Customer interest also is being shown for Retail Solutions, which allow customers who want to use internet technology and customised content to reach their clients directly. Instinet continued to spend heavily on expanding its structure and capabilities and on diversification of its product line. It plans to launch its retail product this quarter. The expansion included the acquisition of ORT, the Tower Group and the Yankee Group, as the strategy to build businesses in new market segments develops. New media continued to do well with an estimated 50 million users of Reuters news and information on websites around the world.
Work is also underway on local sites in the UK and Germany.
Six companies held in the portfolio have gone public this year, three in the third quarter. Discussions are underway with various organisations about a private round of financing as the next objective. This news release may be deemed to include forward-looking statements relating to Reuters within the meaning of Section 27A of the US Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the US Securities Act of 1934. Reuters strategy is to make the financial markets work on the Internet. Reuters is the world's largest international news and television agency with 1,957 journalists, photographers and camera operators in 185 bureaux serving 153 countries, gathering and editing news in 24 languages.