Europe: share ownership of listed companies

The Federation of European Securities Exchanges regularly publishes research concerning the ownership of listed company shares in Europe. The final version of its 2007 survey was published in December 2008 and makes for very interesting reading, not least because it serves to highlight the significance of institutional investor ownership in the United Kingdom, something not seen to the same extent in other European countries. Also of interest are the data concerning individual ownership of listed company shares. Such ownership exceeds 20% in only two countries: Italy and Spain.