Masayoshi Son Makes Bold Moves in AI, SoftBank's Credit Risk Soars to Near Four-Year Peak
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Author:小编   

Masayoshi Son remains steadfast in his commitment to the AI sector, with SoftBank's 5-year credit default swap price surging to its highest level in almost four years. This positions SoftBank at the top of the list among major Japanese companies, amplifying market concerns about its credit risk. Reports indicate that SoftBank has already invested a staggering cumulative total of $64.6 billion in OpenAI and is engaged in discussions for further investment. Concurrently, SoftBank is actively venturing into data centers and robotics, and even has plans to spend tens of billions of dollars to acquire a U.S. security behemoth. To finance these ambitious projects, SoftBank has issued bonds with a coupon rate as high as 9.75%, a record high for the company. Consequently, its stock price has plummeted by more than half from its peak in June. Numerous analysts and asset management firms have expressed skepticism about SoftBank's aggressive and concentrated investment approach, with some even advising investors to short its stock. Although SoftBank's loan-to-value ratio remains within the prescribed limit, continuous large-scale investments are expected to escalate its financing requirements. Meanwhile, risks such as asset valuation volatility and challenges in liquidating unlisted assets persist. Furthermore, a trend of buying default insurance for AI-related companies is emerging on Wall Street. In recent years, the financing scale in the AI industry has witnessed a dramatic increase, with related companies generally burdened by high computing power costs and debts. The investment returns of the AI industry chain are heavily reliant on sustained market growth. If revenues fail to meet expectations, risks will cascade along the capital chain. Therefore, while the long-term development prospects of AI are promising, not all investors will be able to weather the storm until the benefits are realized.