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 stabilise earnings. Revenue hit a record for a second consecutive fiscal year, supported by Japanese retail investor activity and elevated global equity volatility; the result mirrors strong Wall Street trading — including record equity tr

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 stabilise earnings. Revenue hit a record for a second consecutive fiscal year, supported by Japanese retail investor 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.