Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange are often viewed as Canada’s public equity markets but in truth, these markets offer much beyond Canada’s geographic borders – and more by the day.

We invest a significant amount of time bringing new listings to Canada’s capital markets from all over the world.  So far this year, 26 new international companies have listed on TSX and TSXV.  Combined, a record 295 international companies are now listed on our exchanges.

Canadians invest in the world through TSX and TSXV issuers and these companies represent a wide variety of investment opportunities.  The United States is the largest source of international listings on our exchanges, followed by China, and other markets including Australia, Central and South America.  As an example, earlier today we were pleased to announce the listing of a Columbian energy giant, Ecopetrol S.A., on TSX (TSX:ECP).  Ecopetrol is Colombia’s largest company by market capitalization on the Bolsa de Valores de Colombia and it chose Canada’s public equity markets as its international listing destination.

Companies list on Toronto Stock Exchange or TSX Venture Exchange because they recognize our global leadership in a number of sectors, including Mining, Energy and Clean Technology. They also know these markets are well-suited to companies at various stages of development.  In short, they come here because TSX and TSXV understand their business, investors here appreciate the unique opportunities in these companies, and analysts actively report on a high proportion of TSX and TSXV issuers.

Many may also be surprised to know that up to 50% of trading on TSX and TSXV originates outside of Canada and international order flow is the single largest contributor to volume growth.

Attracting new sources of capital and liquidity for these issuers is also important; toward this effort, TSX and TSXV executives have been holding meetings with institutional investors in the U.S. and other high potential markets.  The message is simple: our markets offer significant investment opportunities. As an example, over 1,300 companies listed on our exchanges had annual returns greater than 50% in 2009.  It’s a great story that these investors have been very receptive to.

We will continue to attract investment, listings and trading volume to our markets.  These efforts benefit all market participants and are vital in supporting the vibrancy of Canada’s capital markets.

Filed under: Equity Listings, TSX Venture Exchange, Toronto Stock Exchange