OREANDA-NEWS. On 06 June 2008 was announced, that in accordance with the recommendation issued by the Derivatives Market Committee JSC "RTS Clearing Center" increases the size of initial margin as described below:

As of the evening clearing session of June 9th, 2008 – for delivery futures contracts with settlement on June 16th, 2008;

As of the evening clearing session of June 10th, 2008 – for the rest of futures contracts:

Futures contracts                                                                    Initial  margin size 

Non-delivery futures contract on RTS Index                                            10% 

Non-delivery futures contract on RTS Consumer & Retail Index                10% 

Non-delivery futures contract on RTS Oil & Gas Index                              10% 

Non-delivery futures contract on RTS Telecom Index                                10% 

Delivery futures contract on MMC "NORILSK NICKEL"                             15% 

Delivery futures contract on "Gazprom"                                                   15% 

Delivery futures contract on "Lukoil"                                                        15% 

Delivery futures contract on "Rosneft"                                                      15% 

Delivery futures contract on "Rostelecom"                                                15% 

Delivery futures contract on "Sberbank"                                                    15% 

Delivery futures contract on "Surgutneftegaz"                                            15% 

Delivery futures contract on JSC VTB Bank                                               15% 

Delivery futures contract on MTS OJSC                                                     20% 

Delivery Futures on OAO "Severstal"                                                         20% 

Delivery futures on OAO "HydroOGK"                                                        20% 

Delivery futures contract on NOVATEK                                                      20% 

Delivery futures contract on OJSC "Polyus Gold"                                        20% 

Futures contract on Transneft privileged shares                                           20% 

Delivery futures contract on OAO "Tatneft"                                                  20% 

Delivery futures contract on O.J.S.C. "Uralsvyazinform                                 20% 

Delivery futures contract on "Sberbank" privileged shares                              20% 

Delivery futures contract on granulated sugar, produced

in accordance with all-Union State Standard 21-94                                          8% 

Futures on gold                                                                                            7,5% 

The contract on refined silver                                                                         10% 

The contract on "URALS" oil                                                                         10% 

Delivery futures contract on Gas oil L-0,2-62 (all-Union State Standard 305-82)  10% 

The present changes will be in effect till the evening clearing session of June 16th, 2008.

FORTS, the derivatives market of RTS, is a leading trading venue for futures and options in Russia. Trading on FORTS started in September 2001. At present FORTS has the widest range of instruments in Russia. These are 64 contracts (46 futures and 18 options) on shares of Russian companies, bonds, short term interest rates, currency, RTS Index, oil, silver, gas, oil, sugar and gold.

Trading volume on FORTS in 2007 grew threefold and reached 297.41 bln dollars or 144.9 million contracts . Compared with 2006 the number of trades increased more than twofold and reached 11.7mln. Total open interest at the end of the year equalled 14.7 bln  rubles in cash or 3.2 million contracts. FORTS also saw a record day’s trading in 2007 when the value of all contracts traded reached 5.2 bln dollars on December 13th, 2007.