In Brief: Value of ADRs Jumped 26% Last Year to $345B

The market for American depositary receipts continued its decade-long climb last year, Citibank reported.

The unit of Citicorp said the value of American depositary receipts soared 26% to $345 billion. The number of shares traded jumped to 11 billion, a 10% increase over 1995.

The depositary receipts are U.S. securities that represent shares of a non-U.S. company held in the vaults of banks such as Citibank that operate ADR programs.

The bank said the rise in volume reflected growing investor appetite for emerging markets equity.

The most active issuing markets were the United Kingdom, with 30 companies launching new programs; Hong Kong (19); Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa (14 each); India (13); Russia (11); and France (10).

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