On the central market, the growth of share demand outpaced that of supply, and share demand of as many as 18 companies exceeded the supply. This had a positive influence on share prices. As a result, prices of 19 companies moved up, and values of LITIN-G and LITIN-10 indices improved by almost 3%, which demonstrates quite opposite tendencies of changes of the share price level, as compared to July of the previous year. However, central market share turnover was over LTL 300 thousand just five sessions. In July, trading in shares on the central market equalled LTL 5.9 million, i.e. nearly twice less than in June. Lietuvos Telekomas AB was the only company this month to generate over LTL 1 million on the central market. Share turnover by block transactions (LTL 22 million) was by 16% larger than in June, yet, more than half of it was generated by shares of Vievio Paukýtynas AB and Ûkio Bankas AB.
As it has been forecasted, trading volumes of debt securities and central market are rapidly growing this year. In comparison to the NSEL trading results during seven months in 2001, this year the turnover of the Government securities improved by 23% to LTL 794 million and was the largest ever, whereas the central market trading volume grew by 39% to LTL 141 million, being the largest in four years. Shares accounted for 61% of the central market turnover. During the same period, the total turnover of the Exchange increased by 8% exceeding LTL 1 billion and was the largest after the record year of 1999. The share of debt securities equalled 78% in the total turnover of the seven-month period, i.e. it became dominant.
A 41% fall in the share turnover by block transactions, the number of which was twice smaller, accounted for a shrinking steak of shares in the total turnover. This year the average value of a transaction in shares, as compared to a seven-month period last year, decreased from LTL 13 thousand to LTL 9.4 thousand. As it is evident from the statistics of the last few years, August is the month when trading in shares is gaining momentum.
Having returned from holidays, invigorated investors might be interested not only in the Official and Current List companies, but also in companies offered by the State Property Fund for privatisation, i.e. a follow-up of public sale of 17 companies as well as blocks of shares of 18 new companies offered for privatisation through the Exchange in August, including shares of such companies as Aleksotas AB, Vernitas AB, Kilimai AB, Vilniaus Prekyba AB, and Malsena AB.
