Japanese investors looking abroad turn to French govt bonds

London

THE Bank of Japan's (BOJ) latest money printing is adding fresh sparkle to Japanese investors' romance with French government bonds as they look abroad for alternatives to the diminishing returns on domestic debt.

"Mrs Watanabe" - the moniker used in financial markets to refer to Japanese retail investors - and the country's conservative pension funds have long been enamoured of French bonds, defying conventional wisdom even at the height of the eurozone debt crisis in 2011 and 2012.