TOKYO: Toshiba Corp’s impending multi-billion-dollar writedown has triggered one of the worst-ever share declines for a major Japanese company, with ratings downgrades and investor pessimism erasing almost all of its 87% rally this year.
Shares in the electronics and industrial conglomerate fell 17% to 259 yen at the close yesterday. Toshiba said it might write down billions of dollars of an acquisition made by US unit Westinghouse Electric, fuelling a share decline this week that has wiped out about 800 billion yen (US$6.8bil) in market value. Moody’s Investors Service, Rating and Investment Information Inc (R&I) and S&P Global Ratings all responded by cutting Toshiba’s credit ratings.