For 8 months of 2002 volume of currency transactions at KASE reached $1,560.0m and grew relative to corresponding period of the previous year by 38.7%

/IRBIS, September 2, 02/ - within 8 months of 2002 total volume of transactions made at the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) reached the equivalent of $1,559,987.8 th. and increased by $435,511.0th, or 38.7% relative to similar period of last year. During the year 2001 foreign currency transactions volume at KASE was estimated by equivalent $1,961.9m. Following is the table with the volumes of foreign currency transactions at KASE in 2002, which is grouped by months. ------------------------------------------------------------- Total volume of trades, th. unit. Volume ------------------------ Volume, of equivalent, Month USD EUR RUR m KZT th. USD -------- --------- ----- ------ --------- -------------- January 150,880 0 27,100 23,011.7 151,766.3 February 138,810 80 18,400 21,203.7 139,475.4 March 156,335 345 2,700 23,855.5 156,724.0 April 202,065 0 5,400 30,892.1 202,238.1 May 219,790 230 100 33,652.0 220,006.4 June 228,290 2,000 27,100 35,379.8 231,040.0 July 231,920 0 7,100 35,725.4 232,145.0 August 226,545 0 7,500 34,968.1 226,592.5 -------- --------- ----- ------ --------- -------------- Total 1,554,635 2,655 89,400 238,688.2 1,559,987.8 ------------------------------------------------------------- Weighted average market rate of tenge to U.S. dollar in 2002, calculated basing on the deals of the main session of the KASE, equaled by IRBIS estimates KZT152.97 per dollar. Devaluation rate of tenge to dollar is estimated as of August 31,2002 at 3.59% APR based on the rate of the Exchange. In 2001 tenge devaluation level was 3.82%. [2002-09-02]