The sharp increase in block trades has helped the Amsterdam options market, traditionally a popular market for private investors, to become the fastest growing equity options market in Europe.
Euronext's figures for May 2003 show that Euronext.liffe's Amsterdam marketplace is continuing to grow strongly. The number of equity options contracts traded during the first five months of 2003 rose 26% compared with the same period last year. Equity index futures trading volumes climbed 53%, while trading in equity index options soared by 91%. Total trading volumes on the Amsterdam marketplace increased by 35%.
The rise in volumes is due in part to the successful migration to screen trading on the SWITCH trading system, which was completed in December 2002, three months ahead of schedule. In the summer of 2004, the Amsterdam marketplace will transfer from SWITCH to the LIFFE CONNECT® trading system, which supports worldwide trading on all of Euronext.liffe's derivatives markets. The changeover to LIFFE CONNECT will eventually lead to the creation of a single market for derivatives that will result in cost reductions for both Euronext.liffe and its clients, and make international trading easier and less expensive.
Trading volumes - leading Dutch derivatives contracts (31 May 2003)
| Jan-May 2003 | Jan-May 2002 | % increase | |
| Equity options | 26.4 million | 21 million | 26% |
| Equity index options | 6.1 million | 3.2 million | 91% |
| Total options | 32.5 million | 24.2 million | 34% |
| Equity index futures | 2.2 million | 1.5 million | 53% |
| Total | 35 million | 26 million | 35% |
Euronext.liffe is the derivatives division of Euronext, and incorporates the derivatives markets of Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon, London and Paris.
