American Stock Exchange to Trade Options On Twenty Additional Securities NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Stock Exchange(R) (Amex(R)) will launch trading in options on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 on the following American Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Stock Market and New York Stock Exchange listed stocks of: -- AAR CORP. (Symbol: AIR) -- Alamosa Holdings, Inc. (Option Symbol: CUT/ Stock Symbol: APCS) -- BioSante Pharmaceuticals (Symbol: BPA) -- Carpenter Technology Corporation (Symbol: CRS) -- Cogent, Inc. (Option Symbol: QAO/ Stock Symbol: COGT) -- Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. (Symbol: ERJ) -- EnCana Corporation (Symbol: ECA) -- Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (Symbol: HNR) -- Micrel, Incorporated (Option Symbol: MIQ/Stock Symbol: MCRL) -- Questar Corporation (Symbol: STR) -- Redwood Trust, Inc. (Symbol: RWT) -- RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (RNR) -- Ship Finance International Limited (Symbol: SFL) -- Southern Peru Copper Corporation (Symbol: PCU) -- Southwestern Energy Company (Symbol: SWN) -- Star Scientific, Inc. (Option Symbol: QSE/Stock Symbol: STSI) -- Steel Technologies Inc. (Option Symbol: SFU/Stock Symbol: STTX) -- The Toronto -Dominion Bank (Symbol: TD) -- UICI (Symbol: UCI) -- United Industrial Corporation (Symbol: UIC) -- Willis Group Holdings Limited (Symbol: WSH) -- Witness Systems, Inc. (Option Symbol: UPJ/Stock Symbol: WITS) AAR CORP. options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be Charlton Specialist Partners, LLC. AAR CORP. supplies aftermarket products and services to the global aviation/aerospace industry. Alamosa Holdings, Inc. options will open with position limits of 7,500,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be Kellogg Capital Group, LLC. Alamosa Holdings, Inc. provides wireless personal communications services in the southwestern and midwestern US. BioSante Pharmaceuticals options will open with position limits of 1,350,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be Kellogg Capital Group, LLC. Amex-listed BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging pharmaceutical company that develops hormone replacement products to treat testosterone deficiency in men and estrogen deficiency in women. BioSante is also developing its nanoparticulate-based platform technology for novel vaccines, vaccine adjuvant and drug delivery systems. Carpenter Technology Corporation options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be Fogel Group, LLC. Carpenter Technology Corporation manufactures, fabricates and distributes stainless steels, titanium and specialty metal alloys. Cogent, Inc. options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be TANSTAAFL Research & Trading, LLC. Cogent, Inc. provides automated fingerprint identification systems and other fingerprint biometric solutions to governments, law enforcement agencies and other organizations worldwide. EMBRAER-EMPRESA BRASILEIRA DE AERONAUTICA S.A., American Depositary Shares options will open with position limits of 3,150,000 shares. The options will trade on the January expiration cycle. The specialist will be AGS Specialists, LLC. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. manufactures and markets commercial, corporate and defense aircraft. EnCana options will open with position limits of 6,000,000 shares. The options will trade on the January expiration cycle. The specialist will be Stuyvesant Trading Group. EnCana Corporation explores for, develops, produces and markets natural gas, crude oil and natural gas liquids. Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be Group One Trading L.P. Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. is an independent oil and gas exploration and development company with principal operations in Venezuela and Russia. Micrel, Incorporated options will open with position limits of 7,500,000 shares. The options will trade on the February expiration cycle. The specialist will be Kellogg Capital Group, LLC. Micrel, Incorporated designs, develops, manufactures and markets analog power integrated circuits and digital integrated circuits. Questar Corporation options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the January expiration cycle. The specialist will be Stuyvesant Trading Group. Questar Corporation is an integrated energy services holding company which operates through its market resources and regulated services divisions. Redwood Trust, Inc., options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the January expiration cycle. The specialist will be LaBranche Structured Products, LLC. Redwood Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust, specializes in owning, financing and credit- enhancing high-quality jumbo residential mortgages loans. RenaissanceRe Holdings LTD. options will open with position limits of 3,150,000 shares. The options will trade on the January expiration cycle. The specialist will be Fogel Group, LLC. RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. is a global provider of reinsurance and insurance. Ship Finance International Limited options will open with position limits of 1,350,000 shares. The options will trade on the February expiration cycle. The specialist will be Bowery Specialist Group, LLC. Ship Finance International Limited operates very large crude carriers (VLCC) to transport crude oil. Southern Peru Copper Corporation options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be TD Options, LLC. Southern Peru Copper Corporation mines, smelts and refines copper. Southwestern Energy Company options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be Stuyvesant Trading Group. Southwestern Energy Company is an integrated energy company primarily focused on natural gas. Star Scientific, Inc. options will open with position limits of 3,150,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be Charlton Specialist Partners, LLC. Star Scientific, Inc. is developing proprietary scientific technology for the curing of tobacco so as to prevent, retard or reduce the formation of carcinogenic toxins present in tobacco. Steel Technologies Inc. options will open with position limits of 1,350,000 shares. The options will trade on the January expiration cycle. The specialist will be TANSTAAFL Research & Trading, LLC. Steel Technologies Inc. processes flat-rolled steel to specified close tolerances for industrial customers who require steel of precise thickness, width, temper, finish and shape for their manufacturing purposes. The Toronto-Dominion Bank options will open with position limits of 1,350,000 shares. The options will trade on the January expiration cycle. The specialist will be Group One Trading L.P. The Toronto-Dominion Bank conducts a general banking business through banking branches and offices located throughout Canada and overseas. UICI options will open with position limits of 2,250,000 shares. The options will trade on the February expiration cycle. The specialist will be Group One Trading L.P. UICI is a diversified financial services company which, through subsidiaries, offers insurance and financial services to niche consumer markets. United Industrial Corporation options will open with position limits of 1,350,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be AGS Specialists, LLC. United Industrial Corporation designs and produces defense, training, transportation and energy systems. Willis Group Holdings Limited options will open with position limits of 7,500,000 shares. The options will trade on the January expiration cycle. The specialist will be Fogel Group, LLC. Willis Group Holdings Limited provides a range of value-added risk management consulting and employee benefits and insurance brokering services. Witness Systems, Inc. options will open with position limits of 3,150,000 shares. The options will trade on the March expiration cycle. The specialist will be TANSTAAFL Research & Trading, LLC. Witness Systems, Inc. provides business-driven multimedia recording and analysis software. The American Stock Exchange(R) (Amex(R)) is the only primary exchange that offers trading across a full range of equities, options and exchange traded funds (ETFs), including structured products and HOLDRS(SM). In addition to its role as a national equities market, the Amex is the pioneer of the ETF, responsible for bringing the first domestic product to market in 1993. Leading the industry in ETF listings, the Amex lists 143 ETFs to date. The Amex is also one of the largest options exchanges in the U.S., trading options on broad-based and sector indexes as well as domestic and foreign stocks. DATASOURCE: The American Stock Exchange CONTACT: Lynn Duffy of The American Stock Exchange, +1-212-306-1654, or Web site: http://www.amex.com/

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