Share turnover on the Vienna Stock Exchange fell significantly in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. The trading volume fell from 24.5 to 17.1 billion euros, as the stock exchange announced on Tuesday. The strongest trading day was March 17 with EUR 640 million. Immediately before that, the bankruptcy of the American Silicon Valley Bank and the then stumbling Swiss Credit Suisse had caused an international banking earthquake.
On an average trading day, EUR 316 million was reportedly traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange. The international trading members were responsible for the lion’s share (87 percent). The Austrian shares with the highest turnover between January and March were Erste Group Bank AG (EUR 3.33 billion), OMV AG (EUR 2.37 billion), voestalpine AG (EUR 1.94 billion) and the BAWAG Group AG (EUR 1.38 billion) and Verbund AG (EUR 1.29 billion).
According to the information, the pandemic has also left the stock market behind. “After three years with strong special effects”, the first quarter of 2023 – despite the “uncertainties in the banking sector” that arose in March – was characterized by a market recovery. The share turnover would have “normalized”. For comparison: In the first quarter of 2020, with the beginning of the corona lockdowns in mid-March, 21.7 billion euros were turned over on the stock exchange. The environment has been turbulent for years. The pandemic was compounded a year ago by the Russia-Ukraine war, which sent inflation skyrocketing.
The Vienna trading center has grown by one new listing this year. Since March, Austriacard Holdings AG has been listed in the top segment prime market, which now includes 41 stocks. Wolford AG used the market for a capital increase with a volume of EUR 17.6 million and in the bond area “new listings remained at a high level”. According to the stock exchange, green & social bonds recorded the strongest quarter since the launch of the Vienna ESG segment in May 2022.
“The changed interest rate situation provides a glimmer of hope in the area of equity financing,” said stock exchange boss Christoph Boschan, with a view to the key interest rates, which have now been significantly increased by the European Central Bank (ECB) to curb inflation. Going public is becoming increasingly attractive once more. “In addition to the new addition of Austriacard Holdings, another listing in the top segment has already been announced for this year with the spin-off of Telekom Austria,” says Boschan.
He believes that public interest in stock market investments is increasing. “The fact that every fourth person in Austria now owns securities and every fifth person is interested in buying them shows that the topic is anchored in the middle of society,” says the stock exchange boss.
The stock barometer, a current survey commissioned by the stock forum, the Federation of Industry and the Vienna Stock Exchange, confirms that the number of shareholders in Austria is growing. Broken down by asset class, 19 percent invested in investment funds, 13 percent in equities and 6 percent in bonds. More than a million people are also interested in investing in securities.
According to the Vienna Stock Exchange, the ATX TR (including dividends) rose by 3.02 percent over the course of the year and stood at 6,796.27 points on March 31, 2023. Without dividends, the increase was 2.66 percent to 3,209.44 points. In a comparison with other country indices, attention should be paid to the focus on banks and commodities in the ATX composition.
