NASDAQ OMX Stockholm lists options on XACT OMXS30™

– XACT OMXS30™, which was listed in 2000, is today among the most traded securities on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm, says Henrik Norén, Head of XACT. Trading in ETFs in Sweden has increased exponentially, from a turnover in 2001 of almost 1.8 billion SEK to just over 220 billion SEK last year. The fact that NASDAQ OMX Stockholm lists options on our exchange traded fund XACT OMXS30™ is further evidence of the popularity of our ETFs. The options will now open the possibility for further investment strategies with an ETF as base, which we believe will lead to an even greater interest for our largest ETF, says Henrik Norén.

– We are delighted that we for the first time are listing options on an exchange-traded fund, and thus offer private investors as well as institutions an additional investment opportunity, says Bjørn Sibbern, Senior Vice President, Nordic Equities at NASDAQ OMX. An investor can for example write options against the investors’ holdings in the ETF, known as covered call, or protect the investors’ holdings against market declines by buying put options.

The ETF options will be traded on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm’s derivatives market and similar to standardised equity options they will be settled by delivery of XACT OMXS30™. There will be options available for trading with the expiration date for the next three months, as well as options with expiration date in March, June, September and December with up to 12 months duration. Expiration is the third Friday of the month. The options are American-style, i.e they may be exercised at any time before expiry.

Handelsbanken Capital Markets is responsible for market making the options on XACT OMXS30™.