Despite the pain in the Australian share market over the past year, the number of listed companies at the end of May was down just 1 per cent on a year ago, according to an Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) activity report.
The total number of listed entities at the end of May 2009 was 2,205, compared to the slightly higher figure of 2,223 for the same time last year.
And despite there being only one new listing in May 2009 in contrast to the nine listings for the same period last year, a strong demand for stock saw the amount of secondary capital raised in May 2009 total $11.3 billion, up 305 per cent on May 2008.
Meanwhile, Australian volatility during May remained below that in the US despite a decline in US volatility over the past two months. Volatility levels moved towards levels that existed prior to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September.
Future volatility expectations have also declined, according to the ASX report.
