Nasdaq Chief Executive Bob Greifeld (C) rings the opening bell of the exchange as representatives from Chinese companies listed on the Nasdaq celebrate during the Nasdaq remote market open ceremony in Beijing April 3, 2007.

  Apr.4 - The president of the U.S.-based Nasdaq stock market rang the bell to open trading from Beijing on Tuesday in an event to raise the market's profile among Chinese companies, according to related reports.

 

Executives of some Nasdaq-traded Chinese companies joined its president, Bob Greifeld, on a stage at a hotel, as he pushed the button at 9.30 p.m. - which coincided with the 9.30 a.m. start of trading in New York.

 

Nasdaq has attracted 40 Chinese companies with a combined market capitalization of US$30 billion (euro22.5 billion), including seven that have joined the market this year.

 

"We see that China has stepped forward on the world's economic stage," Greifeld said. "Certainly China is a very important market to us today and in the years to come."