"We have made full preparation for the launch of covered warrants, but are still waiting for approval from the regulatory authorities," said the SSE's manager of financial derivatives Chen Hao.

The bond market will be an important area for the SSE to develop in 2007, and particularly the trade in state bonds, corporate bonds and asset securitization products. The SSE will develop an electronic system for bond trading this year.

The stock trading system will also be updated early this year to include more functions. The new system is expected to be put on trial during the non-trading period in April.

This is a very important year for the SSE, which is faced with unprecedented opportunities and challenges, a spokesman from the SSE said.

The share reform was almost completed in 2006, resulting in a more rational market. By the end of 2006, there were a total of 1,269 companies that underwent the share reform, accounting for 94 percent of the total. This year, the SSE will help the remaining companies undergo the reform process.

Market sources agree that there is a lot of work left. Despite the tremendous progress made in recent years, the SSE is still behind other mature stock markets in the world in terms of efficiency and product diversity. So, the SSE is trying to significantly narrow the gap in 2007.

(China Daily 03/06/2007 page13)

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