The FESE Share Ownership Survey represents the most valuable source of Share Ownership Structure in Europe.
The objective of this new European-wide study is to gather further and even more accurate information on identifying the owners of listed European shares. This survey was compiled by the Economics and Statistics Committee of FESE and follows on from the studies published during the 90s and more recently in 2004 and 2006.
See the main findings of this new edition below:- Up to the year 2007, a year that may become a reference towards the future, the Share Ownership Structure in Europe has reached a considerable degree of maturity. The period 1999-2007, which began with the launch of the Euro as the common currency in 11 countries of the European Union saw significant ups and downs in the exchanges. These factors do not reveal dramatic changes in the share ownership structure of the companies listed in the member exchanges of FESE. However, there are relevant trends that can be appreciated over long periods of time.
- The proportion of non-resident investors of the listed shares of European markets during 1999-2007 has increased, and this trend has spread in 2005-2007. The weighted average amounts to 37%. Between 2005 and 2007 it reached 4 percentage points. The degree of globalisation of the European Exchanges in terms of Share Ownership was already important before the introduction of the Euro. Since then it has followed a growing trend with no dramatic changes.
- There are big differences in the participation of private non-financial companies/organisations in the different markets. In Bulgaria and Germany they account for almost 40% of market capitalisation while in the United Kingdom it is only 2.7%.
- Individual Investors/Households amount to 14% of the market value of listed shares in Europe but there are also significant differences between markets. Only two countries have Individual Investor participations of more than 20% and seven countries are below 10%.
- The participation of the Public Sector in European Exchanges is 5%, the lowest of the large sectors analysed. In 16 out of 22 countries, the participation of the public sector is less than 10% and in seven markets it is almost insignificant, less than 1%. Between 1999 and 2007, with few exceptions, there was a decline.
