Individual Japanese investors are now the most optimistic since September 2007, Nomura Holdings Inc. said Wednesday in its monthly sentiment survey.
The Nomura I-View Index, which ranges from minus 100 to 100, rose 30.8 points to a 14-month high of 45.6 in November, Japan's biggest brokerage said. The gain, sustained by expectations that "share prices will rebound in the near term," was the steepest climb since the survey was initiated in April 2006.
The poll showed 45.1 percent of investors expect the Nikkei average to rise in the next three months by 2,000 points or more from the 8,674 close on Oct. 22, when the survey was taken. The gauge closed at 9,521.24 Wednesday, having risen by a third since hitting a 26-year low on Oct. 27.
Respondents' stock transactions in the preceding three months are graded based on four measurements: the number of different stocks traded, amount of investment, frequency of trading and number of shares held. The latest poll was the first since January 2007 to show rises in all four categories.
The percentage of individuals saying they plan to boost their share trading in the next three months also rose, suggesting "the investment attitude of individuals is becoming more aggressive," Tokyo-based Nomura strategist Kiichi Fujita said.