BOJ likely in no mood yet to aid market with more big ETF buying

By Leika Kihara and Daniel Leussink

TOKYO, May 12 (Reuters) - Investors counting on the Bank of Japan to put a floor under stock prices may be disappointed as the current rout likely falls short of new thresholds set in March for its exchange-traded fund (ETF) buying, findings unveiled by the central bank show.

As part of efforts to make its massive stimulus sustainable, the BOJ in March ditched a pledge to buy ETFs at a set annual pace and now promises to step in only "when necessary."

Since then, the central bank has bought ETFs on three days in March, once in April and not at all so far in May. That is well below its average appearance of six days per month last year.

Some investors have blamed recent stock falls partly on the absence of the BOJ - the biggest owner of Japanese stocks after its massive ETF buying spree last year. The central bank did not buy ETFs on Tuesday even as the Nikkei index and the broader Topix both marked their biggest daily drop since Feb. 26.