2026-08-12 · buy-side

Japan margin trading doubles in 6 months, lifted by pricey AI stocks

Retail investors increasingly using leverage to take positions in Kioxia, others

Outstanding margin-buy positions in Kioxia totaled 13.23 million shares as of Friday, worth about 631.5 billion yen. (Photo by Kazuho Fujiwara)

TOKYO -- Margin trading is booming in Japan, reaching a total of 123 trillion yen ($772 billion) in July -- double the figure six months earlier -- as retail investors using leverage to trade high-priced artificial intelligence and other stocks boosts liquidity in the market.