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Wipro Records 36% Growth in Total Revenue

 
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    BANGALORE, India & EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J., Oct 22, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT) today announced financial results under US GAAP for its second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2008.

    Highlights of the Results:

    -- Total Revenues were Rs. 64.10 billion ($1.38 billion(1), representing an increase of 36% over the same period last year.

    -- Net Income was Rs. 8.22 billion ($177 million(1) on a GAAP basis.

    -- Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income (excluding impact of currency translation on foreign currency loan, related cross currency swap and India fringe benefit tax) was Rs. 9.47 billion ($204 million(1), representing an increase of 17% over the same period last year.

    -- IT Services Revenues were Rs. 47.34 billion ($1019 million(1), representing an increase of 36% over the same period last year.

    -- IT Services Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) was Rs. 9.59 billion ($206.5 million(1), representing an increase of 26% over the same period last year.

    -- IT Services business added 28 new clients in the quarter.

    -- IT Products business recorded a 44% growth in Revenues over the same period last year and EBIT grew by 26%.

    -- Consumer Care and Lighting business Revenue grew 36% over the same period last year and EBIT grew 23%.

    Performance for quarter ended September 30, 2008 and Outlook for quarter ending December 31, 2008

    Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro, commenting on the results said --

    "For the quarter ended September 2008, we delivered an excellent performance with IT Services revenues at $1,110 million, significantly ahead of our guidance of $1,089 million. Retail & Transportation, Manufacturing & Healthcare and Financial Services businesses led the growth with strong performances during the quarter. Our differentiated Service lines of Technology Infrastructure Services, Testing Services and Package Implementation continue to show good growth. Our leadership in India & Middle East business was further re-emphasized with another quarter of strong year on year growth. We won six multi-year multi-million dollar deals during the quarter.

    The global economic environment has deteriorated significantly over the past couple of months, and our outlook is cautious in the near term given the extent of strain on the global economy. However, we are confident on the resilience of our business model to tide over these challenging times. Looking ahead, for the quarter ending December 31, 2008, we expect our Revenue from our IT Services business to be approximately $1,121 million."

    Suresh Senapaty, Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer of Wipro, said --

    "The performance for the quarter is a strong reflection on our ability to deliver operational efficiencies. Rate Realization and Fixed Price Projects mix improved sequentially by 200 basis points and 100 basis points respectively. Our continued emphasis on driving Utilization through an integrated delivery model resulted in Utilization moving up by 240 basis points. These strong gains on operational front helped us improve our margins in the IT Services business in spite of effecting salary increases to our offshore employees during the quarter."

    Wipro Limited

    Total Revenue for our quarter ended September 30, 2008 was Rs. 64.10 billion ($1.38 billion(1), representing an increase of 36% over the same period last year. Net Income for our quarter ended September 30, 2008 on GAAP basis was Rs.8.22 billion ($177 million(1), representing an increase of 1% over the same period last year. Net Income for our quarter ended September 30, 2008 on an Adjusted Non-GAAP basis (excluding impact of currency translation on foreign currency loan, related cross currency swap and India fringe benefit tax) was Rs. 9.47 billion ($204 million(1), representing an increase of 17% over the same period last year. Earnings per Share on the GAAP basis for our quarter ended September 30, 2008 were Rs. 5.66 ($0.12(1), representing an increase of 1% over the same period last year. Non-GAAP Adjusted Earnings (excluding impact of currency translation on foreign currency loan, related cross currency swap and India fringe benefit tax) per Share for our quarter ended September 30, 2008 were Rs. 6.52 ($0.14(1), representing an increase of 16% over the same period last year.

    In the current global environment of liquidity challenges, cash provides excellent flexibility to pursue strategic initiatives and business opportunities. With that objective, the Board has decided not to declare interim dividend.

    Reconciliation between GAAP net income and non-GAAP adjusted net income (excluding impact of currency translation on foreign currency loan, related cross currency swap and India fringe benefit tax) is provided in the table on page 8.

    IT Services Segment (74% of Total Revenue and 94% of Operating Income for our quarter ended September 30, 2008)

    Our IT Services business segment recorded Revenue of Rs. 47.34 billion(2) ($1019 million(1) for our quarter ended September 30, 2008, representing an increase of 36% over the same period last year. EBIT for this segment was Rs. 9.59 billion ($206.5 million(1) for our quarter ended September 30, 2008, representing an increase of 26% over the same period last year.

    Our Operating Income to Revenue for this segment was 20.3% for our quarter ended September 30, 2008.

    We had 97,552 employees as of September 30, 2008, which includes 75,748 employees in our IT business unit and 21,804 employees in our BPO business unit.

    Our IT Services business added 28 new clients during the quarter.

    Key Wins

    Wipro also entered intoa large multi-million dollar dealwithone of thelargest financial services group in the EMEA region to provide Testing as Managed Services (TMS)(TM). Wipro is managing end-to-end testing ownership for the entire Testing Environment (Testing operations, Applications and Infrastructure support) for the Retail Banking platform. Wipro's competence in the financial services testing domain was the key differentiator.

    Wipro Technologieswon a five year, multi--million dollar deal with a global consumer apparel company headquartered in the United States.In this engagement, Wipro will manage application development and support for application portfolio spanning areas such as supply chain, go-to-market, collaboration, distribution and warehouse management, retail, and legacy systems. Wipro's focus on business transformation, with a risk mitigated solution was the key differentiator.

    Wipro also entered into a multi-year strategic engagement with a major French Telecom company. Wipro will leverage its core competence in the areas of Application Development and Maintenance, superior quality processes and delivery innovation in this engagement. This is a testimony to Wipro's growing importance in the French market.

    In a landmark co-innovation partnership with Harman International, Wipro launched a joint embedded engineering center in India. The new Harman India Development Center will operate from Wipro's existing Bangalore and Chennai facilities, complementing an earlier agreement which outsourced Harman's global IT infrastructure services to Wipro.

    Wipro entered into an engagement with a German electrical systems companyfor anERP rollout project which will integrate their global operations bringing in significant system standardization and process integration business benefits.

    Wipro has been chosen for a multi-year engagement bya large UK based Water and Waste-water service utilityto providemanaged hosting services.

    In the India geography, a large contact centre upgrade and managed services contract was won for a leading Telecom Services provider. This 5 year multi-million dollar outsourcing contract will see Wipro providing highest system availability to several million subscribers. Another key win was the implementation of an Integrated Risk Management System (IRMS) at Vijaya Bank, a project that relates to integration of multiple risk solutions. IRMS will help the bank assess the risk involved while lending and informs the bank on re-pricing the loan, among many other solutions.

    Green IT

    This quarter Wipro strengthened its suite of Green IT offerings which includes Consulting, Green Data Centers, Carbon Accounting, Paperless Office and Freight Management solutions. The green suite of offerings saw traction both in terms of deals as well as industry recognition.

    Wipro embarked on a first of its kind initiative for a leading Telecom Service provider in India which involves construction of a completely "green" National Data Center for the company's nationwide IT and Telecom requirements. The project will not only ensure visible environmental benefits but will also bring potentially huge cost savings in terms of power, water, and lighting ensuring natural resources are optimized to the maximum. The scope of the project includes futuristic design, supply, installation, commissioning and operations for Data Center and NOC.

    Wipro technologies and a leading retail organization in the US recently collaborated to win Oracle's 'Empower the Green Enterprise' award for Implementation of Oracle I-Expenses module with integration to Peoplesoft payroll. Wipro helped the client organization move their legacy travel expense system to Oracle I-expenses platform and significantly reduced the consumption of paper, making the process more eco-friendly.

    As Enterprises world-wide are beginning to consciously reduce their contribution to Global Warming by reducing emissions of Green House Gases, Wipro has introduced a Carbon Accounting Tool, that will help enterprises to measure, manage, monitor and monetize their Carbon Di-oxide emissions resulting from their operations globally.

    Awards and Recognition:

    Wipro has been recognized as a winner of the Asian MAKE Awards, 2008. Wipro was ranked first in the 'Transforming enterprise knowledge into shareholder value'. Wipro was also ranked high in the 'Developing knowledge workers through senior management' and in the 'Managing customer knowledge' categories. This is the sixth time in a row that Wipro has been recognized as an Asian MAKE winner.

    Wipro received 'strong positive' rating in leading Analyst firm, Gartner of its "Market Scope for Business Intelligence and Performance Management Services, Western Europe, 2008".*

    Wipro has been quoted as a specialized consulting partner in application delivery for clients seeking cross-enterprise food supply chain tracking by leading independent research firm AMR+.

    IT Products Segment (14% of Total Revenue and 2% of Operating Income for our quarter ended September 30, 2008)

    Our IT Products business segment recorded Revenue of Rs. 9.14 billion ($197 million(1) for our quarter ended September 30, 2008, representing an increase of 44% over the same period last year. EBIT for this segment was Rs. 201 million ($4.3 million(1) for our quarter ended September 30, 2008, representing an increase of 26% over the same period last year.

    Our Operating Income to Revenue for this segment was 2.2% for our quarter ended September 30, 2008.

    Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) for our IT services and Products segment was 40% for our quarter ended September 30, 2008, compared to 42% for the same period last year.

    Consumer Care and Lighting Segment (8% of Total Revenue and 5% of Operating Income for our quarter ended September 30, 2008)

    Our Consumer Care and Lighting business segment recorded Revenue of Rs. 4.83 billion ($104 million(1) for our quarter ended September 30, 2008, representing an increase of 36% over the same period last year. EBIT for this segment was Rs. 518 million ($11.2 million(1) for our quarter ended September 30, 2008, representing an increase of 23% over the same period last year.

    Our Operating Income to Revenue for this segment was 10.7% for our quarter ended September 30, 2008. ROCE for this segment was 11% for our quarter ended September 30, 2008, compared to 15% for the same period last year.

    About Non-GAAP financial measures

    The Company provides Non-GAAP adjusted net income (excluding impact of currency translation on foreign currency loan, related cross currency swap and India fringe benefit tax) to supplement reported GAAP results. Non-GAAP adjusted net income excludes the impact of translating specific foreign currency borrowing, the impact of periodic fair value measurement of related cross currency swaps used in combination for hedging net investments in foreign operations and stock-based fringe benefit tax expense paid in India.

    The Company believes that the presentation of this non-GAAP adjusted net income (excluding impact of currency translation on foreign currency loan, related cross currency swap and India fringe benefit tax), when shown in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures, provides useful information to investors and management regarding financial and business trends relating to its results of operations. The Company believes that foreign currency borrowing and its swaps are in substance economic hedges of net investment, though for GAAP reporting the impact of translation and fair value measurements are recorded in the Income statement. In addition, our stock-based fringe benefit tax expense is fully reimbursed by our employees, but for GAAP reporting, the reimbursement is recorded in stockholders' equity. Therefore, making available an adjusted net income number that excludes the impact of these items from net income we believe provides useful supplemental information to both management and investors about our financial and business trends.

    For our internal budgeting process, our management uses financial statements that do not include impact of periodic translation of specific foreign currency borrowing, fair value re-measurement of cross currency swaps and stock-based fringe benefit tax expense. The management of the Company also uses non-GAAP adjusted net income, in addition to the corresponding GAAP measures, in reviewing our financial results.

    A material limitation associated with the use of non-GAAP net income as compared to the GAAP measures of net income is that it does not include costs which are recurring in nature and may not be comparable with the calculation of net income for other companies in our industry. The Company compensates for these limitations by providing full disclosure of the effects of non-GAAP measures, by presenting the corresponding GAAP financial measure in this release and in the Company's financial statements and by providing a reconciliation to the corresponding GAAP measure.

    Our results for the quarter ended September 30, 2008, computed under Indian GAAP and US GAAP, along with our individual business segment reports, are available in the Investor Relations section of our website at www.wipro.com.

    Quarterly Conference Calls

    We will hold conference calls today at 11:45 a.m. Indian Standard Time (2:15 a.m. US Eastern Time) and at 6:45 p.m. Indian Standard Time (9:15 a.m. US Eastern Time) to discuss our performance for the quarter and answer questions sent to email ID: sridhar.ramasubbu@wipro.com. An audio recording of the management discussions and the question and answer session will be available online and will be accessible in the Investor Relations section of our website at www.wipro.com.

    (1) For the convenience of the reader, the amounts in Indian rupees in this release have been translated into United States dollars at the noon buying rate in New York City on September 30, 2008, for cable transfers in Indian rupees, as certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which was US $1=Rs.46.45. However, the realized exchange rate in our IT Services business segment for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 was US$1=Rs. 42.65.

    (2) IT Services business segment Revenue was Rs. 47.5 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 under the Indian GAAP. The difference of Rs. 165 million ($3.55 million(1) is primarily attributable to differences in accounting standards under Indian GAAP and US GAAP.

    * "Market Scope for Business Intelligence and Performance Management Services, Western Europe, 2008," bySusanne Karlsson. 1 July 2008.

    + AMR Alert, September, 2008, How Safe Is Your Food Supply Chain?

    About Wipro Limited

    Wipro provides comprehensive IT solutions and services, including systems integration, information systems outsourcing, package implementation, software application development and maintenance, and research and development services to corporations globally. Wipro Limited is the first PCMM Level 5 and SEI CMM Level 5 certified IT Services company globally. Wipro's IT Services business was assessed at Level 5 for CMMI V 1.2 across Offshore and Onsite development centers.

    In the Indian market, Wipro is a leader in providing IT solutions and services for the corporate segment in India offering system integration, network integration, software solutions and IT services. Wipro also has a profitable presence in niche market segments of infrastructure engineering, and consumer products & lighting. In the Asia Pacific and Middle East markets, Wipro provides IT solutions and services for global corporations.

    Wipro's ADS are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and our equity shares are listed in India on the Stock Exchange - Mumbai, and the National Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit our websites at www.wipro.com, www.wiprocorporate.com and www.wipro.in

    Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements

    Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

    WIPRO LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES
       UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
       (in millions, except share data)
       As of September 30,                                                                      As of March 31,
       2007                2008                    2008                                         2008
       Convenience translation into US$
       ASSETS                                                                  NOTE      (unaudited)         (unaudited)        
       (unaudited)
       Current assets:
       Cash and cash equivalents                                               Rs.       20,266              20,157             
       $   434                                     Rs.  39,270
       Restricted cash                                                                   33                  -                  
       -                                            -
       Investments in liquid and short-term mutual funds                                 23,060              39,888             
       859                                          14,808
       Accounts receivable, net of allowances                                            32,130              48,008             
       1,034                                        38,908
       Unbilled Revenue                                                                  7,800               12,523             
       270                                          8,305
       Inventories                                                                       6,296               9,790              
       211                                          7,172
       Deferred income taxes                                                             506                 1,836              
       40                                           790
       Other current assets                                                              13,798              23,878             
       514                                          19,092
       Total current assets                                                              103,888             156,080            
       3,360                                        128,345
       Property, plant and equipment, net                                                33,626              46,270             
       996                                          39,822
       Investments in affiliates                                                         1,379               1,521              
       33                                           1,343
       Investments securities                                                            358                 356                
       8                                            355
       Deferred income taxes                                                             230                 377                
       8                                            -
       Intangible assets, net                                                            12,296              15,679             
       338                                          12,480
       Goodwill                                                                          37,589              43,773             
       942                                          38,943
       Other assets                                                                      5,591               4,571              
       98                                           3,214
       Total assets                                                            Rs.       194,957             268,627            
       $   5,783                                   Rs.  224,502
       LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
       Current liabilities
       Borrowings from banks and foreign state instituitions                   Rs.       24,762              36,259             
       $   781                                     Rs.  28,804
       Current portion of long-term debt                                                 981                 411                
       9                                            406
       Current portion of obligations under capital leases                               320                 331                
       7                                            323
       Accounts payable                                                                  14,226              18,142             
       391                                          13,082
       Accrued expenses                                                                  8,786               12,202             
       263                                          8,110
       Accrued employee costs                                                            4,611               5,870              
       126                                          5,160
       Advances from customers                                                           1,620               3,009              
       65                                           2,136
       Unearned Revenue                                                                  2,485               5,846              
       126                                          4,162
       Other current liabilities                                                         14,391              30,011             
       646                                          12,519
       Total current liabilities                                                         72,182              112,081            
       2,413                                        74,702
       Long-term debt, excluding current portion                                         2,335               15,893             
       342                                          14,522
       Obligations under capital leases, excluding current portion                       806                 795                
       17                                           701
       Deferred income taxes                                                             1,843               3,136              
       68                                           2,098
       Other liabilities                                                                 2,290               3,474              
       75                                           3,011
       Total Liabilities                                                                 79,456              135,379            
       2,915                                        95,034
       Minority interest                                                                 97                  169                
       4                                            114
       Stockholders' equity:
       Equity shares at Rs. 2 par value: 1,650,000,000 shares authorized;
       Issued and outstanding: 1,461,453,320, 1,434,563,895 and
       1,463,003,208 shares as of March 31, 2008, September 30, 2007 and
       2008
       2,919               2,926                   63                                           2,923
       Additonal paid-in capital                                                         25,223              27,502             
       592                                          26,441
       Accumulated other comprehensive income                                            (237     )          (7,939   )         
       (171              )                          (1,076   )
       Retained earnings                                                                 87,499              110,590            
       2,381                                        101,066
       Equity Shares held by a controlled Trust:                                         -                   -                  
       -                                            -
       7,961,760, 7,961,760 and 7,961,760 shares as of March 31, 2008,
       September 2007 and 2008
       Total stockholders's equity                                                       115,404             133,079            
       2,865                                        129,354
       Total liabilities and Stockholder's equity                              Rs.       194,957             268,627            
       $   5,783                                   Rs.  224,502
       
    WIPRO LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES
       CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
       (in millions, except share data)
       Three months ended September 30,                                                                       Six months ended September
       30,
       2007                            2008                            2008                                   2007              
       2008                       2008
       Convenience translation into US$                                                             Convenience translation into
       US$
       Revenues:                                                                 (unaudited)                     (unaudited)    
       (unaudited)                            (unaudited)                (unaudited)                (unaudited)
       Services                                                             Rs.  34,760                     Rs.  47,523         
       $    1023                                   66,787                     92,127                     1983
       Products                                                                  12,521                          16,571         
       357                                    22,326                     31,590                     680
       Total                                                                     47,281                          64,094         
       1,380                                  89,113                     123,717                    2,663
       Cost of Revenues:
       Services                                                                  23,344                          31,924         
       687                                    44,544                     61,319                     1320
       Products                                                                  9,822                           13,299         
       286                                    17,891                     25,304                     545
       Total                                                                     33,166                          45,223         
       974                                    62,435                     86,623                     1865
       Gross Profit                                                              14,115                          18,871         
       406                                    26,678                     37,094                     799
       Operating Expenses:
       Selling and marketing expenses                                            (3,288         )                (4,552         )
       (98               )                    (6,049         )           (8,985         )           (193              )
       General and administrative expenses                                       (2,655         )                (3,452         )
       (74               )                    (4,715         )           (6,706         )           (144              )
       Amortization of intangible assets                                         (99            )                (495           )
       (11               )                    (204           )           (722           )           (16               )
       Foreign exchange gains / (losses), net                                    58                              (321           )
       (7                )                    (794           )           (1,010         )           (22               )
       Others, net                                                               32                              118            
       3                                      112                        250                        5
       Operating Income                                                          8,163                           10,169         
       219                                    15,028                     19,921                     429
       Other income, net                                                         743                             (789           )
       (17               )                    1,734                      (1,061         )           (23               )
       Equity in earnings/(losses) of affiliates                                 84                              106            
       2                                      171                        213                        5
       Income before income taxes and minority interest                          8,990                           9,486          
       204                                    16,933                     19,073                     411
       Income taxes                                                              (865           )                (1,240         )
       (27               )                    (1,704         )           (2,676         )           (58               )
       Minority interest                                                         (3             )                (22            )
       (0                )                    (3             )           (34            )           (1                )
       Net income                                                           Rs.  8,122                      Rs.  8,224          
       $    177                                    15,226                     16,363                     352
       Earnings per equity share
       Basic
       Net income                                                                5.60                            5.66           
       0.12                                   10.50                      11.26                      0.24
       Diluted
       Net income                                                                5.57                            5.65           
       0.12                                   10.45                      11.23                      0.24
       Weighted average number if equity shares used in
       computing earnings per equity share:
       Basic                                                                     1,450,036,475                   1,453,493,031  
       1,449,964,665              1,453,064,597
       Diluted                                                                   1,457,139,183                   1,456,763,428  
       1,457,512,260              1,456,739,353
       Additional Information
       Segment Revenue
       IT Services                                                               34,879                          47,335         
       1019                                   66339                      91268                      1965
       IT Products                                                               6,359                           9,144          
       197                                    10911                      16101                      347
       IT Services & Products                                                    41,238                          56,479     
       1216                                   77,250                     107,369                    2311
       Consumer Care and Lighting                                                3,549                           4,831          
       104                                    5770                       9577                       206
       Others                                                                    2,494                           2,785          
       60                                     6093                       6771                       146
       Total                                                                     47,281                          64,095         
       1380                                   89,113                     123,717                    2663
       Operating Income
       IT Services                                                               7,592                           9,591          
       206                                    14,133                     18,411                     396
       IT Products                                                               160                             201            
       4                                      345                        506                        11
       IT Services & Products                                                    7,752                           9,792      
       211                                    14,478                     18,917                     407
       Consumer Care and Lighting                                                421                             518            
       11                                     726                        1,123                      24
       Others                                                                    (10            )                (141           )
       (3                )                    (177           )           (119           )           (3                )
       Total                                                                     8,163                           10,169         
       219                                    15,027                     19,921                     429
       Reconciliation of Non-GAAP adjusted net income to
       comparable net income
       Net Income as per GAAP                                               Rs.  8,122                           8,224          
       $    177                                    15,226                     16,363                     352
       Adjustments :
       Translation loss on foreign currency loan and changes in fair value       -                               1,156          
       25                                     -                          1,816                      39
       of cross currency swap
       Fringe benefit tax                                                        -                               86             
       2                                      -                          132                        3
       Non-GAAP adjusted net Income                                         Rs.  8,122                           9,466          
       $    204                                    15,226                     18,311                     394
       

    SOURCE: Wipro Limited

       Wipro Limited 
       Sridhar Ramasubbu, 408-242-6285
       
    Copyright Business Wire 2008
       
       **********************************************************************
       
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       an automated pattern recognition system, indicated a DOWNTREND on 
       06-20-2008 for WIT @ $12.87.
       
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       provider or go to www.mysmartrend.com
       
       SmarTrend is a registered trademark of Comtex News Network, Inc.
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    Open Outcry

    If you've seen TV footage of an active trading pit, you've probably noticed the atmosphere is uproarious and wild. The reason for all the shouting? Open outcry.

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