return came in at 2.9%, both comfortably ahead of […]
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12 Dec 2024 2 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 12 December 2024, DGI9, BGFD, MTE, GSF, AIE, SMIF, NRR, RGL
In QuotedData’s morning briefing – 12 December 2024: Digital 9 Infrastructure (DGI9) says InfraRed Capital Partners’ appointment as AIFM has become effective today. Triple Point’s role as AIFM also terminated effective today. Baillie Gifford Japan (BGFD) passed its continuation vote at yesterday’s AGM, the voting was 85.4%:14.6% in favour of continuation, and about 55% of […]
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29 Oct 2024 2 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan convinced it can turn its fortunes around
Baillie Gifford Japan’s results for the 12 months ended 31 August 2024 show it lagging its benchmark TOPIX Index by 4.7 percentage points – the benchmark return was 14.7%, the NAV return was 10.0%, the share price return was even worse at 4.4%. The dividend is being maintained at 10p. 5,515,000 shares or around 6% […]
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25 Jul 2024 1 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 25 July 2024 – JEDT, SEIT, NSI, BGFD
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 25 July 2024: JPMorgan European Discovery (JEDT) has announced a timetable for the first of the tenders that were announced on 20 June. There will be a meeting on 2 September to approve the tender. Forms will need to be in by 3 September, the result of the tender will be […]
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10 Nov 2023 4 min read
QD view – Japan: more to play for?
The Japanese market has been the surprise success story of the past 12 months. The Topix has hit multi-decade highs, rising 21% since November last year, fuelled by corporate governance reform and economic revival[1]. Yet the spoils have not been equally shared, with small and mid-cap companies trailing the index heavyweights. Could there be more […]
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02 Nov 2023 3 min read
Woes pile up for Baillie Gifford Japan, better year for growth needed
Over the year to 31 August 2023, Baillie Gifford Japan’s NAV total return was -5.4%, well behind the 6.7% total return from the TOPIX index. The trust now lags its benchmark by a considerable margin over five years. A slight narrowing of the discount meant that the return to shareholders was -4.0%. This was helped […]
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23 Mar 2022 1 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 23 March 2022
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 23 March 2022: Baillie Gifford Japan (BGFD) has published its half year report for the six months to 28 February 2022. During the period under review, the trust’s NAV fell by 14.8% while its share price fell by 18.3%. This compares with just a 4.9% decrease from the TOPIX over the […]
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14 Oct 2021 3 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan celebrates 40th birthday in style
Baillie Gifford Japan celebrates 40th birthday in style – Over the year to 31 August 2021, The Baillie Gifford Japan Trust NAV total return was 20.9%, well-ahead of the benchmark (TOPIX) which returned 16.3%. The discount, which started the year at 2.7%, moved to a premium of 1.1% and shareholders got a return of 25.7%. […]
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24 Mar 2021 2 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 24 March 2021
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 24 March 2021 – BMO Private Equity (BPET) announced that the software company, Dotmatics, in which it has a holding, has entered an agreement for its sale to US-based company Insightful Science. The transaction is expected to complete early in Q2. The investment is led by Scotland based growth equity investor […]
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07 Oct 2020 2 min read
Softbank leads performance for Baillie Gifford Japan
Over the year to 31 August 2020, Baillie Gifford Japan’s (BGFD) NAV increased by 6.8% in total return terms, compared to a (0.1%) fall in the benchmark TOPIX index. BGFD’s shares rose by 3.7% over the year. Performance led by Softbank Approximately 33% of the portfolio is in internet-related businesses and a further 14% in automation […]
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02 Oct 2020 1 min read
QuotedData’s weekly news show 2 October 2020
QuotedData’s weekly news show 2 October 2020 Thank you to everyone that listened in today, whether you watched the Zoom live, on Facebook or on youtube. In this week’s show, James Carthew covered the week’s top stories: Jupiter UK Growth’s decision to give up Strategic Equity Capital’s new manager He then handed over to Andrew McHattie, who talked […]
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10 Jul 2020 2 min read
Not everything in Baillie Gifford’s garden is blooming
Not everything in Baillie Gifford’s garden is blooming – Baillie Gifford Japan has struggled to match its benchmark and its peers in recent years Amid the uncertainty that COVID-19 has created, investors have been looking to technology stocks and companies with strong defensible business models, reasoning that these can persevere even in a recession. That has […]
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09 Oct 2019 2 min read
Rare underperformance from Baillie Gifford Japan
Rare underperformance from Baillie Gifford Japan – over the year to 31 August 2019, The Baillie Gifford Japan Trust net asset value total return fell by 5.3% compared to the 0.5% fall in the benchmark TOPIX index total return (in sterling terms). In this period the company’s share price total return fell by 7.4%. Nevertheless, […]
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17 Dec 2018 1 min read
Fee cut for Baillie Gifford Japan
Fee cut for Baillie Gifford Japan – The board of The Baillie Gifford Japan Trust has announced that the annual management fee payable to its investment managers and secretaries, Baillie Gifford & Co Limited, will be reduced. With effect from 1 January 2019 the opening tier of 0.95% on the first GBP50m of net assets is […]
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02 Oct 2018 1 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan benefits from positive stock selection
Baillie Gifford Japan benefits from positive stock selection – the annual statement for Baillie Gifford Japan (BGFD) has been released. Performance The company’s net asset value returned 22.1% (total return in sterling terms). By comparison, the company’s benchmark, the TOPIX index rose by 7.8% on the same basis. This was after deducting borrowings at fair value. The share price […]
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02 Oct 2017 2 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan’s Sarah Whitley to retire
Baillie Gifford Japan’s Sarah Whitley to retire – Baillie Gifford Japan Trust has announced its results for the year ended 31 August 2017. At the same time, it says that Sarah Whitley, manager of the fund since 1991, is to retire on 30 April 2018. Baillie Gifford, with the full support of the Board and Sarah […]
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06 Oct 2016 1 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan beats benchmark again
Baillie Gifford Japan Trust PLC outperformed its benchmark index over the year to 31 August 2016 by 4 percentage points. Net asset value per share, after deducting borrowings at fair value, rose 25.7%, while the TOPIX index gained 21.5%. In this period the Company’s share price increased by 16.3%. Having traded at a premium for most […]
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01 Sep 2016 1 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan announces changes to management fee structure
Baillie Gifford Japan Trust, which has a tiered fee structure, has announced that, with effect from 1 September 2016, a third stepped tier has been introduced at £250m of net assets. Under the revised arrangements, the annual management fee payable to the Company’s Investment Managers and Secretaries, Baillie Gifford & Co Limited, will be as […]
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22 Mar 2016 1 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan reports flat NAV
In the six months to 29 February 2016, The Baillie Gifford Japan Trust’s net asset value per share (after deducting borrowings at fair value) increased by 0.1% compared to a 1.0% increase in the TOPIX total return (in sterling terms). In yen terms though the TOPIX was weak, falling around 15% whilst the yen gained […]
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28 Jan 2016 2 min read
F&C Managed Portfolio beats UK market
F&C Managed Portfolio Trust has published interim results for the six months ended 30 November 2015, announcing a net asset value total return of -5.1% for the Income shares and -2.4% for the Growth shares compared to the FTSE All-Share Index return of -6.4%. The key drivers of the performance of the Growth Portfolio were […]
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08 Oct 2015 1 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan chalks up another great year
The Baillie Gifford Japan Trust outperformed its benchmark index, TOPIX, over the year to 31 August 2015 by 7 percentage points. Net asset value per share, after deducting borrowings at fair value, rose 20.4%, while the benchmark index gained 13.4%. In this period the Company’s share price increased by 26.3%. The statement say the positive absolute and […]
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26 Mar 2015 1 min read
Baillie Gifford Japan hails improving corporate governance
Baillie Gifford Japan’s interim results, which cover the six months ended 28 February 2015, are pretty good. The net asset value total return was 20.5% over this period – 8.2% more than the return on the TOPIX. Stock selection was the major factor behind the outperformance. The statement highlights Baillie Giford Japan’s “active share” figure of 87%. […]
Upcoming Events
In The Press
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18 Dec 2023 1 min read
Investment trust insider on 2023
Investment trust insider on 2023 – James Carthew: Dramatic 2023 leaves sector radically different The rationalisation of the sector continues. There has been a flurry of announcements over the past couple of weeks: Abrdn Diversified Income and Growth (ADIG) announced a managed wind down; Triple Point Energy Transition (TENT) declared it will begin an orderly […]
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22 Jun 2023 1 min read
Baillie Gifford or JP Morgan: Which investment trust for Japan?
By Jean-Baptiste Andrieux, Reporter, Trustnet, 21 June 2023: Japan is back on investors’ radar after decades of being unloved, with the Nikkei 225 reaching a 33-year high this year. In addition, Japanese equities received Warren Buffett’s seal of approval when he visited Japan in April to announce that Berkshire Hathaway would increase its investment in […]
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17 May 2022 1 min read
Asian trusts succeeding despite China
James Carthew for Investment Week, 16 May 2022: Most Asian funds have had a tough time recently, dragged down by their Chinese exposure. Government intervention in a range of sectors unnerved investors, but now the country has embarked on a new phase of stringent lockdowns in a bid to maintain its zero-Covid policy. Funds dedicated […]
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19 Oct 2021 1 min read
Investment trust insider on Japan
Investment trust insider on Japan – Happy 40th birthday Baillie Gifford Japan! Baillie Gifford Japan (BGFD) is about to celebrate its 40th birthday, having been launched on 1 December 1981. It was something of a trailblazer in the sector. JPMorgan Japanese (JFJ) was incorporated earlier than BGFD, but it didn’t adopt a Japanese strategy until […]
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19 Jul 2021 2 min read
Is it time to invest in Japan?
The Olympic games with no fans might not give it a boost, but its ‘cheap’ companies could prove a runaway success By ROSIE MURRAY-WEST, FINANCIAL MAIL ON SUNDAY, PUBLISHED: 21:51, 17 July 2021 Japan will dominate headlines around the globe for the next three weeks as the Olympic Games kick off this Friday… WHY JAPAN STILL HAS A […]
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15 Oct 2018 1 min read
Mail Online : Baillie Gifford Japan Trust Trust
Mail Online : Baillie Gifford Japan Trust Trust : Investors reap a 135% return over five years, as Japan overcomes it perennial disappointment reputation By Jeff Prestridge for the Mail on Sunday Analysts at QuotedData are quoted in the following article: Investment trust Baillie Gifford Japan does not like change … Research analysts at QuotedData says key to the […]
