Australian Stockmarket Operator ASX Full Year Profit Results

Australian stockmarket operator (ASX) have announced their full year profit results.

• ASX Ltd's net profit: $339.2 million, down 4 percent. (from $352.3m)
• Investor activity fallen from reduced risk appetite and uncertainty of impact of European debt crisis
• Operating Revenue: $610.4 million down 1.2 percent.
• Underlying profit: $346.2 million, down 2.9 percent
• Only the second time the company's profits have fallen since listing in 1998.
• The Australian Securities Exchange is investing in 30 new projects to help diversify and increase revenue sources.
• Revenue from listing companies on the ASX dropped 10 percent. There were only 99 companies which floated compared with 160 companies that went public on the ASX in the previous year.
• ASX Derivatives business revenue: $188.7 million, increasing almost 10 percent.
• Nomura's Chi-X Pty Ltd broke ASX monopoly on Australian share trading this year.
• Chi-X accounted for 1.8 percent of transactions in S&P/ASX200 shares in 1H first six months.
• ASX's monopoly on clearing and settlement is being reviewed by the treasury.
• ASX Chief Executive Funke Kupper said about the opening up of competition in clearing and settlement of trades on the stockmarket, "Fragmentation is actually a bigger concern right now than high-frequency trading."
• They have declared a final fully franked dividend at 85.1 cents (down 8.5 percent on previous year). Ex dividend date is 27/8/2012. The interim dividend was 92.8 cents per share bringing their full year dividends to 177.9 cents.
• Full year dividend payout: 177.9 cents (fully franked). 90 percent payout ratio of profit after tax.
• ASX shares closed steady, losing 11 cents to close at $31.30. ASX shares are at 7 year lows.