Merrill Lynch Canada Inc. said today that it led all Canadian and international brokerages in raising equity during the first half of the year.

Merrill Lynch raised $1.26 billion in equity and equity-linked financing between January and June, compared with runner-up CIBC, which raised $1.02 billion. Royal Bank Financial raised $996 million, followed by Credit Suisse First Boston, with $835 million over the same period. Scotia Capital, Morgan Stanley, BMO Nesbitt Burns, Griffiths McBurney, National Bank Financial and TD Securities round out the top 10 in that order. Followed by J.P. Morgan and Salomon Smith Barney.

The results were calculated based on full credit to book-runner, using numbers from the Financial Post database. They reflect all equity financing by corporations, including initial public offerings, secondary financings and treasuries.

“These numbers speak volumes about Merrill’s ability to perform well during market downturns,” said Ron Lloyd, President and COO of Merrill Lynch Canada. “They demonstrate where smart Canadian corporations turn when they want to raise equity. And they speak to the larger phenomenon of Canadian companies looking for brokerages with access to U.S. markets.”

http://www.newswire.ca/releases/June2002/28/c1045.html