The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI)™ Continues to Improve
Date: 2/8/2010
The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI)™ rose in January for the fifth consecutive month. The index now stands at 93.2, up 1 percent from December's 92.3, but still down 0.7 percent compared to January 2009.
"The continued rise in the ETI makes us more optimistic that job growth will resume in the first quarter of 2010," said Gad Levanon, Associate Director, Macroeconomic Research at The Conference Board. "The improvement is widespread across all eight components. In particular, Friday's large decline in the number of involuntary part-time workers was the first time this component showed a strong signal of improvement."
January's rise in the ETI was driven by positive contributions from six of its eight components: Percentage of Respondents Who Say They Find "Jobs Hard to Get," Number of Temporary Employees, Part-Time Workers for Economic Reasons, Job Openings, Industrial Production, and Real Manufacturing and Trade Sales.
The Employment Trends Index aggregates eight labor-market indicators, each of which has proven accurate in its own area. Aggregating individual indicators into a composite index filters out so-called "noise" to show underlying trends more clearly.
The eight labor-market indicators aggregated into the Employment Trends Index include:
Percentage of Respondents Who Say They Find "Jobs Hard to Get" (The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Survey®)
Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance (U.S. Department of Labor)
Percentage of Firms With Positions Not Able to Fill Right Now (© National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation)
Number of Employees Hired by the Temporary-Help Industry (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Part-Time Workers for Economic Reasons (BLS)
Job Openings (BLS)
Industrial Production (Federal Reserve Board)
Real Manufacturing and Trade Sales (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)
The Conference Board publishes the Employment Trends Index monthly, at 10 a.m. ET on the Monday that follows each Friday release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics employment situation report. The technical notes to this series are available on The technical notes are included here.
NASDAQ OMX Announces Fourth Quarter 2009 Results
Date: 2/8/2010
New York, N.Y.-The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. ("NASDAQ OMX®"; NASDAQ: NDAQ) today reported net income attributable to NASDAQ OMX of $43 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2009 compared with net income attributable to NASDAQ OMX of $60 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2009, and net income attributable to NASDAQ OMX of $35 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2008. Net income attributable to NASDAQ OMX for the full year of 2009 was $266 million, or $1.25 per diluted share.
Included in fourth quarter of 2009 results are:
$51 million of impairment charges related to unconsolidated investees, net of tax;
$16 million in pre-tax expenses associated with occupancy sub-lease reserves, workforce reductions, and other non-recurring items; and
$12 million of pre-tax gains on the sales of certain businesses.
Excluding the above items net income attributable to NASDAQ OMX calculated on a non-GAAP basis was $99 million, compared with non-GAAP net income attributable to NASDAQ OMX of $89 million for the third quarter of 2009 and $110 million for the fourth quarter of 2008. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per common share were $0.46 for the fourth quarter of 2009 compared with non-GAAP diluted earnings per common share of $0.42 for the third quarter of 2009 and $0.52 for the fourth quarter of 2008.
"We've accomplished much in the past year, completing our integration efforts and furthering the diversity of our revenue model through growth in market technology, in European derivative trading, and in fee based services," commented Bob Greifeld, NASDAQ OMX's Chief Executive Officer. "Today we are a more efficient operator with better financial flexibility, placing us in a strong position to lever our expertise in trading technology, clearing, data distribution, and corporate services. The changing dynamics of our industry are providing numerous growth opportunities and our technology leadership leaves us well positioned to swiftly capitalize on those changes to expand our business."
(For more details, please visit: http://ir.nasdaqomx.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=443368.)
NASDAQ OMX Launches INET Trading System Across Its Seven Markets in the Nordics and Baltics
Date: 2/8/2010
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb 8, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) reports today that it successfully rolled out the INET trading system in all seven of its equities markets in the Nordics (Copenhagen, Helsinki, Iceland and Stockholm) and the Baltics (Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius).
The INET trading platform is currently operating the NASDAQ Stock Market in U.S. and the company's London-based MTF, NASDAQ OMX Europe, and as of today will be utilized in all NASDAQ OMX equities markets across the world.
Hans-Ole Jochumsen, President NASDAQ OMX Nordic said, "This trading system shift is one of the biggest infrastructural changes in the history of the Nordic and Baltic equities markets. With INET in place we can offer investors access to the world's fastest and most scalable trading system. This will allow us to grow volumes and liquidity, which benefits all investors and ultimately the regional economies. It will enable us as an exchange and the Nordics and Baltic regions to better compete in Europe's increasingly competitive trading environment."
NASDAQ OMX's INET technology is the most efficient and scalable trading platform in the world, with microsecond speeds, and high reliability and capacity. The INET system is capable of handling one million messages per second at sub-250 microsecond average speeds, the fastest of any exchange or alternative trading system in the world. INET also serves as the backbone for GENIUM, NASDAQ OMX's commercial exchange technology offering.
Anna Ewing, CIO at NASDAQ OMX commented, "Combining all our exchanges on a single trading platform was one of the key goals when we merged, and now we are able to fully leverage significant economies of scale. Moving our seven exchanges to one platform in a single roll-out is an accomplishment that is unrivaled in the exchange space, and we are delighted to now be able to offer this world-leading technology on our Nordic and Baltic markets."
CBOE Launches New, Customizable CBOE.com Website
Date: 2/8/2010
CHICAGO, February 8, 2010 - The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) today announced it has re-launched its award-winning website, www.CBOE.com. The new site features faster navigation, richer content and customized features for different types of options investors.
Site enhancements include simplified navigation that guides user groups through the most relevant site content, an interactive Education Center featuring new programs, and a customizable "myCBOE" feature.
"CBOE's new website builds on the previous success of CBOE.com, which I'm pleased to say is recognized as the definitive source for comprehensive options information and education," CBOE Chairman and CEO William J. Brodsky said. "The new enhancements underscore our ongoing commitment to provide state-of-the-art options education for options investors of every level."
The new CBOE.com includes expanded educational content provided by the CBOE Options Institute, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary. New features in the Education Center include Options Institute Plus, a comprehensive, guided option education program that helps students of all knowledge levels improve their options investment skills; three state-of-the-art virtual trading tools that let investors test their trading strategies; and OptionQuestSM, an online game that challenges investors' options knowledge and helps them sharpen their trading skills. In addition, the Education Center provides an interactive "Education Snapshot" tool that lets visitors automatically monitor their educational progress.
Other new features at CBOE.com include an enhanced "myCBOE" module, which allows users to personalize their information and to display their favorite features, such as quotes and calendars, on one easy-to-access page.
The site also now includes an improved quotes section that incorporates advanced charts, market news and a comprehensive view of stock and option "most actives" and "gainers/losers." Additionally, a new Equity Research Center provides corporate earnings announcements, webcasts, analyst revisions, and dividends and guidance information and allows investors to input and monitor personal portfolio information.
CBOE.com has received "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes successively since the inception of the award in 2001.
CME Group Inc. Names Slate of Director Nominees
Date: 2/8/2010
CHICAGO, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CME Group today announced its slate of candidates for election to serve on the company's Board of Directors. CME Group shareholders will vote for directors at the company's annual meeting to be held Wednesday, May 5, 2010.
The Class A and Class B shareholders voting together will elect nine candidates to the Board. Additionally, the Class B-1 and Class B-3 shareholders will each elect a candidate to the Board. The candidates will be elected to a three-year term.
The following candidates will be elected by the Class A and Class B shareholders voting together:
Terrence A. Duffy, 51, CME Group Executive Chairman and current director
Charles P. Carey, 56, CME Group Vice Chairman and current director
Mark E. Cermak, 58, Director, Execution Services, Fortis Clearing Americas LLC and current director
Joseph Niciforo, 49, Chairman, Pia Capital Management and current director
C.C. Odom II, 67, Independent Member/Trader; Sole Proprietor, Odom Investments and Argent Venture Capital and current director
Martin J. Gepsman, 57, Independent Broker and Trader and current director
Leo Melamed, 77, CME Group Chairman Emeritus; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Melamed and Associates, Inc. and current director
John F. Sandner, 68, CME Group Retired Chairman of the Board; Chairman, E*Trade Futures, LLC and current director
Dennis A. Suskind, 67, Retired Partner - Goldman, Sachs & Co. and current director
One candidate from each of the following Class B-1 and Class B-3 nominees will be elected to the Board.
Nominees for Class B-1 director are:
James S. Ginsburg, 49, Managing Partner, Vernon and Park Partners
Howard J. Siegel, 53, Independent Trader and current director
Nominees for Class B-3 director are:
Gregory J. Heraty, 51, Partner, Devonshire Partners LLC
Gary M. Katler, 63, Vice President, Fortis Clearing Americas LLC and current director
Treasury Releases Build America Bonds Update
Date: 2/8/2010
WASHINGTON – As part of the effort to increase transparency in government and maintain accountability of funds allocated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), the Treasury Department today provided another comprehensive update on issuances of the Build America Bonds program, including state-by-state data. The Build America Bonds program is a new financing tool created by the Recovery Act to allow state and local governments to obtain much-needed funding, at lower borrowing costs, for projects such as construction of schools and hospitals, development of transportation infrastructure, and water and sewer upgrades.
Build America Bonds are designed to appeal to a broader set of investors than traditional tax-exempt bonds. Under the Build America Bonds program, the Treasury Department makes a direct payment to the state or local governmental issuer in an amount equal to 35 percent of the interest payment on the Build America Bonds. Potential investors include pension funds that traditionally do not hold tax exempt bonds and foreign investors. These investors have been important additions to the market for municipal debt.
The Obama Administration’s FY 2011 budget proposes to make Build America Bonds permanent with a 28 percent subsidy rate that is estimated to be revenue neutral. The budget also proposes expanding the eligible uses of Build America Bonds, allowing them to support financing for nonprofits and a wider range of municipal borrowing.
“Expanding and making permanent this successful Recovery Act program will provide certainty and improve the long term functioning of the municipal bonds market,” said Alan B. Krueger, Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the Treasury Department.
Early market reception for Build America Bonds has been very positive. Between the program launch on April 3, 2009 and January 31, 2010:
· There have been $70.8 billion in Build America Bond issuances;
· Build America Bonds now constitute about 19.2 percent of the municipal bonds market; and
· There have been a total of 834 separate issues of Build American Bonds by local or state governments in 47 states.
The data contained in this report are compiled by the Department of the Treasury using data available from Bloomberg and are not based on filings with the Internal Revenue Service.
NYSE Euronext Names Robert G. Scott to its Board of Directors
Date: 2/8/2010
February 8, 2010 – NYSE Euronext (NYX) today announced that Robert G. Scott, former President and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley, has been appointed as an independent member of the Company’s Board of Directors, effective February 4, 2010, subject to regulatory approval. Mr. Scott has also been appointed to the Audit Committee.
Mr. Scott was formerly President, COO and a Director of Morgan Stanley, a global financial services firm with leading franchises in institutional and retail securities and credit services until December 2003, and he continues as an advisory director of the company. Mr. Scott was named CFO of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter at the time of the merger between Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter and became president and COO in 2001.
"Bob is an outstanding addition to our Board,” said Jan-Michiel Hessels. “His broad experience and successful career in financial services will be strong assets to our organization. My fellow directors and I welcome Bob and look forward to working with him."
Mr. Scott joined Morgan Stanley in 1970 and became a managing director in 1979. Prior to the merger of Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter, Mr. Scott held a number of positions with worldwide responsibility including, director of investment banking from 1994 to 1996, director of corporate finance from 1992 to 1994 and director of capital market services from 1985 to 1992.
Mr. Scott is a trustee of Williams College and a member of the Advisory Council of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Scott is currently a director of Genpact, a publicly traded business process outsourcing company located in India and a member of the board of trustees of the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Mr. Scott is a trustee of the Naples Children and Education Foundation.
He received his BA in economics from Williams College and his MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
NYSE Euronext Announces Trading Volumes for January 2010
Date: 2/8/2010
February 8, 2010 – NYSE Euronext (NYX) today announced trading volumes for its global derivatives and cash equities exchanges for January 2010[1]. Derivatives trading volumes in January 2010 were stronger, with European derivatives volumes increasing 32.4% and U.S. options trading volumes increasing 102.4% versus prior year. Cash equities trading volumes were mixed in January 2010, with European cash transactions increasing 4.1% and U.S. cash equities trading volumes declining 23.7% from prior year levels, respectively. Both European and U.S. cash trading volumes, however, increased from fourth quarter 2009 levels.
Highlights
NYSE Euronext European derivatives products average daily volume (“ADV”) in January 2010 of 5.1 million contracts increased 32.4% compared to January 2009 and increased 26.2% from December 2009. Total European interest rate products ADV in January 2010 of 2.7 million contracts increased 37.8% compared to January 2009 and increased 50.5% from December 2009. Interest rate product ADV is at the highest level since March of 2008. Total equity products ADV of 2.3 million contracts in January 2010 increased 26.9% compared to January 2009 and increased 6.0% from December 2009.
NYSE Group U.S. equity options (NYSE Arca and NYSE Amex) ADV of 4.2 million contracts in January 2010 increased 102.4% compared to January 2009 levels and increased 36.6% from December 2009. NYSE Group’s U.S. options exchanges accounted for 27.8% of the total consolidated equity options trading in January 2010, up from 17.4% in Janaury 2009 and 24.9% in December 2009, making NYSE Euronext the largest U.S. equity options exchange group in the industry in January 2010.
NYSE Euronext European cash products ADV of 1.4 million transactions in January 2010 increased 4.1% compared to January 2009, and increased 27.3% from December 2009. European cash estimated market share in terms of value traded was relatively stable.
NYSE Group (NYSE, NYSE Arca and NYSE Amex) U.S. cash products handled ADV of 2.7 billion shares in January 2010 decreased 23.7% compared to January 2009, but increased 16.5% compared to December 2009. NYSE Group matched share of all U.S. cash equity trading volume was 26.5% in January 2010. NYSE Group’s Tape A matched market share in January 2010 was 34.3%, down from 36.5% in December 2009.
There were a total of 20 trading days in Europe and 19 trading days in the U.S. in January 2010, compared to 21 trading days in Europe and 20 trading days in the U.S. in January 2009.
Derivatives Trading
European Derivatives
NYSE Euronext European derivatives products ADV in January 2010 was 5.1 million futures and options contracts, an increase of 32.4% from January 2009, and an increase of 26.2% from December 2009. The 5.1 million in futures and options contracts ADV in January 2010 consisted of 4.0 million contracts executed through our full-service LIFFE CONNECT trading platform and 1.1 million, or 20.9%, executed through Bclear, NYSE Liffe's trade administration and clearing service for OTC products. The 4.0 million contracts in ADV executed over LIFFE CONNECT was the highest level recorded since March of 2008.
Total interest rate products ADV of 2.7 million contracts in January 2010 increased 37.8% from January 2009, and increased 50.5% from December 2009. Total interest rate product ADV is at the highest level since March 2008.
Total equity products (including Bclear) ADV of 2.3 million contracts in January 2010 increased 26.9% compared to January 2009 and increased 6.0% compared to December 2009.
U.S. Derivatives
NYSE Group U.S. equity options (NYSE Arca and NYSE Amex) ADV of 4.2 million contracts in January 2010 increased 102.4% compared to January 2009, and increased 36.6% compared to December 2009.
Total U.S. consolidated options ADV increased 27.0% to 15.2 million contracts in January 2010 compared to January 2009 and increased 22.3% compared to December 2009.
NYSE Group’s U.S. options exchanges accounted for 27.8% of the total consolidated equity options trading in January 2010, up from 17.4% in January 2009 and 24.9% in December 2009, making NYSE Euronext the largest U.S. equity options exchange group in January 2010.
NYSE Euronext U.S. futures and futures options (NYSE Liffe U.S. ) ADV in January 2010 was approximately 22,000 contracts compared to 20,000 contracts in December 2009.
Cash Trading
European Cash
NYSE Euronext European cash products ADV of 1.4 million transactions in January 2010 increased 4.1%, compared to January 2009, and increased 27.3% compared to December 2009. European cash estimated market share in terms of value traded was relatively stable.
U.S. Cash
NYSE Group U.S. cash products handled ADV in January 2010 decreased 23.7% to 2.7 billion shares compared to January 2009, but increased 16.5% from December 2009.
NYSE Group’s Tape A matched market share in January 2010 was 34.3%, down from 36.5% in December 2009.
Designated Market Maker participation in January 2010 was 8.8%, compared to 8.3% in December 2009. Supplemental Liquidity Provider participation in January 2010 was 11.1%, compared to 10.3% in December 2009. DMM and SLP participation pertain only to trading on NYSE.
Exchange Traded Products
NYSE Group matched exchange-traded products ADV (included in volumes for Tape B and Tape C) of 347 million shares in January 2010 decreased 35.2% compared to January 2009, but increased 38.8% compared to December 2009.
NYSE Technologies Selected to Build Technology Solution for ASEAN Exchange Network
Date: 2/8/2010
February 8, 2010 - NYSE Technologies and four leading ASEAN equities exchanges-Bursa Malaysia (BM), the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), Singapore Exchange (SGX) and the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET)-today during the 10th ASEAN Exchanges CEO's Meeting in Manila signed a Letter of Intent that designates NYSE Technologies as the solutions provider for the ASEAN Trading Link. The award marks a significant first step towards the establishment of an integrated ASEAN Capital Market.
NYSE Technologies was selected after the exchanges conducted a rigorous process to determine the technology services provider best suited to work with the exchanges to design, build and manage the technology solution required for the ASEAN Trading Link.
Once complete, the ASEAN Trading Link will electronically interconnect the participating ASEAN exchanges to facilitate cross border order routing and trading, thereby allowing investors and members to access multiple ASEAN markets from their domicile country. This innovative trading network will enable participating ASEAN Exchanges to connect to external order routing networks in order to attract new order flows into the ASEAN equities market.
"My colleagues at NYSE Euronext and I greatly value the opportunity to provide our leading-edge technology and proven expertise to this historic initiative in an increasingly important part of the world," said Duncan L. Niederauer, Chief Executive Officer, NYSE Euronext. "The ASEAN Trading Link will strengthen the competitiveness of the member exchanges and enable them to better serve their customers. National and regional interest will be well served by giving investors greater access to global capital to facilitate new development, growth and wealth creation."
The Philippine Stock Exchange's President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Francisco Edralin Lim described the appointment of NYSE Technologies as a significant milestone achieved towards realising the Exchange Alliance strategic framework that supports the establishment of an integrated ASEAN Capital Markets. "As the host of the 10th ASEAN Exchanges CEOs Meeting and on behalf of the participating Exchanges, I am pleased to announce the selection of NYSE Technologies as the vendor of choice for the ASEAN Trading Link," Mr. Lim said. "NYSE Technologies brings to the table vast experience in the Exchange solutions business and we are confident that they will deliver cutting edge solutions that meet all our requirements. We are also excited about the possibilities of leveraging their extensive order routing networks to bring order flow into the ASEAN markets."
The NYSE Technologies' ASEAN Trading Link Solution
Underpinning the NYSE Technologies' solution will be a resilient networking infrastructure that will interconnect the ASEAN member exchange's and, through the exchanges, their respective communities;
The solution will include services that leverage this network to provide integrated market data feeds from all the participating markets and a standardized entry point for trading;
State-of-the-art risk management and controls will ensure orderly and cost effective expansion of the ASEAN Trading Link markets;
The solution will integrate with the global SFTI community, giving NYSE Technologies' STFI members streamlined and cost effective access to trading in the ASEAN Trading Link markets.