PHLX Continues To Set Volume Records

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange announced today that equity options volume for the month of June 2000 reached 4,856,628 contracts traded, a 61% increase over June 1999 when 3,018,155 contracts changed hands. Year to date equity options volume reached a new record of 28,300,085 contracts traded, a 27% increase over the first six months of 1999 when approximately 22 million contracts changed hands.

Equity volume for the month of June 2000 reached 142,035,474 shares traded, a 38% increase over June 1999 when 102,489,079 shares changed hands. In addition, during the first six months of 2000, PHLX traded a record 1,184,925,573 shares, an increase of 36% in comparison to the same period last year when 868,548,741 shares changed hands.

Volume in the PHLX's eleven sectors index options during the first six months of 2000 reached a record of 1,872,653 contracts traded, an increase of 18% over the first six months of 1999 when 1,591,457 contracts traded. PHLX currently lists options on eleven 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, Utility Sector, and Wireless Telecom Sector.

Volume in the PHLX's customized and standardized currency options reached 230,855 contracts traded for the first six months of the year for an underlying value of approximately $10.4 billion.

The PHLX is the first securities exchange in the U.S. and the nation's fastest growing sectors index options exchange. Founded in 1790, PHLX is a market leader in the trading of over 2,600 stocks, 770 equity options, eleven sectors index options, and 100 currency pairs.