Companies: HBOS    LLOY    RBS   

Emerging exchange PLUS Markets has reported ‘soaring’ trading figures for September. During the month, some 555,958 trades were posted, worth £4.45 billion and comprising 2.65 billion shares in total. These figures represented near-100 per cent increases in both bargains and trade value over August.

In addition, ambitious PLUS claimed to have achieved 50 per cent or more market share in 735 UK securities, versus 546 in August. As well as the 223 PLUS quoted stocks, this figure covered more than 500 fully listed fledgling and small-cap stocks, as well as some AIM equities. Significantly, amid the meltdown on Monday 7th October, PLUS captured significant volume in some of the more heavily traded financials including RBS, HBOS, Barclays and Lloyds TSB.

Meanwhile, October witnessed the debut of two new ‘PLUS-quoted’ companies, China Meihua Biological Technology and Storyboard Assets – introduced with a £1.3 million price tag. Edinburgh-based and founded by investor Luke Heron, Storyboard owns original artwork by ‘some of the best known and most popular illustrators’ of children’s literature, including Beatrix Potter and Quentin Blake, as well as illustrations from books such as Watership Down and the Harry Potter series. As well as identifying undervalued assets and benefiting from capital appreciation, its strategy entails income generation through loaning out works to exhibitions.