Owl Technologies, a UK ship cleaning company, became the 600th quoted company on AIM, the alternative investment market for growth companies on the London Stock Exchange. During the month, the number of listed AIM companies has risen to 604, despite the downturn in the equity markets.

Tim Feather, director of corporate finance at Brown Shipley, an AIM nominated adviser, says: 'AIM's success this year is due to the fact it is a broadly-based market, with companies from a whole range of sectors. Just because the technology sector is hit, AIM is not affected as much as the Neuer Markt, for example, which has a greater concentration of technology companies.'