Digitalbox Regulatory News (DBOX)

11 Feb 2008 13:12

PLUS Markets Group PLC11 February 2008 PLUS Markets Group plc PLUS market report for January 2008 PLUS trading activity soars 92 per cent 1.7 billion shares traded in January New surge in market share 11th February 2008 - PLUS Markets posted a strong start to 2008 with 397,419trades reported in January, an increase of 92% on December 2007. The totalvalue of trades was £2.8 billion, up 61%, and the number of shares traded was1.7 billion, up 70%. Trading activity on PLUS has seen an exceptionally strongupward trend over the three months since the launch of its new trading platformin November 2007. The average daily number of trades on PLUS in January rose to 18,065 trades (upfrom 10,901 in December), reaching a daily peak of 34,007 on 22 January. Thepool of liquidity now available on PLUS contrasts credibly with other Europeanmarkets - for example, the average daily number of trades on AIM during 2007 was16,460*. Also on 22 January, PLUS market share (53%) of all UK retail trading activityexceeded that of the London Stock Exchange (47%) for the first time. The totalretail market share for the month of January was 39%. PLUS continued to capture strong market share in some of the heaviest traded UKstocks during January, including Marks & Spencer (8.13% of total trades in themonth), Standard Life (5.61%) and Royal Bank of Scotland (5.58%). In addition: • On 10 January, the day following Marks & Spencer's 3rd quarter statement including Christmas trading, PLUS market share in M&S trades was 16.87%; and • On 21 January, when statements were made by HM Treasury and Northern Rock in relation to a private sector solution for the bank, PLUS market share in Northern Rock trades was 49.42%. There were 433 small & mid-cap securities in which 50% or more of their tradesduring January took place on PLUS and not the LSE. Of the 78 AIM securitiesdual-trading on PLUS, PLUS attracted circa 40% of total trading activity. Additionally, the number of companies on the PLUS-quoted market has now risen to218 worth £2.3 billion, continuing on its three-year growth trend, with morealready in the pipeline. "These are extremely encouraging numbers which demonstrate that under MiFID,transaction volume is flowing to PLUS Markets. Brokers recognise PLUS as acompetitive trading venue across all equity segments and as liquidity continuesto build, it is creating firm foundations for new listing and quotationpossibilities," said Business Development Director Cyril Theret. *Source: London Stock Exchange AIM market statistics fact sheet, December '07 END - Notes to editors: PLUS Markets is an independent stock exchange in London, with "RecognisedInvestment Exchange" status, and classed as a Market Operator under MiFID. Itsoffering includes the full range of stock exchange activities, namely: tradingexecution, the provision of proprietary market data and listing/quotationdestinations. Month Bargains Trade value Number of sharesSeptember '07 52,310 £353.81m 467.32 mOctober '07 64,311 £ 404.50m 537.76 mNovember '07 206,442 £1,613.69m 948.43mDecember '07 207,113 £1,792.22m 1,020.22mJanuary '08 397,419 £2,893.84m 1,738.03m Contact details John Parry, Rostron Parry 0207 490 8062Nemone Wynn-Evans, PLUS Markets Group 0207 553 2024 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange