In 2018, ExtZy saw its first overall increase in trading since decreasing in 2016 and 2017. Compared to the previous year, ExtZy welcomed the following increases: 4.5 times more trading, 7 times more volume, approximately 3 times more active entities, approximately 2.5 times more shareholders, and more than 100% increase in volume/trade, trades/active entity, and trades/shareholder. The exact reason for the increase in trade is unclear, but these are a few reasons why trade may have increased: sports clubs trading increased with the reappearance of major sporting events such as the World Cup, news companies trading increased with a surge in political discussion over topics such as Brexit, the Mueller investigation, and WikiLeaks, and trading in the Countries Market also increased with the reappearance of the World Cup.
| Total Trades | Total Volume | Active Entity | Shareholders | Volume/ Trade | Trades/ Active Entity | Trades/ Shareholder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 209 | 4716 | 73 | 39 | 22.6 | 2.9 | 5.359 |
Country Activity Ranking
This year’s ranking of activity in the Countries Market introduced 8 new countries who have previously never ranked in the top 10: Brazil, Central African Republic, Nepal, Belgium, Palestinian Territory, Occupied, Denmark, Canada, and Estonia. The two speculated reasons for these rankings are the World Cup and political issues within countries. Four of the countries participated in the knock-out rounds of the World Cup: Brazil, Belgium, France, and Denmark. Another four of the countries dealt with major political events: Holy See or Vatican City State and the Vatican Curia reform, the humanitarian crisis within Central African Republic, continued border tension in the Palestinian Territory, Occupied, and Nepal’s elections and strengthening relationship with China. A primary factor for increased trading in Canada and Estonia could not be determined. Overall, an increase in news coverage may have caused the increase in trading for these countries.
| Rank (Activity) | Country | Volume | Price | Trade Low | Trade High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holy See (Vatican City State) | 306 | 1.78 | 1.78 | 2.23 |
| 2 | Brazil | 200 | 1.80 | 1.80 | 3.50 |
| 2 | Central African Republic | 200 | 2.38 | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| 2 | Nepal | 200 | 2.78 | 2.78 | 2.78 |
| 5 | Belgium | 160 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| 6 | Palestinian Territory, Occupied | 150 | 0.79 | 0.79 | 0.79 |
| 7 | France | 118 | 6.95 | 6.95 | 6.95 |
| 8 | Denmark | 117 | 3.42 | 3.42 | 3.50 |
| 9 | Canada | 110 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 6.65 |
| 10 | Estonia | 100 | 2.52 | 2.52 | 2.74 |
2017-2018 Transition
Last year, the market shifted away from predominantly trading in the Countries Market. This year, the Countries Market has returned as the primary and most dominantly traded market accounting for 65% of this year’s volume. This shift to the Countries Market correlated with an increase in all measures of trading. Additionally, it seems that, as expected, major events such as the World Cup stimulate the market as seen in previous World in Review posts. We look forward to seeing the impact that 2019 has on the ExtZy market.