American Stock Exchange Lists Strides Linked to Applied Materials, Inc. NEW YORK, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Stock Exchange(R) (Amex(R)) today began trading Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. 8% Callable STRIDES payable at maturity with Applied Materials, Inc. common stock. Trading under the ticker symbol AOP, 1.1 million shares of the new one-year securities were issued at $25.00 each with a maturity date of April 4, 2005. The Callable STRIDES are similar to other debt securities and make fixed quarterly interest payments, in this case at an annual rate of 8% on the $25.00 principal amount of each Callable STRIDES beginning July 4, 2004. Unlike ordinary debt securities, the Callable STRIDES do not guarantee the return of principal at maturity. In addition, Callable STRIDES are unique in that: -- At maturity, if the Callable STRIDES have not been redeemed or called, holders of the Callable STRIDES will receive a number of shares of Applied Materials, Inc. common stock inexchange for each Callable STRIDES -- The Callable STRIDES are callable at the option of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. beginning October 5, 2004. The securities are issued by Merrill Lynch. The Amex specialist unit for the securities is AGS/STR/OTA. If you would like to receive a copy of the prospectus for AOP, please contact the Capital Markets Group at the American Stock Exchange at (212) 306-1659. 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 firstdomestic product to market in 1993. Leading the industry in ETF listings, the Amex lists 138 ETFs. 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. For more information, please visit http://www.amex.com/. DATASOURCE: The American Stock Exchange CONTACT: Lynn Duffy of American Stock Exchange, +1-212-306-1654, Web site: http://www.amex.com/

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