CBOE Stock Exchange (CBSX) To Launch On Monday, March 5, 2007; Congressman Rahm Emanuel To Ring Opening Bell

The CBOE Stock Exchange, LLC, a subsidiary of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), will open for trading on Monday, March 5, 2007. CBOE partnered with four leading liquidity providing firms: Interactive Brokers Group, LLC; LaBranche & Co Inc.; Susquehanna International Group, LLP; and VDM Specialists, LLC to create the CBOE Stock Exchange (CBSX), the newest U.S. stock market. Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) will ring the opening bell to commemorate the occasion.

"This is a monumental event, not just for CBOE, but for the City of Chicago. CBSX will further solidify Chicago's place as one of the most significant financial centers in the world. We are honored that Congressman Emanuel will join us to recognize the importance of this occasion and to ring in the world's newest stock market," said CBOE Chairman and CEO William J. Brodsky. "With the launch of CBSX, CBOE will offer stocks, options and futures all on one platform, CBOEdirect. This multi-asset trading platform, backed by CBOE's commitment to customer service and deep market liquidity, will make CBSX a strong competitor in the stock trading arena."

"We have drawn on CBOE's market expertise, resources, and the dedication of its employees to create the industry's most efficient stock market, which will offer fully electronic trading coupled with dedicated liquidity providers," said CBSX CEO David Harris. "We offer a compelling value proposition with a focus on our trading community combined with a state-of-the-art trading system, an extremely competitive fee structure, and dedicated liquidity providers, some of whom own CBSX and have a direct interest in its success, will be a compelling combination."

The CBOE Stock Exchange will open for trading on Monday with an initial roster of 12 stocks (list attached). CBSX plans to list 2,800 of the most actively traded New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ Stock Market, and American Stock Exchange listed securities as well as Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and other listed securities.

CBSX is a fully electronic, Reg NMS compliant marketplace, offering strict price-time priority for all participants. Liquidity will be provided by Designated Primary Market Makers (DPMs) and Remote Market Makers (RMMs) with stringent quoting standards to create competitive and deep markets for execution of large-sized orders at the best available price. All market participants will receive industry-leading liquidity and market data rebates, with DPMs and RMMs receiving the highest rebates. Other liquidity providing market participants will be competing on equal footing with DPMs for liquidity and market data rebates. Price-setting competition between CBSX liquidity providers will ensure the market's success as an electronic trading center.

In addition to the four partner firms, Equitec Specialists, LLC and Wolverine Trading, LLC have been appointed to serve as Designated Primary Market Makers to provide liquidity.

The CBOE Stock Exchange, LLC (CBSX) is a newly created stock trading facility of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (CBOE) and will employ the CBOEdirect trade engine, which currently is used by CBOE and the CBOE Futures Exchange (CFE). For more information about CBSX, including access, market model details, and fees, visit http://www.cboe.com/CBSX.

CBSX will open for trading with the following stocks listed:
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (BUD)
Elan Corporation PLC (ELN)
Golden Star Resources Ltd. (GSS)
iShares S&P 100 Index Fund (OEF)
iShares S&P 500 Value Index (IVE)
iShares S&P Small Cap 600 (IJR)
King Pharmaceuticals Inc. (KG)
Kraft Foods Inc-A (KFT)
SPDR Trust Series 1 (SPY)
Target Corp. (TGT)
The Gap Inc. (GPS)
Visteon Corp. (VC)

The updated roll-out schedule for additional listings will be available at http://www.cboe.com/CBSX