Japan-Focused Funds Show Divergent Performance

Japanese stocks have had a wild couple of weeks since the

made a surprise announcement that it would boost bond buying in an effort to stimulate the economy. Funds with a Japan focus have not moved in the same direction over the past year.

The

invests in companies located in Japan, and its objective is long-term growth. It seeks to invest at least 80 percent of net assets in Japanese firms. There are no restrictions on the companies' market cap, nor on the industry and sector of investments. The fund has a one-year loss of 0.6 percent. Its expense ratio is 1.06 percent, and its assets total $309.6 million. Its Net Asset Value is $9.66. Top holdings include the Tokyo-listed shares of

, Honda Motor Co Ltd

,

and

.

A larger Japan-focused fund is the

, with total assets of $ 683.3 million. Its Net Asset Value is $16.07, and its expense ratio is 1.10 percent. This fund has a one-year gain of 1.95 percent. The fund's mandate is to invest at least 80 percent of its net assets in companies headquartered or doing business in Japan. Most of its investments fall into the mid- and large-cap categories, but it can invest in companies of all sizes. Top holdings include Tokyo-listed shares of

,

,

, Sysmex Corp., Daikin Industries Ltd. and

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. (ADR)

The fund management firm, Matthews, is the largest Asia-focused investment company in the U.S., with $28 billion in assets under management. In October, the Japan Fund of Nomura Partners Funds merged with the Matthews Japan Fund, and all its assets were transferred over, and shareholders in the Nomura Fund became Matthews Japan Fund shareholders.