Pre-close Period Update
London Stock Exchange Plc
27 September 2001
27 September 2001
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE PLC
PRE-CLOSE PERIOD UPDATE
Unless otherwise stated, the following commentary refers to the five months
ended 31 August 2001 and, where appropriate, the corresponding period last
year.
London Stock Exchange plc (the 'Exchange') today issued a routine update ahead
of the close period relating to the six months ending 30 September 2001.
The Exchange's trading performance has been strong, and overall has been in
line with directors' expectations.
Issuer Services
The total number of companies on the Exchange's markets was 2,928 at 31 August
2001. Against the backdrop of weaker new issues activity, the level of new
entrants was well below last year's levels (2001: 155; 2000: 220). However,
the Exchange continued to benefit from further issues by companies already
traded on our markets - in aggregate, £95 billion was raised on our markets
during the period (2000: £90 billion).
Broker Services
The total number of equity bargains transacted on the Exchange's markets was
19.5 million, representing 28% growth on the same period last year (15.2
million) - an average of 186,000 bargains per day (2000: 146,000). Trading on
the Order Book is largely driving the growth in number of bargains, testifying
to the attractiveness of its pricing and liquidity - further enhanced by
initiatives such as the Central Counterparty and International Order Book.
Information Services
The number of terminals displaying real-time Exchange data continued to grow.
As at 31 August 2001, the number of terminals receiving Exchange data was
approximately 111,000, 10% higher than last year (31 August 2000: 101,000).
Commenting on current trading, Clara Furse, Chief Executive said:
'The Exchange's financial performance has proven to be resilient in a period
of sustained market volatility and has been strong in the first five months of
this financial year.
'It is too early for us to judge what, if any, impact the recent terrorist
attacks in the United States, and resulting uncertainty surrounding the
outlook for the global economy, will have on the global economy and our
overall results but trading activity in the secondary markets has remained
high. We remain committed to our strategy to be the leading exchange
organisation in Europe.'
Media enquiries John Wallace 020 7797 1222
Shareholder enquiries Tony Veitch 020 7797 1360
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