TSX Venture Exchange President Linda Hohol said there is growing interest by large investors in the junior public market.

“TSX Venture has traditionally been a market for retail investors and the arrival of more institutions is a healthy development,” she said in her speech to the 16th Annual Securities Superconference in Toronto.

Hohol added that in response to these new market participants, TSX Venture last fall introduced Iceberg Orders and Voluntary Attribution — features that are commonplace on the larger Toronto Stock Exchange but are now requested by investors on the junior market.

Hohol said she is proud of the accomplishments of the market in 2005. “Last year, TSX Venture’s composite index gained 22.5%, virtually the same gain as the TSX composite’s if dividends are excluded. In addition, the total market cap of companies listed on TSX Venture grew even more, by 40%, to $34 billion during the year, she said.”

TSXV competes internationally and is respected around the world for operating an effective, well-regulated public venture capital marketplace. She added, “One of the essential functions of a stock exchange is to create a market that’s fair and open. Balancing the interests of companies and investors is a primary responsibility of a stock exchange.”

At the end of 2005, there were 2,221 companies listed on TSX Venture and NEX, almost 50% more than the 1,537 issuers listed on Toronto Stock Exchange. The majority are micro-caps: the average market cap of TSX Venture-listed companies was $16.5 million at the end of last year.