FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                     FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2001

Public Information Office                                        CB01-62
301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax)
301-457-1037 (TDD)
e-mail: pio@census.gov

Brad Stovall/
Kristy George
301-457-2787

      Underwriters, Dealers and Brokers Report Securities
       and Commodity-Contract Revenues of $210 Billion

  The Commerce Department's Census Bureau reported today that revenues for
the nation's securities and commodity underwriters, dealers and brokers
increased by 21 percent between 1998 and 1999, from $173 billion to 
$210 billion. Investment banking and securities dealers generated 
$116 billion in revenues and securities brokers, $89 billion.

  The tabulations, released on the Internet, show the majority -- 
97 percent, or $204 billion -- of these revenues were generated by
employer firms (establishments with paid employees). Among the largest
sources of revenues for employer firms in 1999 were commissions from the
sale of securities and commodities, $58 billion, and net gains in trading
accounts, $43 billion.

  The estimates are part of the 1999 Service Annual Survey. Other reports
from the survey cover health, information services and computer services,
as well as trucking and warehousing.

  Employer data for portfolio management firms and investment advisory
firms were included in the tabulations.

  Excluded from the tabulations are data for securities and commodity
exchanges; miscellaneous intermediation; other financial investment
activities; and finance subsectors, such as monetary authorities of
central banks; credit intermediation and related activities; insurance
carriers and related activities; and funds, trusts and other financial
vehicles.

  This is the first year the Service Annual Survey has published data
using the North American Industry Classification System and the first year
it has included data on financial investments.

  The data are subject to sampling variability and nonsampling errors.
Sources of nonsampling error include errors of response, nonreporting and
coverage. Measures of sampling variability, presented as relative standard
errors, are shown in the tables.