The Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) has reported record equity trading in the first quarter of 2005 to €26.8 billion, a 22 per cent increase on the same period last year.

The ISE said the average daily equity turnover rose to €440 million during the first three months of this year.

The Iseq index has also hit a life high during this period and continues to outperform most global stock markets, according to the ISE. In a statement yesterday, the stock exchange said that companies trading on the Dublin exchange raised a total of €332 million in the first quarter of the year.

The average number of transactions per day in the quarter was 3,171 compared to 2,962 in the same time last year.

The ISE launched a new index, the Iseq 20 Index in March which represents 20 of the most liquid and largest stocks listed in Ireland.

A new product to track this index is due to come to the market shortly, the exchange said.

In the early months of 2005 some 132 new funds and sub funds listed on the ISE. This brings the overall total of funds and sub funds listed to 4,061.

A number of the new listings came from those already established here by listing new sub funds and share classes. These include UBS, Goldman Sachs and GLC.

Specialist debt listings also increased and non-programme documents increased by 54 per cent.