BATS Exchange plans to launch a listings market by summer of 2010. It has recently filed rules with the SEC to launch US equity options trading and a second US equities exchange (BYX) both slated for launch in early 2010.
In September, BATS Exchange launched the BATS 1000 Index, a US listed securities benchmark based on the performance of 1,000 US securities in 10 equally-weighted sectors using a new sector classification system.
Joe Ratterman, CEO of BATS Global Markets and BATS Exchange, said: “BATS has always worked to inject competition into the market while ‘Making Markets Better.’ Now, as one of the largest stock exchanges in the world, we are excited to once again provide a competitive alternative to incumbent exchanges by expanding into the US listings market.
“Based on feedback from our members, investors and the investment community, we believe there is an incredible opportunity to compete in the listings business and satisfy unmet needs of current and future public companies and exchange-traded funds in the US. Stock markets have historically played an important role for companies in gaining access to growth capital, and as a major player among global stock exchanges, we felt it was important for BATS Exchange to help our customers find solutions to their capital needs.”
