In its March 15th issue, Barron's rated Discover Brokerage Direct (DBD) four stars, its highest rating, for the fourth straight year in the publications' annual rating of online brokerages — a distinction unmatched by any other online brokerage. In addition, DBD received the highest possible score in Trade Execution Process.

Barron's rated online brokerages on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, on five criteria: Trade Execution Process, Ease of Use, Reliability and Range of Offerings, Amenities, and Commissions. The editorial accompanying the ratings noted, "Discover Brokerage Direct's site features nicely laid-out portfolio reports and a design that… aims to keep all of the features just a mouse click or two away."

The editorial also emphasized the growing importance of online trading in today's markets, noting that online stock trading "accounted for about 30% of the transactions by individual investors at the end of 1998… [and] by earlier this year, some 340,000 online trades were being made every day."

DBD's four-star Barron's rating is a mark of its continuing success in this growing sector. DBD moved from fourth to second in Gomez Advisors' Spring 1999 Internet Broker Scorecard — DBD's third straight Top 5 finish on the Scorecard. For the complete ratings, Barron's subscribers can visit www.barrons.com.