REUTERS CHAIRMAN URGES FREER INFORMATION FLOWS
Exchanges and telecommunications
authorities should abolish their restrictions on full and free
dissemination of information to the investment and banking
communities, Reuters Holdings Plc <RTRS.L> chairman Sir
Christopher Hogg said.
    In the 1986 annual repoprt, he said lengthy negotiations
had brought agreement with the Tokyo and London Stock Exchanges
for fuller, but still not complete, access to market data
through Reuter services.
    "Many other markets maintain restrictions," he added.
    Hogg said members of some markets appear to believe that
information restrictions protected their interests.
    In other cases, exchanges seem to be limiting the
distribution of data in order to provide competitive advantage
to their own commercial information businesses.
    He also noted that despite increasing liberalisation in the
telecommunications field, some countries continue to protect
their state monopolies at the expense of other economic
sectors.
    "Reuter dealing services remain excluded from such
countries. As a result, banking communities serving entire
economies are put at a competitive disadvantage," he added.
    Reuters increased its 1986 pre-tax profit by 39 pct from
the previous year to 130.1 mln stg on a 43 pct rise in revenues
to 620.9 mln stg.
    Earnings per ordinary share were up 47 pct to 19.4p. The
annual shareholder meeting will be held in London on April 29.
 Reuter
