virt-x plc announced today that from 8.00am this morning the virt-x pan-European blue chip equity market will, as planned, offer trading in the constituents of the DJ EuroStoxx50 and DJ Stoxx50 indices, bringing the total number of stocks available on the virt-x market to 280. The remaining stocks in the European blue chip indices will be added on 9 July. Following the completion of the phased launch, virt-x will support trading in 613 European blue chip equities.
Key statistics of the first week of trading (25th – 29th June) are:
- Total turnover (value of business transacted): £9.8 bn
- Total volume (number of shares): 222 m
- Total number of trades: 121,000
Commenting on the second phase of the launch Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter, CEO of virt-x plc, said:: "The first week of trading on the virt-x market has been very successful and the platform has worked perfectly. Of the 46,000 trades executed in the first two days, 99% have settled correctly through Crest, SIS and Euroclear. In addition to migrating trading in the Swiss SMI stocks, we have attracted significant trading in UK blue chips, including Glaxo, Shell and BP confirming that virt-x has competitive prices in many of the largest UK stocks."
"The addition of the top 51 continental European blue chip stocks establishes virt-x as the only truly pan-European blue chip market. The constituents of the DJ Stoxx 50 and the DJ Eurostoxx 50 are probably the most liquid equities in Europe. Adding these stocks will allow investors to trade and settle a "basket" of all of these shares at the touch of a button.
