Topic Plus takes over at the Stock Exchange

TELEKURS yesterday launched its replacements for the London Stock Exchange's information system.

The market to update Topic has been divided equally between Telekurs, for securities businesses using 15 or more terminals, and ICV, which will service customers that have 14 terminals or fewer. There may be competition between the two, however, as users try out the different systems.

Tudor Morgan, managing director of Telekurs, said yesterday that the company had already signed up 28 clients, with a target of 120 by October. The company was negotiating with large institutions to provide tailor-made pricing and information services, he said.

Mr Morgan said: 'Customers are responding very positively to the dramatically enhanced performance over the existing Topic system. We have designed a service which combines the look and feel of Topic with a flexibility of data which most will never have experienced before.'

Topic Plus uses a standard computer keyboard and Windows-style presentation, which displays a series of pages on-screen that can be flicked through by using either the keyboard or mouse. A directory provides immediate access to any SEAQ or SEAQ International stock.

Telekurs will introduce the ability to receive television channels on the two systems in February.