Oslo Børs Holding ASA recorded post-tax profit of NOK 78.2 (68.5) million for the second quarter of 2007. Revenues totalled NOK 147.3 (134.4) million in the second quarter. As in previous quarters, the last quarter was characterised by high activity in most areas at Oslo Børs.
he value of shares and primary capital certificates traded in the second quarter was NOK 736 billion (711), an increase of 4% from the second quarter of 2006. Relative to the first quarter of this year, this represents a decline of some 14%. The number of transactions in the equity market in the second quarter totalled 2,481,000 (2,536,000), a decline of 2% from the second quarter of 2006 and some 16% lower than the first quarter of this year. The value of new share issues reached NOK 10.3 (20.1) billion in the second quarter, around 49% lower than in the second quarter of 2006 and some 47% lower than in the first quarter of this year.
The total number of fixed-income issues listed on Oslo Børs and on the ABM (Alternative Bond Market) was 42 higher than in the same quarter of 2006 and 11 higher than in the first quarter of this year. At the end of the second quarter, 642 (770) bond loans and other interest bearing securities were listed on the stock exchange. In addition, 279 (107) loans were listed on the ABM. The mandatory use of IFRS for issuers with securities listed on the stock exchange has created considerable interest in the ABM among issuers that use Norwegian accounting principles.
The overall level of activity in the derivatives market in the second quarter was somewhat lower than in the same quarter of 2006 and the first quarter of this year. Turnover in options and forwards was lower, but index futures saw higher turnover.
The number of end-users with access to market data from Oslo Børs was around 0.5% lower at the end of the second quarter than at the end of the previous quarter. The number of professional end-users increased by 4%, while the number of private individual users fell by 9%. This reduction relates almost entirely to a product with a monthly access charge of NOK 10. Relative to the second quarter of last year, the total number of end-users shows an increase of 15%.
Second quarter operating costs amounted to NOK 58.2 (48.1) million, an increase of NOK 10 million or 21%. This includes an increase in salary and staff costs due to higher number of employees, the annual salary increase on 1 January, work on systems changes for the trading systems and variable trading system costs.
Oslo Børs expects that its total operating costs for 2007 will be a little over NOK 240 million.
