Goldman Sachs (Japan) Ltd said it is to launch a new product allowing individuals to invest in stocks for a small outlay.

"Pokekabu", or pocket stocks, will be sold from August 21st with a minimum purchase of 5,000 yen (€51).

The move aims to attract business from smaller investors who cannot afford to buy high-priced stocks under Japan's minimum trading unit system.

"It is a type of investment trust which invests only in one stock," said Masatsugu Doi, equity vice president at Goldman Sachs (Japan) Ltd, adding the cost was lower than buying stock directly and the risk smaller than buying an option on an individual stock.

Goldman Sachs will start selling a type of warrant on the shares of 64 Japanese firms such as Sony Corp, Seven-Eleven, Japan Co Ltd and NTT DoCoMo Inc through four online brokers.

A warrant is a certificate of an option allowing the investor to buy ordinary shares at a fixed price over a period of time.

In Japan, stock market investors have to trade a minimum 100 shares in Sony and 1,000 in Seven-Eleven.

At Tuesday's closing price, an investor would have needed 1.01 million yen to buy a minimum lot of Sony stock and 7.24 million yen to buy Seven-Eleven shares.

Investors can trade the certificate within 18 months.