CBOE To Launch Options On "EXQ," CBOE's New Benchmark Index Of Publicly Traded USA Exchanges, On September 19, 2006

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) announced today that it will launch options on the CBOE Exchange Index, "EXQ," the benchmark index based on the stock prices of publicly traded U.S. exchanges, on Tuesday, September 19, 2006. The EXQ Index is currently composed of the stock prices of CBOT Holdings, Inc. (BOT), Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings, Inc. (CME), IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (ICE), International Securities Exchange, Inc. (ISE), Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. (NDAQ) and NYSE Group, Inc. (NYX).

"The 'exchange sector' has quickly emerged as a vital new market segment, and CBOE created the EXQ as the benchmark index to measure its explosive growth," said CBOE Chairman and CEO William J. Brodsky. "Every stock in the Index is less than three years old, making this a very exciting sector with tremendous trading opportunities. EXQ options offer investors a variety of ways to participate in this sometimes volatile space as it continues to evolve."

The CBOE Exchange Index (EXQ), created and launched by CBOE in January 2006, is an equal-dollar weighted, narrow-based security index, and is re-balanced on a quarterly basis. EXQ options are cash-settled, and European-style exercise. So far in 2006, EXQ has had a low of 69.71 and high of 103.51. More information on EXQ, including historical data back to 2004, is available on the CBOE website at: http://www.cboe.com/EXQ.

CBOE, the world's largest options marketplace and the creator of listed options, is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For additional information about the CBOE and its products, visit the CBOE website at: http://www.cboe.com/