Exchanges Close 2010 On A High - FTSE Mondo Visione Exchanges Index Closed 2010 With A 6.2 Per Cent Increase In December - Index Sees Increase Of 7.2 Per Cent In 2010

Following a volatile year, exchanges closed in December experiencing an increase in their share prices across the board, according to the FTSE Mondo Visione Exchanges Index. However, the Index was down overall in Q4 (October to December) 2010 falling to 9.9 per cent, from 12.8 per cent in Q3 (July to September) 2010.

North Amercian-based exchanges all outperformed the Index in Q4 2010 and saw significant increases in share prices compared to Q3 2010. In the same period, Asian-based exchanges on the FTSE Mondo Visione Exchanges Index all experienced decreases in their share prices.

Commenting on the Index which closed at 25,279.04 on the 31 December 2010, Herbie Skeete, Managing Director, Mondo Visione and Co-founder of the Index said:

"Trading in the USA is fuelled by large pension funds and algorithmic traders using super-fast computers to make money from tiny differences in share prices. USA based exchanges are also beginning to benefit from changes to the financial landscape which are meant to bring greater transparency to the over-the-counter derivatives markets through a shift in the trading of such instruments onto exchanges and swap execution facilities."

The Index^{*M/SUP>, which aims to reflect market sentiment and is a key indicator of the exchanges’ performance, saw a 6.2 per cent increase in December 2010.}

The FTSE Mondo Visione Exchanges Index best performer by capital returns in US dollars was Romania’s Bursa de Valori Bucuresti SA with a 18.2 per cent increase in share price from 30 November to 31 December 2010.

The FTSE Mondo Visione Exchanges Index worst performer by capital returns in US dollars was Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing with a 1.0 per cent decrease in share price from 30 November to 31 December 2010.

In November, two stock exchanges joined the FTSE Mondo Visione Exchanges Index including Poland’s Warsaw Stock Exchange and Romania’s Bursa de Valori Bucuresti SA. December was the first month full data was captured for these exchanges.

^*The FTSE Mondo Visione Exchanges Index is compiled by FTSE Group from data based on the share price performance of listed exchanges and trading platforms.

The December 2010 report, attached, also contains monthly and quarterly historical data on the Index.