Things are looking up for Japan's biggest brokerages, if demand for a well-known stock handbook is any guide.
Copies of Kaisha Shikiho, widely regarded as the bible of Japanese equities, are being snapped up by people eager to find out more about the nation's soaring stocks. Sales of the latest edition released Dec. 15 are up 50 percent from a year earlier, according to publisher Toyo Keizai Inc.
The trend bodes well for Nomura Holdings Inc. and Daiwa Securities Group Inc., which report earnings this week and stand to benefit from an increase in stock trading by retail investors. Individuals are returning to equities that have risen to levels unseen since the aftermath of the asset bubble collapse more than a quarter century ago.