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Tel Aviv Stock Exchange

Organized trading in securities in Israel dates back to the 1930s. The development of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange's trading systems reflects the gradual growth of the country's capital market - initially, as a very modest one during the British Mandate, with a colonial economy based mainly on agriculture - to the market of an independent young country influenced by a socialist tradition calling for a planned economy.

Later, during the first three decades of Statehood, until 1977, most of the capital market's activity centered on the trading of government bonds; trading in shares was sparse - in terms of the number of companies being listed as well as the volume of trading generated by their shares.

The Semi-Continuous System

The 100 most liquid shares ("mishtanim") are traded within a semi-continuous auction system, in three trading arenas, between the hours of 11:30 and 15:45. Trading is held without its participation of market makers or a central book of limit orders.

The Computerized Call Market

Since June 1992, all securities other than the 100 most liquid shares are traded via the Computerized Call Market (CMM) System. This system was introduced in September 1991, when it was used on an experimental basis for 30 securities. In December 1994, all (approximately 1,200 including MERETZ) shares, warrants and convertible debentures and 400 bonds were being traded via this system.

Trading in Options on the Maof-25 Index

Since August 1993, options on the Maof-25 Index, the index of the twenty five shares with the highest market value, have also been traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The traded options are of both the call and the put types, and they may be exercised only on their expiration date ("European Options"). The longest exercise period is four months, and low exercise price options are also traded (LEPO).

Source: Trading Systems On The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
by: Saul Bronfeld, TASE Managing Director


A further discussion of the this article.
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Web site is located at www.tase.co.il.


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