New Industry Classification And New Indexes At The Helsinki Stock Exchange

As part of the integration of the Nordic and Baltic securities markets, the Helsinki Stock Exchange will introduce a new industry classification standard for listed companies, the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) as of July 1, 2005. Common Nordic and Baltic industry classification increases the international comparability of Helsinki listed companies and provides companies with a clearly defined and larger peer group. At the same time, the Helsinki Stock Exchange will introduce new sector indices and a new benchmark index based on the industry classification.

As of July 1 when the exchanges in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius will also adopt the GICS classification, all eight Nordic and Baltic exchanges will use the same classification standard. The GICS classification is already in use at the exchanges in Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and Iceland.

The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) has been developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and Standard & Poor's (S&P), who estimate that it covers approximately 95 percent of the world's equity market capitalization. GICS facilitates industry analysis by classifying companies on four different levels: sectors, industry groups, industries and sub-industries. The classification is based on the business area that generates the majority of the company's revenues. The ten sectors in the GICS classification are: Energy, Materials, Industrials, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Healthcare, Financials, Information Technology, Telecommunication Services and Utilities. The new classification will replace the current sector classification of the Helsinki Stock Exchange. To coincide with the adoption of GICS, the Helsinki Stock Exchange will launch its new independently developed GICS-based industry indexes.

As a step in creating a Nordic index family, the Helsinki Stock Exchange will introduce a new benchmark index on July 1, 2005, and the index rules of the current non-tradable indexes will be harmonized with NOREX index rules. The OMX Helsinki Benchmark Index (OMXHB) will be an investable index that corresponds to the benchmark indexes at the exchanges in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. Utilizing the common industry classification, the new index will function as an indicator of the overall performance of the Helsinki Stock Exchange. OMXHB will be free-float adjusted and will take into account both stock price movements and reinvested dividends to minimize transaction costs.

For more information about the new industry classification, the benchmark index or the changes in index calculation rules, visit www.omxgroup.com/helsinkistockexchange.