New Indices (Available 1 September 2009)
BSE - (Brussels - Belgium Stock Exchange - BEL20)
AEX - (Amsterdam - Dutch Stock Exchange - AEX)
Euro 100 - (Paris - European Stock Exchange - Euronext NV)
The Brussels Stock Exchange (BSE) was founded in Brussels, Belgium by Napoleonic decree in 1801. On 22 September 2000, the BSE merged with Paris Bourse, Lisbon Stock Exchange and the stock exchanges of Amsterdam, to form Euronext N.V., the first pan-European exchange for equities and derivatives, with common trading and clearing of all products, and was renamed Euronext Brussels. The most well known index on the Brussels Stock Exchange is the BEL20.
The building that houses the Brussels Stock Exchange does not have a distinct name, though it is usually called simply The Bourse. It is located on Anspach Boulevard, and is the namesake of the Beursplein/Place de la Bourse, which is, after the Grand Place, the second most important square in Brussels. (Back to top of Page)
The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is the former name for the stock exchange based in Amsterdam. It merged on 22 September 2000 with the Brussels Stock Exchange and the Paris Stock Exchange to form Euronext, and is now known as Euronext Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is considered the oldest in the world. It was established in 1602 by the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or 'VOC') for dealings in its printed stocks and bonds. It was subsequently renamed the Amsterdam Bourse and was the first to formally begin trading in securities.
The European Option Exchange (EOE) was founded in 1978 in Amsterdam as a futures and options exchange. In 1983 it started a stock market index, called the EOE index, consisting of the 25 largest companies that trade on the stock exchange. In 1997 the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and the EOE merged, and its blue chip index was renamed AEX, for 'Amsterdam EXchange'. It is now managed by Euronext Amsterdam. (Back to top of Page)
Euronext N.V. is a pan-European stock exchange based in Paris and with subsidiaries in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. In addition to equities and derivatives markets, the Euronext group provides clearing and information services. As of 31 January 2006, markets run by Euronext had a market capitalisation of US$2.9 trillion, making it the fifth largest exchange on the planet. Euronext merged with NYSE Group to form NYSE Euronext, the 'first global stock exchange'.
Euronext was formed on 22 September 2000 following a merger of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, Brussels Stock Exchange, and Paris Bourse, in order to take advantage of the harmonisation of the European Union financial markets. In December 2001, Euronext acquired the shares of the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE), which continues to operate under its own governance. Beginning in early 2003, all derivatives products traded on its affiliated exchanges trade on LIFFECONNECT, LIFFE's electronic trading platform. In 2002 the group merged with the Portuguese stock exchange Bolsa de Valores de Lisboa e Porto (BVLP), renamed Euronext Lisbon.
Structure and Indices
Euronext has cross-membership and cross-access agreements with the Warsaw Stock Exchange for their cash and derivatives products, and with the Helsinki Exchanges on cash trading; ownership agreements are currently excluded. The Euronext List encompasses all quoted companies. It has two segments; NextEconomy, consisting of companies whose equities are traded continuously and are active in sectors such as information technology and biotechnology, and NextPrime, consisting of companies in more traditional sectors that are traded continuously. Inclusion in the segments is voluntary.
Brussels Bourse/Beurs
Euronext manages two broad-based indices. The Euronext 100 Index is the blue chip index. The Next 150 Index is a market capitalisation index of the 150 next largest stocks, representing the large- to mid-capitalisation segment of listed stocks at Euronext. The NextEconomy and NextPrime segments each have a price index and a total return index, weighted by market capitalisation and excluding the shares listed in the Euronext 100 Index. The indices have a base date of 31 December 2001, with a starting level of 1000 points. Six NextWeather weather indices for France, launched in January 2002, are among the sector indices planned by Euronext. Exchange traded funds, called trackers, comprise Euronext's NextTrack product segment, and have been introduced on the AEX index, CAC 40, Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50, and various pan-European regional and sector indices. Euronext has introduced several commodity futures contracts, available to all constituents. Winefex Bordeaux futures are traded on Euronext Paris. Euronext.liffe is the subsidiary of Euronext responsible for all options and futures contracts trading, formed by the merger of the derivatives activities of the various constituents of Euronext with LIFFE.
The Euronext 100 Index is the blue chip index of the pan-European exchange, Euronext NV.
It is comprised of the largest and most liquid stocks traded on Euronext. Each stock must trade more than 20 percent of its issued shares over the course of the rolling one year analysis period. The index is reviewed quarterly through a size and liquidity analysis of the investment universe. As of 21 December 2002, the stocks in the Euronext100 Index represent 80 percent (euro 1,177 billion) of the total market capitalisation of Euronext’s investment universe (euro 1,477 billion). Each stock in the index is given a sector classification.
The Next 150 Index is comprised of mid to large capitalisation stocks on the Euronext exchange. The index consists of the 150 next largest stocks following the Euronext 100 index and includes stocks from the Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris exchanges of Euronext. (Back to top of Page)
