Amsterdam - Investors remained largely optimistic at the Dutch stock exchange on Tuesday. By 3 pm (1300 GMT) the main index AEX stood at 296.77 points, up 4.03 per cent.

Still, AEX was making only a slow recovery after a near-free-fall as soon as trading resumed for the first time at 11 am (0900 GMT) for Fortis NV, the former Dutch-Belgium insurer and bank company.

The AEX instantly dropped from 300 to 291.62 points, the lowest level of the day. By 3 pm (1300 GMT), Fortis stood at a loss of 66.97 per cent, at 1.78 euros.

By contrast, insurer Aegon rose substantially (up 21.23 per cent), followed by navigation software manufacturer Tomtom (up 15.66 per cent). dpa - Investors remained largely optimistic at the Dutch stock exchange on Tuesday. By 3 pm (1300 GMT) the main index AEX stood at 296.77 points, up 4.03 per cent.

Still, AEX was making only a slow recovery after a near-free-fall as soon as trading resumed for the first time at 11 am (0900 GMT) for Fortis NV, the former Dutch-Belgium insurer and bank company.

The AEX instantly dropped from 300 to 291.62 points, the lowest level of the day. By 3 pm (1300 GMT), Fortis stood at a loss of 66.97 per cent, at 1.78 euros.

By contrast, insurer Aegon rose substantially (up 21.23 per cent), followed by navigation software manufacturer Tomtom (up 15.66 per cent). (dpa)