The nation's biggest trading companies, stalwarts of the economy, expect to book combined writedowns of at least ¥970 billion ($8.6 billion) as ill-timed investments in commodities ranging from shale gas to copper mines erode profitability.
The writedowns for the year ending March underscore the predicament the sogo shosha (general trading houses) find themselves in after investing heavily in metals and energy at the height of the commodities boom, only to see prices tumble.
The Bloomberg Commodity Index, a measure of returns from 22 raw materials, has dropped about 40 percent in the last two years, and earlier this year touched the lowest level since 1991. Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co. are expecting their first net losses since they were founded in their current form more than 60 years ago.