This brings the PLUS offering to some 7,500 securities now accessible on its platform, including:
• some 7,200 liquid European stocks (as defined by CESR including 1,200 UK main market)
• almost 300 PLUS Quoted and AIM shares

This latest expansion highlights the remarkable growth in PLUS Markets' activities in under one year when it has:
• raised £25 million new capital
• achieved Recognised Investment Exchange status
• installed the new OMX trading platform

The new platform went live on November 5 with immediate impact. Trading activity on PLUS leapt 220% in November (from October) to 206,442 bargains worth some £1.6 billion. Trading value was up 300% by comparison to October '07 and volumes were up 250% as against November '06.

Investment firms can now trade all London-listed shares via the PLUS platform, including the FTSE 100. The heaviest traded stocks on PLUS in November - mirroring heavily-traded stocks on other markets - were those in the banking sector including Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and Northern Rock. In Northern Rock, trading on PLUS reached a daily peak of 34% of all on-exchange trades taking place in the UK.

During the month of November, one-quarter of all daily UK retail trading activity took place on PLUS. Trading activity has continued to rise since month-end, hitting a daily peak of 15,428 trades in December. PLUS continues to attract one-third of trades in those AIM stocks dual-trading on its market, and over 40% of trades in constituents of the FTSE Fledgling index.

Business Development Director Cyril Théret said: "This expansion has repositioned PLUS Markets, enabling it to provide a competitive alternative in UK securities trading coupled with access to European stocks for a broader service offering. On the basis of our November trading figures, PLUS is already the fourth largest stock exchange in Europe, by negotiated tradesd trades. Our ambition is to become a deep pool of small and mid-cap liquidity in Europe aand the arrival of continental European stocks on our platform before Christmas takes us another step further towards that goal. "