ASX Announces Monthly Activity Report For April 2008

During April Australian Stock Exchange was awarded ‘Exchange of the Year’ by the global derivatives-based investment products magazine, Structured Products, for “consistent innovation, market responsiveness, and for the breadth of initiatives it [ASX] has brought to the listed structured products business”.

These initiatives include the ‘Aqua’ project to facilitate the listing of new managed funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), structured products and hedge funds; the listing of the world’s first exchange-traded contracts for difference (CFDs); and the listing of Barclays Global Investors’ international ETFs (iShares).

Cash markets (including equities, interest rates and warrants trades):

•Total cash markets trades for April 2008 were 8.1 million, up 88% on the previous corresponding period (pcp), and represent the second highest volume month on record. Average daily trades of 386,416 were 61% up on pcp.
•Total cash market traded value was $113.5 billion in April 2008, up 4% on pcp, with a daily average value of $5.4 billion, down 11% on pcp. On a financial year-to-date basis total value traded is 31% up on pcp.

•In April 2008 the average value per trade fell to $13,987 ($25,296 pcp) and the percentage of value crossed fell to 26% (31% pcp).

Derivatives markets:

•Equity derivatives volume (excluding SPI 200) for April 2008 was 1.7 million contracts, down 3% on pcp, with a daily average of 79,471 contracts, down 17% on pcp.

•Total futures and options on futures contracts volume (excluding equity derivatives and CFDs) for April 2008 was 5.2 million, down 6% on the pcp, with a notional value of $2.8 trillion. Average daily contracts volume during April 2008 of 234,893 was down 19% on the pcp.

•A total of 5,876 ASX CFD trades were transacted in April 2008 comprising a volume of 7.3 million contracts. The total notional value of all CFD trades for April was $171.9 million, and the value of CFD open interest at the end of April was $60.2 million.

Listings and capital raisings:

• In April 2008 there were no new listed entities admitted, compared to 24 in the pcp. Total listed entities at 30 April 2008 were 2,2202 up 8% on the 2,047 for the pcp.

• Total capital raised in April 2008 amounted to $4.3 billion, down 55% on the pcp. Capital raisings financial year-to-date comprise initial raisings of $10.8 billion, down 26% on pcp, and secondary raisings of $43.1 billion, down 9% on pcp.

Supervisory monitoring and enforcement activity:

In April 2008, there were:

• 11,688 company announcements processed, up 19% on pcp;

• 47 price queries issued to listed entities, in line with pcp; and

• 79 trading halts granted, up 49% on pcp. -- www.asx.com.au