The massive growth in share ownership is having a big impact on the economy of Bradford.

Thousands more people are now working the stock market in the district compared with five years ago which is borne out by big increases in business in the city's stockbrokers.

Ramsay Fenton, of Bradford stockbrokers Hill Osborne, said: "There has been a significant increase in people using our services in the past 12 months. In the last few years things have improved because of the increase in shareholders following the sale of private companies in the 1980s and early '90s and shares from the conversion of building societies into banks.

"This has also brought about a greater number of new shareholders and one of the things we specialise in is advice to clients."

He said the market had been good for traders because it had been going up and there was still a need for advice to new and established share owners.

Growing execution-only stockbrokers YorkSHARE has seen huge growth in the last few years. The firm, which was started by the Bradford-based Yorkshire Building Society, was sold to American company T D Waterhouse last year.

The company had no customers when it was launched in 1994 but now has 130,000 and its staff handle 8,500 deals on its busiest days.

Owning shares in local companies is also paying off - with last week's massive leap in the share price of electronics firm Pace Micro Technology and the rise of the Morrisons figure.

Pace Micro Technology's stunning results a week ago were quickly followed by the takeover of Time Warner by American Online which gave them an added impetus.

The Morrisons share price rose on Monday as well in expectation of an upbeat Christmas trading statement which was produced on Friday and saw shares go up to 148p at one point.

Last year was one of the best ever for shareholders and it is now estimated that there are 15 million of them in the UK compared with four million in the early 1980s.

Stockbrokers are expecting the rush among private investors to deal in shares to soar even further this month.

November and December saw retail broking houses overwhelmed with people stampeding to join the ever-rising valuations of shares.

Rocketing technology and telecoms stocks fuelled the surge, which saw some stockbrokers' switchboards jammed for hours at a time.

Most companies saw trading volumes slip back in the fortnight before Christmas but a number of firms expect this month to be busier than ever.

Dealing is as easy as picking up the phone

The surge in private investors driven by the fashion for hi-tech stocks and online share dealing have boosted share ownership to new heights with more set to come.

Popular share ownership has boomed in the last 20 years fuelled by privatisations aimed at the public and demutualisations by building societies and other organisations which landed members with share windfalls.

Although many investors cashed in privatisations shares or windfalls immediately, many have held on to the stocks. In 1979 about three million people owned shares. Today the figure stands at about 15 million.

Buying and selling shares can be done at many high street bank branches, but the growth in telephone and Internet financial services have added more ways to buy.

Stockbroking firms will carry out share buying and selling on behalf of private investors and provide advice and recommendations on what to buy and when.

Execution-only stockbrokers provide a stripped-down service, buying and selling shares on your behalf, but leaving all investment decisions to you. Many, including Yorkshare, offer services over the Internet or by telephone.

Internet share dealing is now available from a raft of companies. Internet share trading has also cut the cost of dealing to as little as £5 a trade with some companies offering new customers free trading for up to month. At least 70,000 people are now trading shares over the Internet.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.