Tokyo stocks have stayed firm since mid-January on successive establishment of investment trusts, which is expected to improve the supply-demand balance together with brokerages' stock purchases on their own accounts.
A mutual fund for domestic stock investment set up Feb. 2 collected some 800 billion yen from investors, reflecting the favorablesupply-demand balance at present.
Individuals, who had been net sellers through December, bought 490.9 billion yen more than they sold in January, posting the biggest buying excess in eight years and 11 months.