This capped a record year for trading on SETS. For the year as a whole, the total number of trades on the order book was up 52 per cent on last year to 78.2 million trades, while the value traded increased 44 per cent to £1.5 trillion.
Included in the December SETS figures was a very active month on SETSmm, with 1.5 million trades worth £11.1 billion, representing increases of 111 per cent and 76 per cent respectively on December last year. For the year as a whole, the total number of trades on SETSmm grew 127 per cent to 16.6 million, while the total value traded grew 90 per cent to £128.6 billion.
Trading on the IOB was also very strong during December: the total number of trades during the month increased 80 per cent on last year to 49,900 while the total value traded increased 85 per cent to £4.0 billion.
The average daily number of trades in UK equities was up 55 per cent on December last year to 388,028, and the average daily value traded increased 36 per cent to £12.8 billion. The total number of trades in UK shares throughout 2006 was 89.6 million, and the total value traded reached £3.2 trillion.
The total value traded in ETFs during December was £1.8 billion, and there were 23,057 trades. 2006 was a year of rapid growth in ETF trading and the total number of ETF trades during the year grew 110 per cent on last year to 268,117. The total value traded grew by 96 per cent to £18.1 billion.
December also provided a strong finish to a record year on the Exchange’s primary markets. There were nine IPOs on the Main Market during December, raising £1.9 billion, of which £1.5 billion was raised by six IPOs from international companies. AIM attracted 39 IPOs during the month, raising £1.8 billion between them. Of these new AIM companies, eleven were international companies, raising £365.6 million between them.
In the last three months of the year, AIM companies raised a total £3.5 billion through IPOs, up 26 per cent on the corresponding quarter last year, itself a very strong period for fund-raising.
The Exchange’s markets attracted 367 IPOs during the year, raising a record £29.4 billion, an increase of 81 per cent on the £16.3 billion raised by IPOs on the Exchange’s markets last year. The 2006 totals included 89 IPOs on the Exchange’s Main Market and Professional Securities Market, raising £20.1 billion and 278 IPOs on AIM, raising £9.3 billion.
RNS, the Exchange’s service for the dissemination of company news, recorded its highest volumes ever, transmitting 17,123 company announcements during December, up 26 per cent on the same month last year. Of these 4,963 were news and results announcements, representing 86 per cent of all company news and results announcements issued in the UK.
There were 19 trading days in December 2006, one fewer than in December 2005.
