Global bourses' m-cap hits decade high of $64 trillion; BSE, NSE among top 20

Overall market capitalisation of bourses worldwide crossed $64 trillion last year - the highest level in more than a decade - on the back of improving investor sentiment.

The level touched in 2013 is also the highest since the 2008 Lehman Brothers crisis that had pushed the global financial system into a tizzy.

Latest data from the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) has showed that market valuation of 53 stock exchanges across the globe stood at $64,195 billion ($64 trillion) last year compared to $54,494 billion ($54.5 trillion) in 2012.

The domestic market capitalisation of a stock exchange is the total number of issued shares of domestic companies, including their several classes, multiplied by their respective prices at a given time.

An analysis of WFE data reveal that last year's overall market capitalisation of $64 trillion is also the highest since 2003.

On an year-to-year basis, the m-cap surged over 17 per cent in 2013.

"It (global market capitalisation) reached again the level observed during the first part of 2008 before Lehman Brothers bankruptcy," WFE said in a recent report while referring to the 2013 levels.

Last year, India's leading bourses - BSE and NSE - were among the top 20 in terms of market capitalisation.

The highest market value was recorded by NYSE Euronext at $17,950 billion followed by NASDAQ OMX (US) at $6,085 billion.

With a valuation of about $1,139 billion, BSE cornered 15th position while NSE was placed at 17th spot. The latter's capitalisation stood at $1,113 billion.

Other top exchanges include Japan Exchange Group (3), London Stock Exchange Group (4), NYSE Euronext (Europe) (5), Hong Kong Exchanges (6), Shanghai SE (7), TMX Group (8), Deutsche Boerse (9) and SIX Swiss Exchange (10).

China's Shenzhen SE took the 11th spot followed by Australian SE (12), Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange (13), Korea Exchange (14), BME Spanish (16), BM&FBOVESPA (18), Johannesburg SE (19) and Taiwan SE Corp (20).

Americas and EAME (Europe - Africa - Middle East) regions experienced 22 per cent growth in market-cap, whereas the increase was less pronounced for Asia Pacific region (7 per cent), the report noted.

The last time market capitalisation had crossed the $60 trillion mark was in 2007.

Following Lehman Brothers fall, the market capitalisation of bourses tumbled nearly 47 per cent to $32.2 trillion in 2008.

"In the Americas (in 2013) the growth was mainly driven by the US exchanges that increased 29 per cent while Canada increased slightly less (10 per cent in local currency) and Latin American Exchanges decreased by 13 per cent in dollars and by 4 per cent in local currency," WFE said.