Japan’s M2 money supply grew 2.2% year-on-year in July, unchanged from June, while broader liquidity measures continued to expand and investment trust balances climbed to a record high, underscoring a stronger shift from savings into investment products. Bank of Japan preliminary data showed M2, which covers cash currency and deposits at domestic banks, stood at ¥1,297 trillion. M3, a broader measure including Japan Post Bank deposits, credit associations and money trusts, rose 1.4% to ¥1,641.2 trillion, with the balance reaching the second-highest level on record. Broadly-defined liquidity increased 4.4% to a record ¥2,338.4 trillion. The figures suggest bank lending is still supporting overall money stock growth, but the composition of household and corporate holdings is shifting. Cash currency fell 1.2% from a year earlier, extending its decline as cashless payments spread and holding physical cash became less attractive. Deposit currency rose 0.2%, leaving M1 up 0.1%, while quasi-money such as time deposits and foreign-currency deposits increased 4.3%. Certificates of deposit dropped 2.8%. Within broadly-defined liquidity, investment trusts stood out with a 13.1% year-on-year increase to a record ¥126 trillion, reflecting continued inflows tied to the new NISA tax-exempt investment program and greater interest in asset management. Japanese government bond holdings rose 18.8% to ¥47.2 trillion and foreign bonds gained 6.1% to ¥33.3 trillion, with the latter also boosted by yen depreciation lifting the yen value of overseas assets. The preliminary broadly-defined liquidity figures may be revised from next month onward because some components have not yet been fully collected.