TSE Welcomes Companies From The Montreal Exchange

Today, 56 companies representing 81 new issues listed for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange-in what will be the busiest day ever for new listings on Canada's senior market. Today's rush of new listings reflects one of the final chapters in the Canadian stock exchanges' realignment story and the consolidation of the TSE as the senior equities market. The companies listing on the TSE today are relocating from the Montreal Exchange, which closed its equities trading floor on Friday, December 3. With the new slate of companies, the TSE now has 1455 listed companies and 1754 listed issues. With the completion of realignment, Toronto will operate the senior equities market, the Canadian Venture Exchange, which began trading on November 29th, offers trading for small-capitalization companies and the Montreal Exchange will offer trading in small capitalization Quebec-based companies and be Canada's market for derivative products. The fully automated Toronto Stock Exchange consistently ranks as one of the world's top exchanges and is Canada's premier market for senior equities. In 1998, more than 26 billion shares traded, worth more than $490 billion - about $2 billion a day in share transactions. With a proud 147-year history at the heart of the Canadian economy, the TSE continues to provide Canadian and international investors with a well-regulated, fair and accessible marketplace.