SoftBank Group Corp ($SFTBY@Japan) fell on Monday with a quarterly loss caused by a $10 billion hit from its Vision Fund division. The hit comes after a massive decline in share prices caused by China’s crackdown on tech firms. Even as the losses mounted, the Japanese tech conglomerate said that it believes its stock is actually undervalued. To that end, the company will spend around $9 billion buying back around 15% of its shares. CEO Masayoshi Son said that SoftBank is like a goose laying “golden eggs,” and he compared Monday’s results to the headwinds that will ultimately lift the business. He said, “we are in the middle of a blizzard,” adding that he wasn’t proud of Vision Fund’s performance, but the leadership team was taking steps to improve their earnings in the near future. The company also lost money on its Alibaba ($BABA@China) holdings, which fell about a third in the 2nd quarter. It also paid $12 billion for Chinese ride-hailer Didi ($DIDI@China) when many experts believe the company was only valued at around $7.5 billion. Additionally, SoftBank also took a hit on Coupang ($CPNG@S.Korea) as the online retailer lost around a third of its value. SoftBank has been successful in the past using similar investment models, but Kirk Boodry of Redex Research said, “the strategy of ‘let’s create the perception of enhanced value by taking things public’ hasn’t really worked this year.”
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