Nomura Holdings reported first-quarter net profit up 39% YoY to JPY145.6 bln
(≈$890m), beating the consensus JPY111.5 bln, driven by a boom in equity
trading. CEO Kentaro Okuda, in his seventh year, is pushing toward more
fee-based, less cyclical businesses to stabilize earnings. Revenue hit a record
for a second consecutive fiscal year, supported by Japanese retail investors
activity and elevated global equity volatility; the result mirrors strong Wall
Street trading — including record equity trading revenue at peers such as
Goldman amid Middle East conflict and AI-driven flows. Nomura shares are up 21%
YTD, trailing Daiwa Securities’ 34% gain; Japan’s major banks have also seen
sizeable share-price rises this year.
