With stock trading over the Internet picking up strongly, online brokerages have played an increasingly key role over the past year in determining daily stock prices.
For example, orders received by Matsui Securities Co. over the Internet totaled 35,958 in February, up 92.6 percent over the year-earlier level of 18,666.
Although online stock trading is no longer in an adolescent stage, traditional brokerages still keep a low profile in such dealings, whose lion's share is still claimed by Net-only brokerages.