Small companies are key to Japan

With valuations on the Japanese market so low and corporate earnings set to turn positive, Ed Merner, of Atlantis Investment, believes downside risk is limited to just 10% to 15%. The next 18 months will see the market rise unless corporate earnings surprise on the down side, he said. Merner, who speaks fluent Japanese, has been running money in Japan for almost 30 years. Based locally, he regularly conducts two to three company visits per day, which means he is able to pick out companies that managers 'looking at a Bloomberg screen in London will never find.' He runs the Atlantis Japa...