Economic Sentiment maintains its upward trend
January 6, 2011--In December, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) improved further in both the EU and the euro area. The indicator increased significantly, climbing by 1.0 point to 106.1 in the EU and by 1.1 points to 106.2 in the euro area. These results were driven in particular by strong positive readings in France and Germany.
A majority of Member States reported an improvement in sentiment. Among the seven largest Member States only Spain registered a decrease (-0.9). France registered the most significant increase (+2.5), followed by the Netherlands (+2.4), Germany (+1.5) and Poland (+1.3), while improvements were less pronounced in Italy (+0.8) and the UK (+0.7). In Germany, France, the UK, the Netherlands and Poland the ESI is above its long-term average.
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Source: European Commission
China to buy EUR6.0 bn of Spanish debt: report
January 6, 2011--- Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has said Beijing is willing to buy about EUR6.0 billion worth of Spanish public debt, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Thursday, citing government sources.
Li told Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero during a meeting in Madrid on Wednesday that China "was willing to buy as much Spanish debt as its Greek and Portuguese debt holdings combined, that is some six billion euros ($7.9 billion)," it said.
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Source: EUBbusiness
ETF Landscape: European STOXX 600 Sector ETF Net Flows for Week Ending 31-Dec-10
January 5, 2011--For the week ending 31 December 2010, there were US$54.0 Mn net inflows to STOXX Europe 600 sector ETFs. The largest sector ETF net inflows last week were in healthcare with US$36.9 Mn followed by industrial goods and services with US$24.5 Mn net inflows while chemicals experienced net outflows of US$21.7 Mn.
In 2010, STOXX Europe 600 sector ETFs saw US$120.0 Mn net outflows. Basic resources saw the largest net outflows with US$223.3 Mn, followed by food and beverage with US$179.2 Mn net outflows while personal and household goods experienced the largest net inflows with US$122.7 Mn.
As of 31 December 2010, there is US$9.5 Bn AUM invested in the STOXX sector ETFs which is more than double the US$3.8 Bn open interest in the sector futures. The ETF AUM is greater than the open interest in the corresponding futures contract in all 19 sectors.
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Source: Global ETF Research & Implementation Strategy Team, BlackRock
Deutsche Börse eyes joint clearing with rivals
January 5, 2011--Deutsche Börse, operator of one of Europe’s largest clearing houses, has talked to rival clearers about consolidation in cash equities clearing as a revamp of the region’s securities post-trade business appears imminent.
Clearing, viewed as the mundane processing of trades on stock and derivatives exchanges, has moved centre stage following the financial crisis as regulators insist on a greater use of clearing houses in the opaque derivatives markets.
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Source: FT.com
Boerse Stuttgart's turnover for 2010 tops EUR 94 billion
January 5, 2010--Boerse Stuttgart's order book statistics for 2010 showed a turnover of more than EUR 94 billion. This meant that the total trading volume was 3.9 percent down on last year's figures. The Stuttgart Stock Exchange recorded growth mainly in the trading of equities, securitised derivatives and investment funds.
"With a total trading volume of more than EUR 50 billion for securitised derivatives we were able to consolidate our position as Europe's market leader for this asset class," said Christoph Lammersdorf, CEO of Boerse Stuttgart Holding GmbH. The strong 37 percent growth in the trading of bonus certificates, 22 percent growth in the trading of discount certificates and 67 percent growth in the trading of reverse convertibles deserve a particular mention.
Stuttgart is Germany's market leader for trading in corporate bonds. With a trading volume of EUR 15 billion, these account for significantly more than half of all bonds traded at the Stuttgart Stock Exchange. In 2010 trading in equities was also up by almost 30 percent, so that the total annual turnover grew to more than EUR 10 billion.
Trading in investment funds showed particularly strong rates of growth last year. In this segment Boerse Stuttgart's turnover for 2010 amounted to more than EUR 6.7 billion. This meant that trading volumes were up by almost 57 percent in a year-on-year comparison, the growth mainly being accounted for by exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In 2010 this segment saw a huge 63 percent boost in turnover to more than EUR 5.7 billion.
In December 2010 monthly turnover at the Stuttgart Stock Exchange amounted to around EUR 7.7 billion and, due to the Christmas and New Year period, it was lower than in November, the month with the heaviest trading when turnover amounted to almost EUR 9.3 billion.
Source: Boerse Stuttgart
Strong Developments At NASDAQ OMX Baltic
January 4, 2011--– NASDAQ OMX Baltic today announced that during 2010, Baltic general indices have performed outstandingly compared to other European and even global average increases. The trading activity has increased at the markets operated by NASDAQ OMX Baltic exchanges compared to the year before counted by daily number of trades and the traded total value reached almost 2009 level.
The NASDAQ OMX Baltic Benchmark index increased to 534 points in the fourth quarter, rising 70% compared to the beginning of the year. In 2010, the number of share trades per day amounted to 1 352 trades. The yearly share trading amounted to EUR 488 million.
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Source: NASDAQ OMX
Strong Growth At NASDAQ OMX Nordic
January 4, 2010--During 2010 activity has increased significantly at the markets operated by NASDAQ OMX Nordic compared to the year before. Based on trading until Dec 31 the average daily share trading amounted to EUR 2.5 billion, (2009: EUR 2.2 billion). The number of share trades per day amounted to 285,000 trades per day (2009: 214,000), an increase of 33% compared to 2009. The total derivatives trading amounted to 546,000 contracts per day, (2009: 400,000 contracts per day), up with 37%.
Hans-Ole Jochumsen, Executive Vice President commented, “2010 has been a very strong year for the Nordic markets. Investors have had exceptional returns on their investments and we look forward to continuous growth in 2011. Our indexes have increased in with 26 percent in Stockholm, 33 percent in Copenhagen and 23 percent in Helsinki. This can be compared with an average increase by 4 percent in European and a global average increase of 12 percent”.
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Source: Mondovisione
EU authority to head off economic crises
January 4, 2011--European economic policies will come under more scrutiny from this month when the European Central Bank takes the lead in a new financial police authority with whistle-blowing powers to prevent future crises.
The European systemic risk board (ESRB), chaired by Jean-Claude Trichet, ECB president, will have powers to issue warnings and recommendations when it sees threats to economies or financial systems. But it could have a tough time proving that such limited powers, wielded by European officials, can prevent financial market turmoil on the scale seen in the past three years
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Source: FT.com
Eurozone inflation over 2 pct, first time in two years
January 4, 2011--Eurozone inflation was expected to accelerate to 2.2 percent in December 2010, the first time for two years that the indicator has risen above 2.0 percent, the EU's statistics agency said on Tuesday.
The 12-month rate rose from 1.9 percent in November and October, when prices remained just below the 2.0-percent point the European Central Bank has set as its target for price stability underpinning healthy economic growth, Eurostat said.
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Source: EUbusiness
ESMA publishes Frequently asked questions - a guide to understanding ESMA
January 3, 2011-This document is intended as an explanatory guide providing an overview of the main elements of ESMA?s functioning. The questions and answers included here may be supplemented with further information as and when further information or queries arise and will be updated on ESMA's website www.esma.europa.eu.
This guide is not of a legal nature and it is recommended that any queries which require legal certainty should refer to the Regulation1 establishing ESMA itself or the relevant sector legislation. The internal rules and procedures for ESMA will be adopted by the Board of Supervisors and Management Board in the course of January 2011 and will be added to the website when final.
view the document-Frequently Asked Questions
-A Guide to Understanding ESMA
Source: European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
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