In the first six months of the year $3.250 million were traded, which is an increase of 33% compared to the amount traded in the same period in 2013.
The primary market, where fist time issues of shares and debt securities are recorded, had the most activity, with trading of $414.61 million between January and July 2014.
Laestrella.com.pa reports that "...In the case of the primary market in the month of July 2015, background shares reached $20.72 million, preferred shares $2.59 million, bonds $154.73 million and mortgage bonds $75 million."
The amount of trade between January and June this year represents 53% of total traded in the market during 2013.
In the month of June 2014 alone transactions in the securities market of Panama totaled $469.7 million, with the primary market, where new issues are made, being the most important, with 53% of the total traded.
"... In the first six months of the year the total cumulative volume of the market represents 53% of the proceeds from all of 2013. Whilst January to June $2,671.8 million was accumulated, from January to December 2013 the figure was $5,018.8 million. "
Six companies will issue corporate bonds and stocks with terms of 3 to 28 years, with interest rates of up to 12.5%.
Laestrella.com.pa reports that of the issuances that are being prepared in the Panama Stock Exchange, "... the biggest will be by Banco Internacional de Costa Rica, S.A., with rotating corporate bonds for 200 million dollars with 3 or 7 year terms at a rate yet to be defined. "
Although the Superintendent of the Stock Exchange in Panama has lifted the suspension of the brokerage firm Financial Pacific the Stock Exchange has not approved its integration.
According to the president of the board of the Stock Exchange, Felipe Chapman, "there are still many unanswered questions", relating to this organization. Questions such as "How was the loss recovered, what were the terms of the sale, who are the buyers and what is their interest in the business?," said the official.
The draft law which changes the regulatory framework for the provision of electricity includes a proposal to change the way the state sells its investments in in utility companies.
Manuel Brea, in his opinion piece in Prensa.com, detailed arguments supporting the Panamanian government’s justification for the intention to sell its stake, "a) Avoiding conflict of interest, because the State is a partner and regulator at the same time.
As of September 2008 the Panama Stock Exchange (BVP) negotiated $558.8 million.
The secondary market has been very active, with transaction worth $556.7 million and a growth of 54.9%. Trading of repurchases was at $249.2 million, an increase of 89.80%.
Trading in the primary market reached $752.9 million, an increase of 19.4%.
Multibank, a private bank with Panamanian capital, and the Sociedad Inversion Inmobiliaria Balboa, which belongs to the Costa Rica Group Financiero Improsa, plan to join the stock exchange.
Executive vice-president of Multibank, Isaac Btesh, said that the registration and approval of common stocks from the bank are awaiting the OK from the National Stock Commission.
Business on the Panama stock exchange totaled US$1.205 billion in the first six months of the year, a 27.9 percent increase on the same period of 2007.
The Panama market has so far remained immune to the problems facing other stock exchanges throughout the world and has been one of only a few in the region to have registered growth. The market index closed the first half of the year at 263 points, growth of 8.2 percent over the period.