Securities registered with the Norwegian Central Securities Depository, Q3 2007

The total share values of foreign companies registered with VPS increased by 60 per cent in the last twelve months, mainly because of a positive development in shipping- and offshore activities. Entry of new companies, issues of shares in existing companies and substantial price increase in shipping- and offshore shares, raised the share values by more than NOK 100 billion in the twelve months period. So far in 2007, foreign investors have net purchased shares registered with VPS for NOK 46.2 billions of which NOK 19.7 billions are in foreign companies.

Stock market down in the third quarter

Due partly to growing instability in the international financial markets, share values amounting to NOK 44.4 billions disappeared in the companies registered with VPS during the third quarter of 2007. By the end of August, the share values were down by 5.2 per cent since the end of the second quarter, but a recovery in the stock market in September reduced the total fall of share values to 1.7 per cent at the end of the quarter.

The turbulence in the financial markets influenced the share prices on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE). The OSE all-share index decreased by 2.0 per cent in the third quarter. Measured in market values, the stocks of shares registered with the Norwegian Central Securities Depositary amounted to NOK 2534.8 at the end of the period, divided into NOK 2131.3 billion in quoted shares and NOK 403.5 billion in unquoted shares. Foreigners increased their ownership by 0.5 per cent in the period, and now own 38.8 per cent of the stocks of shares registered in the Norwegian Central Securities Depositary.

Stocks of interest bearing securities registered with the Norwegian Central Securities Depositary increased in the third quarter of 2007. The stock of bonds increased by 3.3 per cent, to NOK 766.6 billion, and the stock of short-term securities increased by 17.9 per cent, to NOK 114.9 billion.