Philadelphia Stock Exchange To Begin Trading Options On LaBranche & Co. Inc.

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX) is pleased to announce that it will begin trading put and call options on LaBranche & Co. Inc. (option/stock symbol: LAB) upon the opening of business on Tuesday, October 3, 2000.

Options on LaBranche & Co. Inc. will trade on the February expiration cycle with initial expiration months of October, November, February, and May. Opening strike prices will be 25, 30, and 35. In addition, Susquehanna Investment Group will be offering an automatic execution (AUTO-X) of up to 50 contracts for orders executed through AUTOM, PHLX's automatic execution system for equity and sectors index options.

Founded in 1790, PHLX is a market leader in the trading of over 2,300 stocks, 790 equity options, eleven index options, and 100 currency pairs.