FTSE JSE Africa top 40 data available through FTSE APP

Investors and traders will now be able to track the performance of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)’s flagship benchmark equity index in real time on their Apple i-Phones and i-Pads, wherever they are in the world, or just away from their office. This service, where changes to the FTSE JSE Africa Top 40 index value are published real-time, is the result of an agreement between the JSE and the FTSE Group which will see JSE data available alongside more than 60 global indices on FTSE’s Apple application.

“As global appetite continues to grow for companies with operations in South Africa and the African continent, this development will create easier access to global market information South Africans whilst increasing the visibility of JSE data to international investors. It also makes financial information more accessible to t all investors and particular to the private investor,” says Ana Forssman, Senior General Manager of Information Products Sales at the JSE.

The inclusion of JSE data in the FTSE application is made possible by the FTSE/JSE Africa Top 40 data’s recent changeover from updating every 15 second to live streaming. “What this means is that every single transaction across all forty companies included in the index is calculated in real-time and generating a real-time index value. A second-by-second calculation is a step forward for South African financial markets. The changeover increases pricing transparency, which is valuable to both listed and OTC products, whilst also increasing the scope for new products to be created,” adds Forssman. Anyone invested in any product which tracks FTSE/JSE Top 40 index e.g. SATRIX 40, will now see its performance real-time throughout the trading day.

Commenting on the upgrade, Melvyn Lee, Director of Partnerships at FTSE said “We are seeing strong levels of interest in emerging markets as investors look for diversification opportunities outside of developed equity markets. With the inclusion of the FTSE JSE indices to the app, users can now access and monitor headline indices from one of the world’s most important emerging market economies, anytime, anywhere on their mobile device.”

The FTSE/JSE Africa Top 40 index consists of the top forty companies listed on the JSE as ranked by market capitalisation. The JSE first signed a partnership with FTSE Group, the world’s leading index provider in April 2002.