PHLX Continues To Post Record-Breaking Options And Equity Volume

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX) announced today that volume in PHLX's 825 equity options for the month of April 2000 reached 4,641,911 contracts traded, a 12% increase over April 1999 when 4,147,980 contracts changed hands. In addition, during the first four months of 2000, PHLX traded a record 18,938,750 equity option contracts, an increase of 22% in comparison to the same period last year.

Volume in the PHLX's ten sectors index options during the first four months of 2000 reached 1,251,870 contracts, an increase of 7% over the first four months of 1999 when 1,164, 547 contracts traded. PHLX currently lists options on ten sectors: Computer Box Maker Sector, Forest and Paper Sector, Gold/Silver Sector, National Over-the-Counter Sector, Oil Service Sector, OTC Prime Sector, PHLX/KBW Bank Sector, The Street.com Internet Sector, Semiconductor Sector, and Utility Sector.

PHLX equity volume through the first four months of 2000 increased to a record 876,822,552 shares traded, an increase of over 40% in comparison to the same time period last year when 622,213,660 shares changed hands. In addition, equity volume for the month of April 2000 reached 207,035,242 shares, an increase of over 20% in comparison to April 1999 when 172,287,531 shares traded. The PHLX trades over 2600 equity issues.

Volume in the PHLX's customized and standardized currency options reached 164,409 contracts traded for the first four months of the year for an underlying value of approximately $7.4 billion. The PHLX is the first securities exchange in the U.S. and the nation's fastest growing sectors index option exchange. Founded in 1790, PHLX is a market leader in the trading over 2600 stocks, 825 equity options, 10 sectors index options, and 100 currency pairs.