BOX Sets Price Improvement Record For Third Straight Month in September ‘06, Rolls Out 265 Market Maker Appointments

In the month of September, price improvement versus the prevailing NBBO for contracts submitted via the Boston Options Exchange’s (“BOX”) price improvement auction (‘PIP’*) averaged $3.36 per contract, setting a record high for third consecutive month. This represented savings to investors of $5.1 million, or $256,063 per day. An average of 76,264 contracts per day received price improvement during the month.