Contributor: David Cone

Recent reports indicate that four leading Asian exchanges are close to completing a stock exchange integration initiative which will allow cross-border trading between four South Asian countries. In this initiative, the Bursa Malaysia, the Philippine Stock Exchange, the Singapore Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Thailand have signed a letter of intent with NYSE Technologies, the technology arm of NYSE Euronext. This is a significant step towards a firm commitment on the technology project. In addition, Vietnam’s Hochiminh Stock Exchange and Indonesia Stock Exchange are also backing the project. This could eventually lead to the emergence of a single Southeast Asian market for equities, including stocks from most of the 10 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), with a combined market capitalization approaching $1 trillion.... read more