A record number of shares in Olympus Corp. are being bought and sold through Japanese margin-trading accounts as investors seek to capitalize on volatility amid a scandal over payments to advisers.
The number of Olympus shares being held through margin accounts has surged to a level not seen since at least 1997, according to data from Japan Securities Finance Co., a provider of loans and lending services.
Olympus has lost almost half of its value since Michael C. Woodford was fired as president on Oct. 13 after calling for a probe of $687 million (¥53 billion) in payments during a $2 billion (¥150 billion) takeover in 2008.