Paris, July 1, 1998 -- On Monday 13 and Tuesday 14, which are bank holidays in France, trading in Matif financial futures and related options will be open through NSC electronic system in accordance with the following timetable:

• pre-opening from 7 to 8 a.m. (Paris time)
• trading session from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  (instead of the usual 8 a.m. to 10 p.m)

Contracts traded on July 13 and 14 will be cleared on Wednesday, July 15. Margin calls will be made on the morning of Thursday, July 16.

The decision to open trading, which electronic trading has made possible, reflects the desire of participants to have continued access to Matif products and control their positions on what are business days in all other countries in the future euro zone.

Trading in Matif commodity futures will be closed on July 13 and 14.

Press contacts:
Antoinette Bouvier-Darpy - Tel.: + 33 1 40 28 83 89
Nathalie Boschat - Tel. : + 44 171 332 59 20