Tokyo - Nomura Holdings Inc on Tuesday reported a record net loss of 492.36 billion yen (5.53 billion dollars) for the first nine months of the fiscal year 2008, which ends in March.

It was the largest loss Nomura incurred since 2001, when Japan's top brokerage house began using the US accounting standard.

It was also the first time Nomura reported losses in four quarters in a row, according to the Jiji Press news agency.

Nomura's net loss in the April-December period compared to a net profit of 86.01 billion yen a year before.

In the third quarter, the firm also suffered a net loss of 342.9 billion yen due to the global financial crisis.

Nomura acquired parts of US investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, which filed for bankruptcy in September last year. (dpa)