TOKYO, July 17 (Reuters) - Japan’s Daiwa Securities Group Inc (8601.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to tie up with Brazil’s Banco Itau (ITAU4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in asset management, investment banking and broking as part of its strategy to further expand outside the Japanese market.

Daiwa has been taking steps to build up its operations outside the Japanese market, where it still generates 90 percent of its sales. The prospects for growth in Japan are limited given a mature economy and shrinking population.

Daiwa’s focus has been on Asia. In the past month it has announced plans to raise its stake in Vietnam’s Saigon Securities SSI.HM, buy convertible bonds in Taiwan’s Neo Solar Power Corp and invest in a fund targeting Chinese companies.

But Brazil has also been on its radar because of its rapidly growing economy and the high level of interest among Daiwa’s Japanese clients in Brazilian stocks and bonds.

Daiwa signed a memorandum of understanding in May with Itau to form an alliance and has since been talking with Brazil’s second-biggest private-sector bank on the details, according to Daiwa spokesman Hiroharu Misawa.

As a first step in the alliance, Daiwa said it would launch a mutual fund investing in Brazilian bonds and another fund targeting regional shares. Itau will advise on what to put in the funds, while Daiwa will use its network to market them in Japan.

Other possible areas of cooperation include investment banking, stock broking, research and personnel exchanges.

Daiwa could, for example, work with Itau to advise on cross-border mergers involving Japanese and Brazilian companies or use the alliance to help the growing number of Japanese companies active in Brazil tap local markets for funds.

Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) announced this week that it would build a new plant in the country while Nippon Steel Corp (5401.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Japan’s top steelmaker, is considering buying more shares in Brazilian affiliate Usiminas (USIM5.SA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Source: Reuters 17.07.2008 See full article

Global market data provider Tenfore has expanded its global coverage with the addition of comprehensive “Level Two” market data1 for four Asian and Pacific markets. Gordon Bloor, CEO of Tenfore said: “The addition of New Zealand, The Philippines, Bursa Malaysia and Thailand reflects investment trends with investors seeking new opportunities, with a particular focus on the Far East. Full article click here.

Source: Tenfore 16.07.2008

India’s Financial Technologies announces plans for the new exchange just weeks after a similar initiative was revealed in Hong Kong, underlining the continued competition between the two trading hubs.

Extracts:

The announcement comes only two weeks after a group of private individuals said that they will be setting up a commodities exchange in Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2009.

The plan is to offer trading in a wide range of commodities from day one. While the specific contracts have yet to be decided and will depend on feedback from the market between now and the launch, they will fall into five categories – basic metals, precious metals, energy, agriculture and exotics (which include things like freight rates and carbon credits) – with each category having at least one contract at launch, according to Shah. The exchange, called the Singapore Mercantile Exchange (SMX), will also offer trading in commodity indices and currency pairs.

This is a different approach than that taken by the Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange, which will start off with just one futures contract focusing on fuel oil and gradually expand its product offering from there. This approach makes sense when considering that the HKMEx is backed by oil trading company Titan Petrochemicals and that the main initiative for the exchange comes from Titan’s former deputy chairman, albeit with the support of several international investment banks, large Chinese enterprises and the Hong Kong government.  Full and original text

Source: FinanceAsia by Anette Jonsson 11.07.08

ETFs are funds listed and traded on stock exchanges, which are commonly referred to as “listed investment trusts” in Japanese. Like stocks, investors can trade ETFs on stock exchanges through securities companies.

ETFs aim for “asset management linked to specified stock price indexes, etc.,” and as such, have the quality of very closely tracking the market prices of the underlying stock price index, etc.

“NEXT　FUNDS　Ibovespa Linked Exchange Traded Fund” ETF managed by Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd. and the “Daiwa ETF・TOPIX-17″ , a group of 17 ETFs managed by Daiwa Asset Management Co. Ltd., are slated to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on July 17, 2008, and July 23, 2008, respectively.

・ETF management company websites:

NEXT　FUNDS　Ibovespa Linked Exchange Traded Fund
Nomura Asset Management Co.,Ltd.

Daiwa ETF TOPIX-17
Daiwa Asset Management Co.Ltd.

In its medium term management plan, the TSE set a goal of 100 ETFs listed on the TSE within the next three years. We will continue to make efforts to diversify our ETF lineup in order to live up to the expectations of investors.

Source: TSE June 26,2008

SunGard has integrated its SunGard Transaction Network (STN) with Japan-based trading hub, MetaBit.

Update June 16: Bolsas y Mercados Espanoles takes stake in Bolsa Mexicana de Valores

BMV IPO prospectus June 13, 2008

Update June 13: Mexican stock exchange IPO might draw partners

MEXICO CITY, May 21 (Reuters) - Mexico’s stock exchange said on Wednesday it expects to raise 4.6 billion pesos ($440 million) in an initial public offering of its own shares in June.

Bourse chief Guillermo Prieto said the exchange aimed to price the shares on June 12 and begin trading the next day.

“The Mexican market has great development potential and this should give it an extra push,” he told a news conference……read full story by Reuters, By Michael O’Boyle and Lizbeth Salazar 21.05.2008

LOS ANGELES May 21, 2008 (Menafn - MarketWatch) — Mexico’s stock exchange operator says it’s ready to go public in its home market and in the U.S. next month in an offering that could raise as much as 4.6 billion pesos, or about $444 million.

Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, or BMV, said in a preliminary prospectus released Wednesday that it plans for 121 million shares to be sold in Mexico and for 158 million shares, including an over-allotment option, to be sold in the U.S.

The price range for the shares is 14 pesos ($1.35) to 19 pesos. The exchange foresees pricing to occur on June 12, with trading to begin in the following session.

“When a stock exchange becomes public, it gives lot of [investment] credibility for the country and mainly for the exchange,” said Victoria Saddi, senior Latin American economist at RGE Monitor, who said the low price of the shares should be attractive to foreign investors… read full story, Menafn - MarketWatch, By Carla Mozee, 21.05.2008

Ho Chi Minh City, May 31st - 5 exchanges join for a Listing panel to offer Vietnamese
companies a comparative insight listings requierments and opportunities abroad.

Tokyo Stock Exchange, Bursa Malaysia, Cairo & Alexandria Exchange, OMX Nasdaq and London Stock Exchange will come together on one stage and openly discuss their competitive advantages to attract Vietnamese companies to list on their floors.

This rare gathering is part of the annual Asian Traders and Investor Convention in Vietnam. The event is organized by TheNextView and is expected to attract 10′000 visitors.

As Stephen Lai CEO of TheNextView  (a Singapore based company) explained: “We have invite directors of all the local listed companies, especially those with strong business plan with viable investment projects, to come to listen to the senior representatives of overseas stock exchanges explain how they have simplified listing rules and processess for Vietnamese companies.

This is a unique opportunity to compare the listing conditions between exchanges when they are all in the same room at the same time!

There are many good reasons why CEOs of listed companies should consider co-listing in overseas stock exchanges, let me just name three here.

• Co listing means you can tap more easily into world capital markets
• It’s easier for foreigners to invest in a co-listed stock than it is to invest directly in Vietnam
• Co-listing makes the company available to overseas retail investors rather than just fund managers

He further added “TheNextViews mission is to connect the key stakeholders within Asia’s financial eco-system, i.e. securities exchanges, securities companies, fund managers, listed companies, and private investors, to form a powerful investment network.”

FiNETIK Partners May 31st, 2008
www.finetik.com

Singapore Exchange will be launching the SGX MSCI Asia APEX 50 Index futures on
21 May 2008, 10.00am. The underlying index captures the performance of the 50 largest
and most liquid stocks in the Asia ex-Japan region covering China (H-shares and Red Chips), Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.

Source: SGX, 18.05.2008

BMV (Bolsa Mexican de Valores) announced the launch of IMeBZ (Indice Mexico Brazil) composed of the top 20 prestigouse Mexican and Brazilen companies. Currently BMV only provides the valuation, which as of May 8th has a 6.94% growth since January 1, 2008.

The IMeBz index is based on prices of 10 companies from each country that are among the most-traded and have the highest market capitalization, Zorrilla said in an interview in Mexico City. The exchange is now providing an end-of-day quote for the index, and will add intra-day pricing shortly, he said.

The Mexican exchange is seeking to take advantage of the gains in the two countries’ stock exchanges, the best-performing this year among Latin America’s five largest markets. The benchmark indexes of the two bourses have advanced more than 6 percent each, compared with a 4.1 percent decline this year so far for the Standard & Poor’s 500 index of U.S. shares.

“In Latin America, Brazil and Mexico have had a very positive performance, and we feel there’s interest in an index like this,” Zorrilla said. “Soon there could be products based on it.”

The index calculation start date is 31.12.2004 and  is composed of the following consitituents (10 Mexican and 10 Brazilian companies) Vale do Rio Doce, Banco Bradesco, Banco Itau, Petroleo Brasileiro, Wal-Mart de México, América Móvil, Cementos Mexicanos, Teléfonos de México, Grupo México, Gerdau, Grupo Televisa, Fomento Económico Mexicano,  Grupo Financiero Banorte, Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo, Tele Norte Leste Participacoes, Empresas ICA, Corporación Geo, Unibanco-Uniao de Bancos Brasileiros, Brasil Telecom Participacoes y Time Participacoes.

The official listing date is still pending.

Source, Bloomberg, 15.05.2008

The Brazilian clearning and depository corporation (CLBC) and European EuroClear have signed a MOU (Memorandgum Of Understanding) to provide cross training and exchange of improvement of cleaeing and settlement services. For details click here.

CLBC, 14.05.2008

The Asia Trader & Investor Convention (ATIC) is the largest platform for Asia’s local investors and traders. An average of 6000 visitors gather in different cities to learn and be educated about the latest strategies, products and services offered by local and international Exchanges, Brokerage Firms, Banks, Asset Management Firms, Information Service Vendors and other financial service providers.

Ho Chi Min City, 31 May - 1 June 2008
Mumbai, 12-13 April, 2008
Kuala Lumpur, 22-23 March, 2008
Singapore, 1-2 March,2008
Bangkok, 12-13 January

Presentaciones en Español del FPL Program Office, New York 17.04.2008

- Tendencias de la contratación electrónica en Europa
- Tendencias de la contratación electrónica en Asia
- Tendencias de la contratación electrónica en Estados Unidos de America
- Tendencias de la contratación electrónica en Latinamerica
- El FIX Protocol:Las ventajas que presenta al operador de bolsa latinoamericano
- Comercialización en Latinoamérica
- Compensación y liquidación en Latinoamérica
- Clearing and Depository Corporation de Brasil
- Contratación algorítmicay DMA (acceso directo al mercado) en Latinoamérica
- El Protocolo FIX : Guía para la Implementación
- El FAST Protocol: Optimización de comunicaciones de información financiera
- FIX.5.0 y FIXT.1.1: Guía para la implementación
- Contratacióncon algoritmos FIX Lenguajede definición
- Mercados de Mercaderías de Fuentes Energéticas Alternativas - Mercado de Carbón
- Mercados de Mercaderías de Fuentes Energéticas Alternativas - Etanol

Apresentação em Português de FPL Program Office, New York

-Mercado Europeu de Negociação Eletrônica: Tendências Emergentes
-Tendênciasda Transação Eletrônica na Ásia
-Tendênciasda Transação Eletrônica na Ámericano
-O Mercado de Negociação Eletrônica:Tendências na América Latina
-Protocolo FIX: As Vantagens que Ele Apresenta ao Comércio Latino-americano
-Atividades de Negociaçãona América Latina
-Serviços de Compensação & Liquidação na América Latina
-Companhia Brasileirade Liquidação e Custódia
-Transação Algorítmica e DMA na América Latina
-Protocolo FIX: Guia de Implantação
-Protocolo FAST:Otimizando a Comunicação de Informações Financeiras
-FIX.5.0 e FIXT.1.1: Guia para Implementação
-Linguagem de Definiçãodo FIX para Transações Algorítmicas
-Energia Alternativa Mercados de Mercadorias – Mercado de Carbono
-O Mercado de Commodities de Energia Alternativa - Álcool

English Presentations by the FPL Program Office, New York 17.04.2008

-The Electronic Trading Market: Emerging Trends -Europe
-The Electronic Trading Market: Emerging Trends –Asia Pacific
-The Electronic Trading Market: Emerging Trends –North America
-The Electronic Trading Market: Emerging Trends –Latin America
-The FIX Protocol: The Advantages it Presents to the Latin American Trader
-Clearing & Settlement in Latin America Clearing & Settlement in Latin America
-Brazilian Clearing and Depository Corporation
-The FIX Protocol: A Guide to Implementation
-Implementing FIX
-The FAST ProtocolOptimising the Communication of Financial Information
-FIX.5.0 and FIXT.1.1 Guide to Implementation
-The FIX Algorithmic Trading Definition Language(FIXatdl): A Technical Introduction
-Alternative Energy Commodities Markets– Carbon Market
-The Alternative Energy Commodities Market - Ethanol Market