He has a knack for buying a big stake for a low price, getting a drug to the market and selling at a big profit.

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The struggle to make a profit and reduce debt is still being waged at some big companies, including Daiei, once the biggest supermarket chain, Japan Airlines, Sanyo Electric, Rakuten, the biggest internet shopping mall, and Softbank (though the last could be cushioned by its large holding of Yahoo Japan shares).

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Even if it did, he figured, Global Ship Lease was trading at such a big discount to book value that liquidating its fleet would result in a nifty profit for shareholders.

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The changes at IBM, which are extraordinary for such a large company, have boosted profit margins, making Big Blue look more and more like a software company.

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