Record levels of engagement at Liv-ex

October saw the highest number of transactions since Liv-ex began, though prices are still a long way off their high.

Liv-ex 100 movers table

“The record number of units and transactions in October tells you the activity is there,” said Liv-ex director Anthony Maxwell. “But the prices aren’t by any means back at the levels they were in their hay day of 2010 / 2011.” He described the fact that 150 of the exchange’s 440 members worldwide are now trading each week as “very healthy”

October also saw a 0.5% rise in the Liv-ex 100, its third monthly increase in a row after 17 months of decline, while the breadth of wines being traded continues to widen. “The commitment and engagement are there, but it is still quite fragmented,” said Maxwell. “It’s not a firm rally, but it is encouraging.”

While the Liv-ex 50 slipped slightly by 0.1%, “First Growths are trading again in larger % volumes than they have been in two or three months,” he said. There has also been renewed interest in left bank wines like Pontet-Canet and Lynch-Bages from 2009 / 2010. “People are now looking again and saying ‘it’s a great vintage, they’re great wines’, and they are relatively affordable