Economic reforms in Russia: revival of stock exchanges.
Two generations of the Soviet citizens did not know a word “stock exchange”. But all falls back into place. By 90-th years of XX century centralized national economy has deadlocked: commodity deficiency has swept away all from counters of shops, the hidden inflation and surplus of monetary weight have led to appearance of barter in the economy, to disorder of economic communications, recession of industrial production. It is the incomplete list of those problems that were preconditions for a new economic reform in Russia when in the beginning of 1990th years transition to market economy has begun. Then after sixty years’ of calm in Russia again there were stock exchanges which always were one of the major elements of the market. The stock exchange again became necessary.
These years in Russia the exchange boom begins. In the beginning of 1990 in Moscow there are first commodity exchanges - Russian commodity-raw (RCRE) and the Moscow commodity exchange (MCE) - the centers of marketing of those years on which then it was necessary up to half of all wholesale exchange turn of Russia. President of RCRE Konstantin Borovoj in the book “the Price of freedom” recollects, how then nobody trusted, that in Russia stock exchanges can revive. “One of my friends, - he writes, - which I torture most of all in occasion of an opportunity of opening of a stock exchange, has suggested to pay to me of ten thousand dollars that I have stopped these conversations and vanity…”. Really, all began with naked enthusiasm. Some person have simply gathered, risked to enclose in new business the of 30 thousand rubles.
In the beginning of 1990th years stock exchanges have arisen on all territory of the country. In a course there was a wood, sugar, electronics, a paper, building materials, bread, cars, computers and set of other goods. Soon Russia was beat out in world leaders by quantity of stock exchanges - them was totaled more than 1000. Certainly, the majority of them were not classical exchange structures. Many of stock exchanges as a matter of fact were simply fairs where traded in the real goods. But the role of a stimulator of trade and they have played wholly. People began to forget about so hated deficiency of the food and industrial goods.
These for the present not all clear quasi-exchange organizations – harbingers of something new - found to themselves a haven in any premises which could be rented for a while. To many budgetary organizations which are often not received the salary in time, it was necessary “to sin” with letting of rent of its space. Where only did not lodge new sprouts of market economy! Their neighbors were workers of research institutes, publishing houses, the ministries, factories; they removed premises on All-Union Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh), private apartments.
The first term transactions began to be made. On the Moscow commodity exchange (MCE) for the first time in the country transactions for the term with grain and a clap began to be spent. Hardly later to it the Moscow chamber of commerce (MCC) where the future for US dollar bargained joins.
Gradually this trade starts to get the organized character. Classical exchange platforms on which trade basically in financial actives (currency, securities, credits) crystallize. In due course in exchange movement all starts to sound a theme of the share market more clearly. By the end of 1992, according to the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, the quantity of exchange share platforms has reached 22. On the largest commodity exchanges there are share departments. In 1992 the Moscow interbank currency stock exchange (MICSE) which all over again became the center of the organized trade in currency, and then was established by the main stock exchange of the country.
With the beginning of process of privatization in 1993 in Moscow has opened Moscow international share (MISE) and Moscow central share stock exchanges (MCSSE). The Leningrad stock exchange is established. Trade in securities was started by the Siberian, Baltic and Nizhniy Novgorod stock exchanges. First time stock exchanges were often open for everything, with the right of paid participation of the visitors, not being members of a stock exchange. Usual auction sometimes practiced.
The classical share market that time yet was not. Stock exchanges should struggle for a survival. The majority of commodity exchanges began to trade in 1993 in nationally known vouchers (certificates on privatization), credits and monetary resources, broker places, securities for bearers, and also substitutes of securities. To such notorious tickets MMM, for example, concerned.
After more than semicentennial investment hibernation people again have become interested in securities. There was a hope to earn additionally: many have rushed to put the savings thawing from inflation in securities. It was necessary to something to prove nobody, all as though waited, when, at last, there will be such opportunity. But the market was young. It ill equipped participants was waited with “reefs” of share games: unscrupulous businessmen with financial “pyramids”, sharp loss of savings, it is frequent the last. As a result has come disappointment, and more likely, mistrust of the population to any securities.
The same years develops the exchange market for wholesale trade in currency. The center of interbank trade in a foreign currency became the Moscow Interbank Stock Exchange, founded by Bank of Russia and leading commercial banks. In 1992-1993 regional currency stock exchanges in the key economic centers of the country are created. Their network was stretched from St.-Petersburg up to Vladivostok. A creation of the national market on trade in currency and securities on a united technological basis was possible after their unification around of the Moscow Interbank Stock Exchange.
Having received the license of Bank of Russia for the organization of operations of sale and purchase of a foreign currency, these stock exchanges gradually became universal exchange structures which, leaning on local banks, carried out trading and settlement operations, and also carried out functions of storage and the account of the rights to securities for participants of currency, share and term segments of the financial market.
Trade in the state short-term bonds, the state currency and municipal bonds, has begun. In the market the corporate securities emitted by the first private enterprises have started to address.
Revival of exchange trade in Russia has coincided on time with mass introduction in the financial world of information technologies, distribution of the Internet. Though the largest stock exchanges of the West continued to trade in classical way - “by vote on pit”, on a number of the Russian stock exchanges the integrated electronic systems for the organization of the trades began to take root. For the Russia which have stretched on nine time zones, it also was complex, as well as it is necessary. The first large project in this area became creation in 1993 on the basis of the Moscow Interbank Stock Exchange electronic trading-depositary systems which served the market of the state securities (state credit obligations-federal loan bonds).
In May, 1993 the Moscow Interbank Stock Exchange has opened the exchange market state short-term zero-coupon bonds (state credit obligations). In the end of this year it has started the project of united electronic financial market “ETHER” - the inter-regional exchange trades in system of currency stock exchanges have begun. Since 1994 the Moscow Interbank Stock Exchange has entered new technical and trading-depository complex, and with July 1994 has begun distribution of the removed terminals connected to trading-depository system of the Moscow Interbank Stock Exchange.
Its beginning was such. As a result in Russia there was the exchange platform possessing modern electronic trading system, serious potential of development and supporting an increasing securities market - state credit obligations, federal loan bond, then corporate securities and term tools. Then the trades by currency also are translated in system of the electronic trades (SELT). Introduction of the removed terminals enabled to create a universal computer stock exchange where in a mode of real time worked not only the Moscow investors, but also participants from other regions of the country.
In 1994 the Central republican universal stock exchange (CRSE) in Moscow starts to work. It has been opened for fulfillment of transactions by general public, including private persons. On it traded approximately in 50 kinds of demand securities and substitutes which most part then has completely disappeared from the reference. The share market then experienced illness of growth - the reference of pseudo-actives - substitutes of securities. The most popular were tickets MMM by means of which notorious adventurer-mathematician Sergey Mavrodi has constructed a huge pyramid. During its promotion mass advertising promised incomes up to 1000% annual, to resist what the most proof investors could not even. In annual report CRSE for 1994 it is possible to read through the interesting lines describing tickets МММ: “Behind tickets МММ definition “polytrophic production МММ” has strongly affirmed. However during long time they were the most popular paper. Occurrence of tickets of different face values, constant change by management of МММ of appearance of tickets, frequent refusals to accept for payment own releases of tickets, feverish throws of a rate of their buying up-sale in items МММ - all this has resulted work in the market of tickets in the category of the most brave, but also… the most profitable operations. Tickets МММ were the largest component in turn CRSE and gave those years approximately 40-50% of a turn of all stock exchanges of Russia. But unjustified incomes and poor papers have a short life: in 1994 the pyramid has failed, having left millions investors without means and for a long time having scared away investors from the share market.
In 1995 there has begun the activity the Russian trading system (RTS) on which stocks of the first privatized Russian enterprises bargained. On a plan of its founders, it was anything other, as computer over-the-counter system. Similar RTS can be named American computer market NASDAQ. The basic participants of RTS became brokers - members of National association of participants of the share market (NAPSM). Activity of RTS which has been constructed in view of the international standards, has allowed returning trust to the organized securities market. However its weak places were absence of guarantees of execution of transactions, and also orientation to service of the large broker companies with foreign participation. Nevertheless till 1998 on RTS consist more than half of transactions with the Russian stocks.
One of the last in 1990th years had been created the Moscow stock exchange (MSE). In the beginning of 1997 several tens of banks and the broker-dealer companies, and also four stock exchanges have created MSE. However its activity was limited to trade in stocks of the gas giant - Russian Open Society “Gazprom” and the Moscow municipal loans. Attempts to expand a spectrum of operations due to introduction in a turn of other share values and currency have not gone right.
Thus, rough process of formation of exchange structure of the financial market in Russia, predictably, crystallized in several classical stock exchanges. The interesting certificate of the middle of 1993 the newspaper has left to us “Exchange sheets” in which president of MCSE V. Pankin wrote: “The main thing during the last period consists in that in any measure to adjust the destroyed intereconomic communications. There was a process of transformation of many stock exchanges in associations, trading houses, the investment companies and so forth Commodity and raw stock exchanges send to future contracts on that goods which all over the world are considered exchange. As to stock exchanges now there was ten and a half. In the long term them will be even less - two-rub Moscow besides it is probable, in St.-Petersburg, in Ural, the Siberian, Far East regions “.
Rough exchange decade has yielded the fruits. There was a precise exchange system across all Russia, in central and industrial regions of the state, helping to work to the domestic financial market.