Simplex Asset Management takes some lessons from Tsukiji market

Tokyo

SIMPLEX Asset Management Co, an independent hedge fund and investment management firm in Japan, is taking some lessons from Tokyo's iconic wholesale fish market as it starts a fund to invest in companies looking to move their listings to the Topix index.

The new fund is betting that companies switching to the Topix will benefit from a broader base of investors and higher valuations, just like fishermen who bring their catch to the Tsukiji market can expect to command higher prices, Hiromasa Mizushima, chief executive and founding partner of Simplex, said. Simplex oversees 549.1 billion yen (S$6.9 billion) after more than doubling its assets in the past three years.