Global equity listings up by a third, but below previous peaks

LONDON (Reuters) - Global equity listings rose sharply in the first half of the year, compared with a year earlier, driven by the U.S. market as well as rights issues in Europe, Thomson Reuters data showed, but remained way off 2015's surge. Stronger and calmer markets, a brighter economic outlook in some countries, as well as the avoidance of further political shocks in several European elections helped equity raising markets recover from 2016, when worries about China's economy, the British vote to leave the European Union and commodity prices discouraged potential issuers. Nifty Trading Tips

Companies globally issued $386.8 billion of equity in the first half of this year, up 33 percent from the same period in 2016, which was the worst since 2008. Despite the rebound, issuance remained way off the highest issuance in more than 15 years in 2015 when $519.5 billion was raised. Including some 60 initial public offerings (IPOs) and 355 follow-on offerings, U.S. companies raised $116.8 billion in equity in the first half, 46 percent more than they did in the first half of 2016. Future & Option Trading Tips