The American Stock Exchange (Amex) will launch trading in options on Monday, October 10, 2005, on the underlying shares of the iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund (EWJ), Vanguard European VIPERs (VGK) and Vanguard Pacific VIPERs (VPL).
The iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund will open with strike prices of 7-17 with one-point increments and position limits of 250,000,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle with initial expirations in October, November, December and March. The specialist will be TANSTAAFL Research & Trading, LLC. iShares(R) MSCI Japan Index Fund is an exchange- traded fund designed to provide investors with performance, before fees and expenses, that generally corresponds to the MSCI Japan Index.
The Vanguard European VIPERs will open with strike prices of 47-57 with one-point increments and position limits of 2,500,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle with initial expirations in October, November, December and March. The specialist will be LaBranche Structured Products, LLC. Vanguard European VIPERs is an exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with performance, before fees and expenses, that generally corresponds to the MSCI European Index.
The Vanguard Pacific VIPERs will open with strike prices of 50-60 with one-point increments and position limits of 2,500,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle with initial expirations in October, November, December and March. The specialist will be LaBranche Structured Products, LLC. Vanguard Pacific VIPERs is an exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with performance, before fees and expenses, that generally corresponds to the MSCI Pacific Index.