Baltic blue-chips shoot up with start of millennium

Baltic blue-chip share prices increased substantially on Monday, the
day the common Baltic List and Baltic price index BI were launched.

The BI gained 5.81 percent over Dec. 30 as Eesti Telekom's price shot
up by 15.62 percent, and Latvian insurer Balta's shares gained 12.67
percent.

A gain of 7-12 percent on Jan.3 was experienced also by most other
stocks of the Baltic List, except shares in Estonia's Optiva Pank
shares, which became more expensive by 1.99 percent in terms of euro.

The only falling stock on the Baltic List on Monday was gas company
Latvijas Gaze (-0.4 percent.)

During one month since Dec. 6, the BI gained 13%.

The total turnover on the Baltic list reached 2.39 million euros
Monday (25 million euros since Dec. 6). Deals with shares in Estonian
companies quoted on the Baltic list on Monday accounted for 95.25% of
the total turnover and shares in Latvian companies for 4.75%.

Lithuanian stock exhange did not operate on Jan. 3, so tiny
euro-price changes as shown in the table below are attributable only
to euro exchange rate fluctuation.