Subject: Re: Buffett’s Japanese investment
Mais certainement mon ami :-)

This is exactly "like" using Interactive Brokers to buy on foreign exchanges. A number of years ago, I noticed that brokers wer charging to hold ADR's of foreign stocks.

Actually, it turned out they were passing through service charges levied by the bank who creezted the ADR's. In addition, many of the shares offered in the US weree not terribly liquid. There was also the confusion between shares ending in the letter "Y" (which had "fuzzy" connections to foreign pricing) and those ending in an "F" (which followed the foreign shares).

Interactive allowed purchasing the shares directly - which added my desired currency hedging (against the USD) while also holding shares in great companies.

Until recently, this was a bit of a PITA, as I had to pre-calculate how much foreign currency I'd need, buy it and then make my purchase (and figure out what to do with the left over "pocket change". IB made a significant change recently which allows foreign stock to be purchased and then IB would procure the required currency on your behalf on the FOREX. This make things MUCH easier. I've checked their exchange rates and it seems they are being honest brokers on the exchange rates.

Jeff