Another large contributor to performance for the quarter was Olympus (TSE:7733, Financial), a world leader in endoscopes and other medical equipment, which returned 22%. Its medical systems group designs and manufactures clinical analyzers and other imaging devices. Olympus also makes products such as binoculars, microscopes, measuring equipment, printers, barcode scanners and magneto-optical disk drives, as well as traditional cameras. The share price rallied early in the quarter after Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa indicated the central bank would pursue monetary easing, which stands to benefit export-oriented companies. Share prices also rallied after Olympus announced plans to cut interest-bearing debt by 100 billion yen during the next fiscal year, much more than the 70 billion target in the original plan.
From David Herro's Oakmark International Fund Q1 2013 commentary.
From David Herro's Oakmark International Fund Q1 2013 commentary.
