TORONTO (Reuters) - Companies have raised a record amount of money on the Toronto Stock Exchange this year, the latest sign of how strongly markets have rebounded from the global financial crisis.
TMX Group Inc
The previous record was C$47.6 billion, which was set in December 2007 before the crisis cut off access to capital for many companies.
At the end of October, 628 financings had been done, up 47 percent from the comparable period in 2008, TMX said.
Top sectors were mining, financials, energy and energy services. The top deal this year was Barrick Gold's
With two months to go in 2009, the dramatic surge in financings shows "positive investor sentiment as well as issuer optimism that global economic indicators are improving," Tom Kloet, TMX's chief executive, said in a statement.
The company said it is also aggressively growing its international listings business, sending recent delegations to the United States, China, Israel and Australia.
As of the end of October, U.S. based issuers raised C$1.6 billion on the Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange, representing a 68 percent increase over the same period in 2008, TMX said.
($1=1.06 Canadian)
(Reporting by Jennifer Kwan; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)
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