Rakuten share price slumps again as $1.5bn share sale announced
Shares in Japanese ecommerce giant Rakuten slumped for a second day on the Tokyo Stock Exchange after the company revealed a $1.5bn (£9.8m) share sale.
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On Thursday Rakuten's share price tumbled over six per cent to its lowest level in two months following the announcement of the public sale of 99.6m shares – 59.7m of which are being issued to international investors – and fell again on Friday by over three per cent.
The sale is expected to raise 188bn yen (£983m), but will also dilute investors' current holdings.
The company, led by Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, is hoping to improve its financial standing as it looks to make a number of acquisitions in a bid for global growth.
In a statement today it said: "The company believes that a strong financial standing is needed for Rakuten Group's sustainable future growth in the rapidly changing internet services industry."
Mirroring moves made by Chinese rival Alibaba, Rakuten is making a number of investments in technology firms around the world.
This year it has already spent a combined $98m on New York foreign exchange broker FXCM's Hong Kong and Japan businesses, and made a $300m investment in Uber rival Lyft in March.