DGS increases 230 percent on NASDAQ Dubai

20/09/2011 00:00 AST

Trading of Dubai Gold Securities (DGS) on NASDAQ Dubai rose to 6,075 securities in August 2011, a 230 percent increase from 1,840 in July, and up from 636 traded in the whole of the first half of the year.

The increase in trading coincided with a rise in the spot gold price over the period.

DGS were listed in 2009. They track the spot price of gold and are structured products that can be traded on NASDAQ Dubai through a broker, just like equities.

The total value of DGS traded on NASDAQ Dubai reached 1.44 million dollars in the first eight months of 2011, up 66per cent from 866,000 dollars in the same period of 2010.

In equities trading, individual investors accounted for 6.6per cent of the traded value of all shares traded on NASDAQ Dubai in the first eight months of 2011. Total equities traded value in the period by individual and institutional investors was 511 million dollars.

NASDAQ Dubai started routing all its equities trades through the trading platform of Dubai Financial Market in July 2010, in order to facilitate access by individual investors. Individual investors accounted for 2.7per cent of equities traded value in the fourth quarter of 2010.

In August 2011, individual investors accounted for 3per cent of total equities traded value on NASDAQ Dubai, the same percentage as in the previous month. Total equities traded value on the exchange in August 2011 was 73.2 million dollars, up 174per cent from 26.7 million dollars in July 2011 and down 7per cent from 78.7 million dollars in August 2010.

The FTSE NASDAQ Dubai UAE 20 index ended August at 1,550, down 4per cent from the end of July and down 14per cent from the end of 2010.

The index tracks 20 liquid stocks listed on DFM, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and NASDAQ Dubai. It has been designed as a hedging and investment mechanism for GCC and international investors.

WAM