The international derivatives exchange Eurex will further extend its product offering by introducing 13 new equity options on underlying Belgian, Dutch, French and Spanish stocks on May 19

The international derivatives exchange Eurex will further extend its product offering by introducing 13 new equity options on underlying Belgian, Dutch, French and Spanish stocks on May 19.

'Eurex is continuing to expand its position as the leading equity options exchange and the most liquid and transparent marketplace in Europe,' says board member Peter Reitz. 'With more than 200 equity options from 10 countries and in three different currencies together with about 570 single stock futures, we offer our customers comprehensive trading opportunities.'

The Belgian equity options suite will be extended with six new options on Belgacom, Delhaize Group, Inbev, KBC, UCB and Umicore. The French segment will be expanded by two options on Essilor and Unibail-Rodamco, and the Dutch segment by an option on Corio. Four new Spanish options will be based on Acerinox, ACS, Banco Popular Español and Industria de Diseño Textil.

The contract specifications of the options are comparable with those for existing equity options. From June 1, the new options will also be included in Eurex's market-making programme for all existing equity options, which aims to facilitate the continuing growth of the European segment.

Following the launch, Eurex will almost completely cover the CAC40 domestic index in France and the Netherlands' AEX. The French equity option segment on Eurex recorded a volume of more than 45,000 contracts in March, corresponding to a market share of nearly 30 per cent, while the Spanish segment has steadily grown since its launch in November 2006.