Deutsche Börse: No Trading On The Exchanges On October 3 This Year - Harmonization Of European Holiday Calendar Still Necessary

There will be no trading on Xetra or on the floor at FWB, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, on October 3 (German Unity Day) this year. Nor will German equity and index products be traded at Eurex, the German-Swiss derivatives exchange, on that day. The decision was announced by Deutsche Börse AG and Eurex on Thursday. The companies' decision takes account of the special significance of the national holiday this year, which marks the 10th anniversary of German Unity, and is also a response to the suggestion by the Hessian Minister for Social Services, Marlies Mosiek-Urbahn. October 3 will be a trading day in the future, however. "The 10th anniversary of German Unity is a very special and unique day for the German people, and this exceptional rule takes account of that fact," said Mosiek-Urbahn as the basis for her initiative.

Deutsche Börse and Eurex had decided in 1999 to expand their trading calendar and keep the exchanges open on Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi and German Unity Day. This was done to make it possible for international market participants to trade on these days, which are not pan-European holidays. The results of a study by Deutsche Börse clearly show that the additional trading days should be retained in the framework of the desired European harmonization of the exchanges' holiday calendar, as the exchange put it. The level of trading interest is directly connected to which European exchanges are open. On Corpus Christi in particular, turnover was very satisfactory, amounting to two-thirds of the average trading volume.