SWX Swiss Exchange Index Adjustments To Take Effect October 2002

Pursuant to the Index Rules of the SWX Swiss Exchange, normal adjustments are made annually on the first trading day of October. In this connection, the data pertaining to a given company's number of shares, as well as the free-float that is relevant for it's weighting in an index, are updated. Effectively immediately, the related summary, along with all pertinent information, can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.swx.com/indices_en.html

20% free float minimum requirement

The minimum lower limit of 20% introduced in connection with the changeover to the free float method for determining the composition of the SPI will now take effect on 1 October 2002 (see SWX Message No. 78/2001 of 4 September 2001). On that date, issues with a free float of less than 20% will be eliminated from the SPI. The listing and the trading on SWX of the concerning securities are not stay unchanged. The listing and trading of the concerned securities on SWX remain unchanged by this decision.