Brussels, 30 November 2011 – Today NYSE Liffe, the Europe-based derivatives business of NYSE Euronext (NYX), added options on the shares of Ackermans & van Haaren , a holding company active in dredging and construction, financial services, real estate, energy and materials and private equity, to its highly successful range of equity option classes. The options are available on the Brussels derivatives market of NYSE Liffe.
Vincent Van Dessel, CEO of NYSE Euronext Brussels commented: “We are pleased to announce the listing of options on Ackermans & van Haaren, a highly diversified holding company with a long term vision. This listing should have a further positive impact on the liquidity of the underlying market in Ackermans & van Haaren shares”.
Alan Van Griethuysen, Regional Business Head Benelux & Asia NYSE Liffe added: “The introduction of options on Ackermans & van Haaren is a further extension of the options portfolio on BEL20 constituents. In addition the new option contract will benefit from the harmonized rules, trading procedures and trading fees, enhancing trading and increasing interest in Belgian options”.
Baron Luc Bertrand, CEO of Ackermans & van Haaren, commented: “We are pleased with the listing of options on Ackermans & van Haaren, which offers our shareholders an alternative financial instrument on the NYSE Liffe market. This will enhance the liquidity of our share and the visibility of Ackermans & van Haaren in the financial world.”
These American-style options will expire on the third Friday of the expiry month and will have initial lifetimes of one to twelve months. Options on Ackermans & van Haaren are introduced under trading symbol AVH.
Each option represents 100 shares in Ackermans & van Haaren and will be centrally cleared via LCH.Clearnet SA. Liquidity in the options will be supported by 2 market makers: All Options International B.V. and Timber Hill (Europe) AG.
The introduction of the new option class is the second new listing in 2011, after the successful launch of options on Bekaert in June. Over the first three quarters of 2011, volumes in individual equity options on the Brussels derivatives market grew by 12,8% compared to 2010. NYSE Liffe lists stock options (also known as individual equity options) on over 250 leading European companies via the Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Paris central order books.
To mark today’s special occasion, Baron Luc Bertrand, CEO of Ackermans & van Haaren, rang the opening bell which denotes the opening of NYSE Euronext's European market, together with Vincent Van Dessel, CEO of NYSE Euronext Brussels.
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Contact:
NYSE Euronext (Brussels):
Anne De Gang: +32 (2) 509 13 92
About NYSE Euronext
NYSE Euronext (NYX) is a leading global operator of financial markets and provider of innovative trading technologies. The company’s exchanges in Europe and the United States trade equities, futures, options, fixed-income and exchange- traded products. With approximately 8,000 listed issues (excluding European Structured Products), NYSE Euronext’s equities markets -- the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Euronext, NYSE Amex, NYSE Alternext and NYSE Arca -- represent one-third of the world’s equities trading, the most liquidity of any global exchange group. NYSE Euronext also operates NYSE Liffe, one of the leading European derivatives businesses and the world’s second-largest derivatives business by value of trading. The company offers comprehensive commercial technology, connectivity and market data products and services through NYSE Technologies. NYSE Euronext is in the S&P 500 index, and is the only exchange operator in the Fortune 500. For more information, please visit: www.nyx.com.
Ackermans & van Haaren is a diversified group active in 5 key sectors: contracting, dredging and concessions (DEME, one of the largest dredging companies in the world - Algemene Aannemingen Van Laere, a leading contractor in Belgium), real estate and related services (Leasinvest Real Estate, a listed real-estate investment trust – Extensa, an important land and real estate developer focused on Belgium, Luxemburg and Central Europe), private banking (Delen - Private Bank, one of the largest independent private asset managers in Belgium – Bank J.Van Breda & C°, niche bank for entrepreneurs and liberal professions), private equity (Sofinim and GIB) and a recent development in energy and materials. The AvH group represented in 2010, through its share in the participations, a revenue of 2.8 billion euros and employs approximately 17,000 people. The group concentrates on a limited number of strategic participations with an important potential for growth. The AvH share is part of the BEL20 index, the Private Equity NXT index of Euronext Brussels and the European DJ Stoxx 600.