Amsterdam stock exchange ended the worst year in its trading history on Wednesday with a last-minute dip into the red, reports news agency ANP.

The blue chip AEX was 0.26% down at 245.94 points, after being positive for most of the day.
Over 2008 as whole, the AEX’s value more than halved, falling by 52.2%. The MidKap index was 53.1% down on its January 2008 opening at 316.16 points.
The biggest losers of the year were insurance company Aegon and financial services group ING, ANP said. ING lost 5% on Wednesday to end the year down 71.2%. Aegon lost 2% on the final trading day, bringing the annual decline in its share price to 61.8%.