SWX New Market: Performance Exceeds All Expectations

On Wednesday 1 March 2000, the SWX Swiss Exchange will initiate its new index covering price developments in the SWX New Market. This market segment was launched already in July of last year and is home to rapidly growing companies from Switzerland and abroad. The enclosed chart shows the explosive rise in the implied value of the SWX New Market Index during the first two months of 2000. The index has been effectively computed since 1 January of this year, and was pegged at a baseline value of 1 000 on that date. Yesterday evening, it closed at a level of 1876.22. The SWX New Market Index (SNMI®) is a performance index. As a result, it is an indicator of the current price action of the 6 companies that have been listed to date. Weighting is made on the basis of the latest prices of the shares contained in the SNMI. At the close of trading on 28 February, its composition was as follows: BI0MARIN PHAR CT 25.29%, MIRACLE 20.51%, 4M N 19.96%, SWISSFIRST 1 16.36%, CARD GUARD N 13.82%, COMPLET-E N .CH 4.06%. In addition to this performance index, the SWX Swiss Exchange also will be computing a price index for the SWX New Market. BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. was founded in 1996 and began operational activities at its California facilities in March of 1997. This biotech firm is specialised in research, development and marketing of medications based on carbohydrate-active enzymes. Miracle Holding AG is an internationally active software house that was established in 1986 with headquarters in Langenthal, Switzerland. The technology of its main product, miracle xrp, enables the continuous and individualised adaptation and alteration of business processes, allows the formulation of work flows and opens up a broad range of opportunities for users to engage in e-commerce/e-business. 4M Technologies Holding was founded in 1988 and commenced its business activities during November of 1990 in Yverdon, Switzerland. The company is a leading producer of systems for mass production of all CD and DVD formats, and provides total solutions for the production of data storage media. swissfirst AG was established in 1995 and to date has specialised in trading Swiss equities and derivatives, producing financial analyses for institutional clients, as well as providing asset management services. Going forward, swissfirst wishes also to become active in private banking and lnternet brokerage. Card Guard Scientific Survival Ltd. is involved active in the area of telemedicine and has its headquarters in Israel. It commenced business operations in 1990. Telemedicine enables the collection and transfer of patient data via telecommunication links to medical facilities for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment. Complet-e Holding AG was founded in 1988 and is today based in Spreitenbach, Switzerland. It produces integrated information systems and e-business software for small- and medium-sized companies. The firm is increasingly orienting itself towards the development of products which can be applied in e-commerce and lnternet shopping. The SWX New Market Index (SNMI) will be permanently posted at the SWX Internet Home page www.swx.com under the URL of products/swxnm_indexcharts_en.html. SWX would of course be pleased if you were to talk to your customers about the performance of the domestic and foreign stocks listed on the SWX New Market just as you have done for so long now with respect to the SMI and SPI. The regulations pertaining to this new index can also be found at the SWX Website. For any further information you may require, the SWX media spokesperson, Leo Hug, will be pleased to assist you at tel. +41 l 229 26 75, or you may feel free to contact Robert Wyss of the SWX New Market product management team at tel. +41 1 229 26 78.