About the Karachi Stock Exchange

Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) is the biggest and most liquid exchange in Pakistan with the average daily turnover of 525.15 million shares and market capitalization of US $ 54.28 billion. The international magazine 'Business Week' announced the KSE as the best performing world stock market in 2002. Since then the KSE continuously maintains the reputation as one of the best performing markets in the world. Since 1991, foreign investors have an equal opportunity together with local investors to operate in the secondary capital market on the Karachi Stock Exchange. The establishment of the new policy for foreign investors and initiated privatization in Pakistan has accelerated the development of the KSE, which had even 663 companies listed in 2006. In addition, companies have a choice to be listed on one of the two markets - the ready market and the over-the-counter (OTC) market, which has lesser listing requirements. While the ready market requires listing companies to have minimum paid up capital of Rs 200 million (about UK ? 1.8 m), the companies with minimum of Rs 100 million can be listed on the OTC market. The Karachi Stock Exchange trades the KSE-100 Index. It is a highly-diversified index of 100 largest capitalization companies' stocks from all sectors of Pakistan economy. A constantly revised index is a good indicator of the overall Exchange performance over a period of time. In 2005, 88% of the KSE total market capitalization was represented by the KSE-100 Index. The membership in the Karachi Stock Exchange is limited. Only 200 individual and corporate entities can register as members in the KSE. In 2005, 162 members traded actively on the Exchange. In addition, foreign corporate entities may also become the members of the KSE with the condition that the nominee member of the company is a citizen of Pakistan.

About the London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange is the most important exchange in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It lists over 3,000 companies and with 350 of the companies coming from 50 different countries, the LSE is the most international of all exchanges.

The London Stock Exchange is comprised of two different stock markets: the Main Market and the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The Main Market is solely for established companies with high performance, and the listing requirements are strict. Approximately 1,800 of the LSE's company listings trade on the Main Market, and the total market capitalization is over 3,500 billion. The Alternative Investment Market on the other hand trades small-caps, or new enterprises with high growth potential. Over 1,060 companies list on this market, with a total capitalization of 37 billion.

The LSE is completely electronic, but different shares are traded on different systems. Highly liquid shares are traded using the SETS automated system on an order driven basis. This means that when a buy and sell price match, an order is automatically executed. For securities that trade less regularly, the London Stock Exchange implements the SEAQ system, where market makers keep the shares liquid. These market makers are required to hold shares of a specific company and set the bid and ask prices, ensuring that there is always a market for the stock.

The LSE also has a new and growing exchange for equity derivatives called EDX London, created in 2003. In 2004, EDX traded an average of 382,599 contracts per day. Its aim is to become the leading derivatives market in the world.

About the Dubai Stock Exchange :

The Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX) owned by the sole shareholder Dubai International Financial Centre Authority (DIFC), launched Dubai securities trading market in September 2005. As the DIFX is situated in the newly established financial free zone DIFC, all the operations of the Exchange together with all other financial activities in the DIFC are regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). The DIFX is a fast-growing company seeking high goals. Although it started operating with four members on the board, the Exchange already has 13 member banks. It is expecting to have up to 40 members by the 2006 year-end. Also the governance of the DIFX is seeking to list 10 to 15 IPOs and to gain the market capitalization of minimum US$ 50 million by the end of 2006. The Dubai Stock Exchange provides its members with one-stop solution to trading, clearing, and settlement through the fully electronic AtosEuronext Market Solutions NSC system. The Exchange does not require members to use a specific trading terminal, as a technical connection is offered. The trading on the DIFX is operated through an anonymous hybrid system that combines order-driven systems with market making. Each member trading on the Dubai International Financial Exchange platform must either be a Clearing member of the DIFX or have relationship with a DIFX Clearing Member firm. It is the first exchange in its region that has been created to list securities from many different countries. The Dubai Stock Exchange provides an opportunity for international investors to invest in the Middle East, North and South Africa, Turkey, Central Asia, and the Indian sub continent. To attract foreign investment, the DIFX's preferred trading currency is US dollar. In addition, the Dubai International Financial Exchange also has the capability to trade in Euros and Sterling on request. Unlike other independent exchanges in the region, the DIFX does not have limits on foreign ownership. The Dubai International Financial Exchange intends to bridge the gap between the Middle East markets and the markets in London, Singapore and Hong Kong.

About the Tokyo Stock Exchange

The Tokyo Stock exchange is one of the more important world exchanges, trading an average of 1,540 million shares per day. It is one of five exchanges in Japan, but with 2,276 companies listed, the Tokyo Stock Exchange is by far the largest. Most of the TSE's listings are domestic, although it also trades shares for 30 international companies.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange uses an electronic, continuous auction system of trading. This means that brokers place orders online and when a buy and sell price match, the trade is automatically executed. Deals are made directly between buyer and seller, rather than through a market maker. The TSE uses price controls so that the price of a stock cannot rise or fall below a certain point throughout the day. These controls are used to prevent dramatic swings in prices that may lead to market uncertainty or stock crashes. If a major swing in price occurs, the exchange can stop trading on that stock for a specified period of time.

Stocks listed on the TSE are assigned to one of three markets: the First Section, Second Section, or Mothers (market of the high-growth and emerging stocks). The highest listing criteria must be met for the First Section and all newly listed stocks begin on the Second Section, with less strict requirements. Stocks for high growth, emerging companies are listed on the Mothers market. The exchange undergoes a review at the end of each year, where the decision of whether any stocks will be moved either up or down is made. The First Section currently has the most companies, with 1,595 listings.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange also has a significant market for derivatives, which has been operating for twenty years. The TSE lists futures and options in indexes, equities, and Japanese government bonds.

Hong Kong Stock Exchange

Although the trade of securities began in the middle of the 19th c., Hong Kong Stock Exchange was established at the end of the century. Today with its total securities market capitalization of a record sum of HK$ 8,260.3 billion (US$ 1,063.9 trillion), the HKSE ranks 8th place by market capitalization in the world.

The HKSE has 4338 stocks listed on the exchange with the market turnover of HK$4,520.4 billion (US$ 0,582.2 trillion) in 2005. The turnover increased by 14% from the previous year. Local institutional and retail investors are the main contributors of market turnover (56%). The exchange also has a leading derivatives market in the Asia-Pacific region with the daily turnover of 103.332 contracts per day that has increased by even 30% from 2004.

In 2000, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong Futures Exchange Limited together with Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited merged under a single exchange HKEx. HKEx listed its shares on the stock exchange in June 2000.

The trading system of the Exchange is an order-driven system. HKEx securities market operates on two trading platforms - the Main Board and the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM). Each trading platform has a different set of requirements. The Main Board is the market for capital growth by established companies that meet profit requirements. Meanwhile, the Growth Enterprise Market provides a fund raising venue for 'high growth, high risk' companies. It promotes the development of technology industries and venture capital investments.

In October 2000, HKEx developed a trading system AMS/3 consisting of four components - Trading Terminal, Multi-Workstation System ('MWS'), Broker Supplied System ('BSS'), and Order Routing System ('ORS') that investors can choose among. The ORS allows investors to place requests electronically. In addition to trading through terminals in the Trading Hall, exchange participants are enabled to trade from their offices through installed off-floor terminals.

The HKSE has the leading index the Hang Seng for shares traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that was introduced in 1969. The Hang Seng index consisting of the 33 largest companies traded on the exchange represent around 70% of the value of all stocks traded on the HKSE.

About the NASDAQ

The NASDAQ, an acronym for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, is an electronic stock exchange with 3,300 company listings. It currently has a greater trading volume than any other U.S. exchange, making approximately 1.8 billion trades per day. The NYSE is still considered the biggest exchange because its market capitalisation far exceeds that of the NASDAQ. The NASDAQ trades shares in a variety of companies, but is well known for being a high-tech exchange, trading many new, high growth, and volatile stocks. This is partially due to the fact that the listing fees on the NASDAQ are significantly lower than those for the NYSE, with the maximum price only $150,000. The NASDAQ is a publicly owned company, trading its shares on its own exchange under the ticker symbol NDAQ.

The NASDAQ, as an electronic exchange, has no physical trading floor, but makes all its trades through a computer and telecommunications system. The exchange is a dealers' market, meaning brokers buy and sell stocks through a market maker rather than from each other. A market maker deals in a particular stock and holds a certain number of stocks on his own books so that when a broker wants to purchase shares, he can purchase them directly from the market maker.

Since there is no trading floor where the NASDAQ operates, the stock exchange built the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York's Times Square to create a physical presence. The tower has a large outdoor electronic display, giving current financial information 24 hours a day. The company also has a studio here where it broadcasts financial market updates.

For a stock to be listed on the NASDAQ National Market, the company must meet certain strict financial criteria. For example, they must maintain a stock price of at least $1, and the total value of outstanding stocks must be at least $1.1 million. However the NASDAQ also has a market for smaller companies unable to meet these and other requirements, called the NASDAQ Small Caps Market. NASDAQ will move companies from one market to the other as their eligibility changes.