YEREVAN, January 20./ARKA/. The value of Armenia’s stock market surged by 15.68% last year from 2012 to 61.7 billion drams, the head of NASDAQ OMX Armenia stock exchange, Konstantin Saroyan, said today.

Overall, 1.4 9 billion drams worth transactions with shares of 7 issuers were effected, by 2.6 times more than in 2012.

Also 153 transactions with corporate bonds were committed in 2013 worth a total of 1.94 billion drams, almost 4-fold of 2012.  Some 95.3 percent of the deals were trading in foreign currency denominated bonds.

The number of REPO transactions last year dropped from the previous one, however, the amount of 11 deals rose to 943 million drams, by 2.5 times more than in 2012.

The amount of trading in government bonds rose by 3.6 percent from the year before to 15.1 billion drams. More than half of that amount came from trading in mid-term government bonds, long–term bonds accounted for almost 44 percent and the rest were short-term bonds.

The amount in trading was equal to AMD 293.5 billion or $714.5 million – 3.6% less than the previous year’s result. Saroyan explained this decline by volatility at the market.

Besides, four issuers’ five bond issues were listed at the stock exchange and one issuer’s bonds were accepted to trading in 2013.

Speaking about the projects implemented in 2013, Saroyan singled out introduction of a new centralized depository system, calling it an achievement aimed at improvement of services.

As another achievement, he pointed out the launch of the currency swaps platform, which allows market participants to expand the range of services.

He also said that an information system for the obligatory accumulative pension system started operating in December 2013 to help future pensioners in choosing a company for running their money.

Saroyan stressed a high level of security as one of this system’s merits.

He also said that an account was opened for the Central Depository of Armenia in Clearstream Banking Luxemburg in December, and this allows Armenian investors and financial organizations provide services with foreign stocks.

In addition, comprehensive information about Armenia’s market was provided in Bloomberg and Тhomson Reuters international media outlets.

“Now Armenian Market page’s pilot project is launched in these resources,” Saroyan said adding that detailed and comprehensive information about corporate and government bonds, yields, foreign exchange rates etc. will make the Armenian market more available and attractive to foreign organizations’ dealers showing what instruments Armenia has. ($1 – 406.35) ---0---