OpenAI IPO expected to drive SoftBank stock to a new high

SoftBank Group's stock price rose to a historic high on Monday, with the market betting that its holdings in OpenAI and SB Energy could bring huge returns if they are listed in the future. Since May 20, SoftBank's stock price has risen by 40%, pushing the company's market value past 40 trillion yen. The consecutive two-day surge last week drove the stock price of SoftBank soaring, with reports suggesting that OpenAI is preparing to submit an IPO application in the coming days. SB Energy, a power infrastructure company, also announced plans to secretly submit an IPO application in the United States. As OpenAI seems to be getting closer to an IPO, concerns in the market about competition from rivals such as Anthropic, Google, and xAI threatening OpenAI's position have eased. Takashi Nakagawa, a senior analyst at TokaiTokyo Intelligence Laboratory, said that the market is "extremely excited" about the long-awaited OpenAI IPO possibly becoming a reality. He stated that this move will increase transparency in the AI sector, which currently has opaque valuations. SoftBank's investment portfolio includes a large number of AI-driven non-listed startups.