SoftBank shares climbed to a record high on optimism that public listings by OpenAI and power unit SB Energy could deliver large returns for the Japanese investment company, according to Bloomberg. The stock rose 4.6% in Tokyo trading Monday, bringing its gain since May 20 to 40% and lifting SoftBank's market value above ¥40 trillion ($252B). Excluding treasury shares, the company's market capitalization has now passed that of Toyota, Japan's most valuable company, for the first time since 2000. The surge followed reports that OpenAI is preparing to file for an IPO within days, easing some investor worry about competition facing OpenAI. SoftBank ranks among OpenAI's largest shareholders and has committed an additional $20B, bringing its total investment close to $65B, which would hand it a roughly 13% stake by October. SB Energy, central to founder Masayoshi Son's U.S. data center plans, also intends to confidentially file for a U.S. IPO.
