Well what do we all think now? I can take the usual market volatility, but earnings shortfalls and pre-announcements are something else. Here is a article from thestreet.com this morning. At least it talks about Softbank finding a bottom:)
Asian Markets Update: Japanese Tech Stocks Battered Again, but Hong Kong Rebounds
By Kaya Laterman
Japan Correspondent
4/6/00 5:12 AM ET
TOKYO -- The Great Tech Selloff in Japan continues.
Even though the Nasdaq Composite bounced higher overnight, fund managers continued to unload major Japanese technology stocks Thursday. There is talk in the market that many investors are pulling out of the Japanese tech-oriented mutual funds, triggering the demise of such shares as Softbank and Hikari Tsushin, traders said.
The key Nikkei 225 index fell 239.16 points, or 1.2%, to 20,223.611, while the Topix, which includes all shares listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section, declined 37.37, or 2.2%, to 1657.68. The Jasdaq small-cap index shed 2.38, or 2.5%, to 93.96, while the Nikkei over-the-counter index dropped 47.18, or 2.3%, to 1991.97.
Although major redemptions from technology funds have not officially been announced, traders speculated that fund managers were behind most of the damage to Softbank and Hikari Tsushin today. Although many experts believe Softbank looks to be nearing a bottom, Hikari shares could drop to around 25,000 yen, one trader from a large Japanese firm said. Softbank fell 3000, or 3.9%, to 73,500, while Hikari was ask-only at 53,800. (The TSE halts trades of shares where the bids and offers don't roughly match.)
Japanese companies may have to get used to the power of retail money, with billions of dollars worth of low-yielding post office savings account holdings coming due for reinvestment this year.
Sony (SNE:NYSE ADR - news - boards) slipped 300, or 6.8%, to 4100 and Canon (CANNY:Nasdaq ADR - news - boards) shed 300, or 6.8%, to 4100.
All was not gloom among tech stocks, though, as pension fund managers picked up electronics makers with an Internet angle. Hitachi (HIT:NYSE ADR - news - boards) rose 33, or 2.9%, to 1310, while NEC (NIPNY:Nasdaq ADR - news - boards) climbed 30, or 1.1%, to 2885.
Shares of telecom operators KDD and DDI jumped over 4% when Toyota Motor (TM:NYSE ADR - news - boards) said it would invest about 120 billion yen in the new company to be formed by the merger between KDD, DDI and privately held Ido.
The dollar eased slightly to around 104.83 yen.
Politics in Japan continued to take a back seat to what has been happening on Nasdaq. Japan's new prime minister Yoshiro Mori said he called U.S. President Bill Clinton and asked for an informal meeting as early as May. Although the takeover from former premier Keizo Obuchi hasn't made many equity investor nervous, traders are looking to parliamentary elections that must occur before mid-October for a stronger signal of which economic policies will be followed in the longer term. Snap elections may come as early as June.
Large institutional investors were reportedly taking a break in Hong Kong, where the Hang Seng index rose 172.95 points, or 1.1%, to 16,491.39. There was interest from day-traders in China Telecom (CHL:NYSE ADR - news - boards), up HK$2.50, or 4.2%, to 62.75. Cathay Pacific (CPCAY:Nasdaq ADR - news - boards) climbed 1.05, or 8.7%, to 13.10 as the firm continued to buy back shares between 11.90 and 20.00 today. Internet company Tom.com rose 45 cents, or 6%, to 8.00 after plunging 16.5% Wednesday.
With the Hang Seng inching toward its 50-day moving average of 16,800, traders noted that some profit-taking might happen Friday.
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