Prudential Equity Group, LLC. Names Edward Keon Chief Investment Strategist.

NEW YORK -- Prudential Equity Group, LLC. announced today that it has named Edward Keon as its Chief Investment Strategist, expanding his current role of Director of Quantitative Research which he has held since 1998. Mr. Keon will report to Steve Buell, Director of Global Equity Research, and be responsible for developing the Firm's investment strategy, including asset allocations, and the development of specific portfolio strategy for the Firm's clients.

"As a long time member of Prudential's Investment Policy Committee, Ed has been an integral part of our ability to provide clear, credible, and investor-focused advice," said Buell. "We look forward to Ed's continued leadership as our new chief strategist."

Edward Keon joined Prudential in 1998 as the Chief Quantitative Strategist after 5 1/2 years with I/B/E/S International Inc. In 2003, Ed was named to the Institutional Investor All-America Research Team for the third consecutive year. He is a member of the Institute of Quantitative Research in Finance and a board member of the Chicago Quantitative Alliance (CQA). Ed received a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts/Lowell and an M.B.A. from the Sloan School of Management at M.I.T.

Prudential Financial companies, with approximately $474 billion in total assets under management as of June 30, 2004, serve individual and institutional customers worldwide and include The Prudential Insurance Company of America, one of the largest life insurance companies in the United States. These companies offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, mutual funds, annuities, pension and retirement related services and administration, asset management, securities brokerage, banking and trust services, real estate brokerage franchises and relocation services. For more information, visit www.prudential.com.