It's been a devastating seven days for Japan, not least for those directly affected by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, who have had to contend with the country's "worst crisis since the second world war," in the words of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Meanwhile, away from the immediate devastation, investment industry participants have spent the past week struggling to assess and quantify the impact of such a disaster on Japan's economy and global stock markets. Morningstar's own experts, as well as numerous fund managers from around the globe, below give their own views as events continue to unfold. Click on a headline to read the article or watch the video.
Morningstar Views
Weighing the Industry Impact of the Japan Disaster Morningstar's Adam Fleck highlights the possible business impact on the utilities, energy, auto, and construction sectors.
Earthquake Likely to Impact Energy Sector Most The events in Japan will shape the fortunes of energy stocks, from incumbent nuclear players to coal producers, says Morningstar’s Paul Larson.
Managing a Portfolio Through Market Shocks Morningstar's Jeremy Glaser and Christine Benz offer investors some guidelines for assessing fundamental valuations and asset allocations during times of turmoil.
No Need to Panic-Sell Japan Equity CEFs Japanese equity closed-end funds appear to be weathering the Japanese storm as well as can be expected, for now.
What Happens to ETFs in Times of Crisis? What should investors keep in mind about country-specific ETFs when turmoil or disaster strike.
Hidden Dangers Fears of a nuclear crisis in Japan have startled equity markets, but basing investment decisions on knee-jerk reactions is often the best way to lose a lot of money.
Fund Manager Views
Managers Say Japanese Sell-Off is Overdone Numerous fund managers this week commented on the short-term investment impact of the disaster in Japan.
McLennan: Intrinsic Value Still Intact in Japan It's uncertainty, rather than readily-identifiable losses in existing intrinsic value, that's weighing on Japan stock prices at the moment, says First Eagle’s Matthew McLennan.
Ketterer: Nervous Markets Apt to Oversell on Japan News Causeway International Value manager Sarah Ketterer comments on the Japan disaster's economic impact, the reconstruction to come, and the market's reaction so far.
De Vaulx: Cautiously Buying Japan IVA Worldwide manager de Vaulx has been adding to existing holdings amid the sell-off to maintain the fund’s pre-crisis weighting to Japanese names, but has been exercising restraint in the region.
Herro: Hard to Believe Japan Selloff Is Real Value Lost In crisis situations, investors often sell first and ask questions later, says Oakmark manager David Herro.
El-Erian: Japan Will Recover Japan's immediate focus is on the enormous human suffering, and rightly so, but attention also turns to damage to the economy and its reconstruction and rehabilitation plans.
