Ticker Talk

The New York Stock Exchange said it will start trading a handful of stocks in decimal prices on Aug. 28, a week earlier than planned. The six stocks in the trial, previously announced, include Anadarko Petroleum (APC) and Gateway (GTW).

The NYSE’s plan to trade stocks in simple decimals--ending centuries of trading in fractions--will gradually ramp up through the fall and winter, until all NYSE issues trade in decimals by April 9, 2001. That is all pending regulatory approval. The Nasdaq Stock Market also is set to move to decimals in 2001. . . .

Mutual fund giant Vanguard Group said it will reward its largest retail customers with lower fund expenses. Vanguard said shareholders who have held $50,000 in a fund account for at least 10 years, or $150,000 for at least three years, will be eligible for the company’s new Admiral-class shares, which will have administrative expenses 25% to 33% lower than those of Vanguard’s traditional fund shares.

The new shares also will be available to any investor with at least $250,000 in a retail fund account.