Simple Q&A - Stock market investing

[Hárbarðr]

Simple Q.

Anyway to be able to get access to new US IPOs here in Japan? Or are we just left in the dark?
Rakuten doesn't seem to have very good option with that. SBI didn't really answer my question when I asked them today. They said to check back and see if they are listed.

[JimNasium]

Is it me, or is the color they use for +/- reversed in Japan? Aren’t most countries green for + and red for -?

[eyeswideshut]

Is it me, or is the color they use for +/- reversed in Japan? Aren’t most countries green for + and red for -?

It is reversed! I check my portfolio and see a sea of green and feel happy and then I look at the numbers and feel sad. I've always wondered why this is but it is similar to the circle when correct and check/slash when wrong on paper tests here. I think they do it just to mess with us.

[TokyoWart]

Is it me, or is the color they use for +/- reversed in Japan? Aren’t most countries green for + and red for -?

Both China and Japan use red for rising stock prices and green for falling prices. I think this is because red is an auspicious color and green is the sharpest contrast to it (unless you are colorblind).

[Moneymatters]

Is it me, or is the color they use for +/- reversed in Japan? Aren’t most countries green for + and red for -?

Both China and Japan use red for rising stock prices and green for falling prices. I think this is because red is an auspicious color and green is the sharpest contrast to it (unless you are colorblind).

I can get behind that reasoning.

Although it's interesting that 赤字 is used to describe financial loss. (Casually at least.).

A quick google reveals the origin of 赤字 to be more about unbalanced family finances. Something about how it was captured in a ledger.

https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%B5%A4%E5%AD%97-186590

Which if, like me, you have two Teenagers that need more electronics than NASA and more private tuition than a Royal heir, you might know something about.

[TokyoWart]

Although it's interesting that 赤字 is used to describe financial loss. (Casually at least.).

In accounting entries were made in red ink if they were negative and in blank ink if they were positive back when ledgers were kept on paper. My understanding is that this accounting history is basically European so I don't think it's related to the Chinese associations of red in any way. It's that accounting convention that is behind expressions like "going into the red" or "black Friday".

[adamu]

The best one is Rakuten Card's statement. There is a field that goes Red(unconfirmed) -> Blue(Half? Confirmed) -> Green(Confirmed).
But if you look at the code of the page, the colours are named: Blue -> Orange -> Red.

[Viralriver]

3 questions:

1) Looking at my 保有商品一覧 page on Rakuten, I am currently -274.68 (評価損益額合計［USドル］). However, the box underneath it (円換算評価損益額合計) says 10,826 円 (positive unrealised gains). I feel like I might have asked something similar previously, and was told that the currency exchange messes that second number up, but no matter what the currency exchange is, how can a negative dollar amount equate to a positive JPY amount? Am I misunderstanding the meaning of these fields?

2) I know crypto is seen as a non-investment, so gains count as income tax, but what about general stock/mutual fund trading? I recently sold off some shares for a +150k JPY profit. Should I be keeping enough of this back for income and hence residence tax, or just the 20% for capital gains?

3)

Can someone help me understand the numbers I have circled here. For brevity:
買付可能額 = 279,517 JPY
預り金 = 293,168 JPY
外貨預り金合計 = 381,646 JPY
米国株式買付可能額 = 3,496.85 USD
出金可能額 = 279,517 JPY

My understanding: I have money held in my account both in USD and JPY (USD is from selling some shares and not converting). If I am holding 293,168 JPY why can I only take out/use 279,517 JPY? Where has the remaining ~14k JPY gone? Also, I assume the 381k JPY is the conversion of my 3.5k USD. Am I correct in saying this is not taken into account in the 出金可能額 just because it's in USD, and would first have to be converted? Just to be 100% clear, the amount of money I have in my account that is not yet used is the sum of 293,168 JPY and 3,496.85 USD?

Thanks! Also, I recognise that this is suddenly quite long, so will move to it's own thread if that's easier!

[TokyoWart]

If you have a tokutei account the taxes will be withheld by Rakuten. Do you know if those positions were tokutei or ippan?

[Viralriver]

Everything is in tokutei, but I'm also wondering just in general. Or if I can see the breakdown of what they've held back, etc. Also, since I also have some losses, I feel like knowing exactly what is profit and loss will help with offsets next year when I file.

That being said, I assume that the USD I have available (all from the sale of those stocks) already takes into account the 20% I lost from capital gains?