IBM and Extel Financial Ltd have announced an agreement to distribute two of Extel’s international financial information services via the IBM Information Network. Exshare is described as a securities pricing and corporate action data service, and Extel says it covers over 100,000 equities, fixed interest securities, and bonds or traded options from the leading markets. The second service, Exbond, contains the terms and conditions of over 10,000 international bonds and Eurobonds. IBM’s Information Network offers online services via the Financial Information Query Service, and the capability to incorporate data from Exshare and Exbond through the Financial Information Transfer Service. The Information Query Service consists of a task-oriented application that can search and compare securities; compare market indices with currencies and securities; search the Eurobond market for best performance via precalculated yields; and present this information in graphic format. IBM says that more than 500 fields of information on a requested security can be retrieved. The Financial Information Transfer Service is a new facility and it enables users to incorporate data from Exshare and Exbond with in-house applications and create information portfolios that are specific to their needs.
