Cafegrains & Inceptus,

Prior to 12th April it was only possible for private investors to purchase stocks in allocated lots. The price of a lot usually varied from around 8,000 NOK to 12,000 NOK (1,300 to 2,000 CAD). The stock price determined the lot size. QEC was trading at around 23 NOK at the time and it was therefore traded in lots of 500 costing 11,500 NOK. The OSX adjusted lot sizes on a quarterly basis. Had the QEC's stock price sunk to 10 NOK the lot size would have been adjusted to 1,000. Had it risen to 50 NOK the lot size would have been adjusted to 200 and so forth.

On the 12th April the OSX entered into a cooperative agreement with the London Stock Exchange and introduced new systems and regulations for purchasing stocks. The systems are called TradElect (for purchasing of stocks) and Infolect (for market data).

On the same date the minimum lot sizes were abolished. Whereas I previously had to buy/sell in minimum multiples of 500, I can now buy/sell as many or little as I decide myself.

I think the idea is to attract more private individuals to the market by making stocks affordable for everybody. Buying a lot prior to April 12th was prohibitively expensive for the average man in the street - myself included. It made getting started in the market difficult for many, and I guess putting cash aside for two or three months in order to purchase a single post in a single company didn't appeal to all.

The changes mean that it's now possible to buy a much smaller block of shares. It is also easier to spread risk by spreading one's investment over a wider range of stocks right from the start. This is the reason 'unusual' blocks of 85 shares etc have suddenly started appearing over here.

Another important change is that it is no longer possible to post trade anonymously. The exchange has become more open in that one can now see exactly which houses are buying and selling from each other.

Hope this answers your question...