Global ETF News Older than One Year
NASDAQ OMX Commemorates Its 20-Year Anniversary In Silicon Valley
World's Largest Exchange Celebrates Innovation And Entrepreneurship Of America's Game-changers
March 10, 2010--The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) will celebrate the 20-year anniversary of its presence in California's Silicon Valley on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. To mark the milestone, NASDAQ OMX will host several events including remote Opening and Closing Bell ceremonies from San Jose City Hall, and a press briefing to discuss NASDAQ OMX's initiatives, prospects for the valley and its IPO market.
During the remote Closing Bell ceremony, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed will deliver a proclamation naming March 16, 2010 "NASDAQ Day" in honor of the exchange company's significance to Silicon Valley and its role in supporting economic growth over the last 20 years and in the future. In 1990, NASDAQ OMX established its office in Palo Alto, and it is currently based on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California.
Bruce Aust, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Client Group, NASDAQ OMX, commented, "We are proud that NASDAQ OMX established a presence in the Valley when many of today's major office parks were still fruit orchards. We are also proud to have served as the capital formation engine for so many Valley companies who have truly changed the world. The Silicon Valley area is a unique eco-system that cities all over the world have tried to emulate, and we will continue to play an important role in that growth well into the future."
With 513 listed companies from California and 203 companies from Silicon Valley listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market, the world's largest exchange company has also seen increased listings momentum through IPOs and listing applications since the second half of 2009. Since 2009, NASDAQ OMX has won 41 IPOs that have raised $8.3 billion. Currently the exchange has 102 listing applications in the pipeline from sectors including biotech, technology, and social media. There are 28 companies in Silicon Valley that are part of the NASDAQ-100 index, seven of which are headquartered in San Jose.
Mark Heesen, President of the National Venture Capital Association said, "Over the last 20 years the venture capital industry and NASDAQ have brought to the public markets some of the most exciting and value-added companies trading today. The resulting job creation and innovation have proven to be a tremendous source of economic growth for Silicon Valley and the country. We look forward to working with entrepreneurs to bring more emerging growth companies public on NASDAQ for the next 20 years and beyond."
Credentialed members of the press are invited to attend the NASDAQ OMX Silicon Valley Press Briefing with NASDAQ OMX CEO Bob Greifeld, Executive Vice President Bruce Aust, and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. The briefing will take place following the remote closing bell from 1:15-2:15 p.m. PST at San Jose City Hall, Room 120. Please RSVP to Marisha.chinsky@nasdaqomx.com.
Source: NASDAQ OMX
Investec To Join FTSE 100 Index
March 10, 2010--South Africa-based investment bank Investec (INVP.L) is set to replace insurance-focussed takeover vehicle Resolution (RSL.L) in the FTSE 100 .FTSE index after the latest quarterly index review on Wednesday.
As at the market close on Tuesday, Resolution was the only blue chip stock below 111th position in a ranking based on market capitalisation, according to index compiler FTSE, setting it up for relegation from the blue chip index.
Source: Reuters
Research and Markets: International Investment & ETFs (Exchange Traded Fund) Review 2010: Comprehensive Guide to Investment Opportunities Worldwide
March 9, 2010--Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "International Investment & ETFs Review 2010" report to their offering.
The International Investment & ETFs Review 2010 provides a comprehensive guide to investment opportunities worldwide. Prepared by leading experts from investment banks, law firms and consultancies, the Review contains analysis of securities, debt and equity capital markets, and regulations governing investment worldwide. The Review focuses on significant market trends and developments. The publication serves as a comprehensive guide to the investment market, as well as highlighting opportunities within each specific sector.
Source: Yahoo News
Study to uncover impact of climate change on pension funds
March 9, 2010-- Fourteen pension fund investors and asset owners have signed up to conduct a study with Mercer Consulting to find out what impact climate change will have on the risk and return potential of pension funds.
The giant Norwegian state-owned pension fund and US-based Calpers were the first known names engaging in the project to create a scenario-based framework identifying potential new investment opportunities and future risks for investors in relation to climate change.
Source: IP&E
ETF Landscape: Industry Highlights - End February 2010
March 9, 2010--Highlights
Global ETF and ETP Industry February 2010:
* At the end of February 2010 the global ETF industry had 2,090 ETFs with 3,997 listings, assets of US$1,001.5 Bn, from 115 providers on 40 exchanges around the world.
United States ETF and ETP Industry February 2010:
* At the end of February 2010 the US ETF industry had 807 ETFs, assets of US$678.6 Bn, from 28 providers on two exchanges.
* US domiciled ETFs/ETPs experienced net outflows totalling US$11.8 Bn YTD. Fixed income ETFs saw positive flows with US$5.4 Bn net new assets, while North American equities saw US$14.5 Bn net outflows, and emerging market equities with US$2.6 Bn net outflows.
European ETF and ETP Industry February 2010:
* At the end of February 2010 the European ETF industry had 901 ETFs with 2,490 listings, assets of US$220.1 Bn, from 35 providers on 18 exchanges.
* Net new assets into European domiciled ETFs totalled US$8.7 Bn YTD, with European equities receiving US$2.1 Bn net inflows, followed by fixed income ETFs with US$1.2 Bn and emerging market equity ETFs with US$1.4 Bn net new assets YTD.
Canada ETF and ETP Industry February 2010:
* At the end of February 2010 the Canadian ETF industry had 132 ETFs, assets of US$29.7 Bn, from four providers on one exchange.
Asia Pacific ex-Japan ETF and ETP Industry February 2010:
* At the end of February 2010 the Asia Pacific ex-Japan ETF industry had 137 ETFs with 225 listings, and assets of US$38.0 Bn from 48 providers on 13 exchanges.
Japan ETF and ETP Industry February 2010:
* At the end of February 2010 the Japanese ETF industry had 70 ETFs with assets of US$24.0 Bn from six providers on two exchanges.
Latin America ETF and ETP Industry February 2010:
* At the end of February 2010 the Latin American ETF industry had 20 ETFs with 223 listings, and assets of US$9.3 Bn from three providers on three exchanges.
1 Source: Global ETF Research & Implementation Strategy Team, BlackRock.
Source: Global ETF Research & Implementation Strategy Team, BlackRock.
Russell and NASDAQ OMX to Launch RussellTick
March 9, 2010--Russell Investments and The
NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) today announced that NASDAQ OMX(R)
has been selected as the primary source of real-time index values for
all of Russell's equity indexes via RussellTick™, a new proprietary
data service. Developed by NASDAQ OMX, RussellTick will offer investors
and traders worldwide real-time access to Russell Index values,
including the industry-leading U.S. small-cap Russell 2000(R) Index and
U.S. broad-market Russell 3000(R) Index
In December of 2009, Russell selected NASDAQ OMX to disseminate real-time values for Russell's indexes that reflect the global market, but not the well-known U.S. benchmarks, leveraging NASDAQ OMX's global distribution capabilities through NASDAQ OMX's Global Index Data Service (GIDS). Today's announcement broadens the partnership through the creation of a consolidated primary data service that covers the entire family of Russell Indexes. NASDAQ OMX is scheduled to launch RussellTick on June 1, 2010.
"RussellTick will consolidate all of Russell's intra-day index information for the first time into one data source," said Sara Wilson, regional director for third-party index partners at Russell Investments. "Easy access to real-time index values empowers investors to better gauge market performance and more easily track portfolio investments. We're very pleased to leverage the reliable technology and far-reaching distribution capability of NASDAQ OMX as a single point of access."
"Russell's selection of NASDAQ OMX as an independent provider of its index information is a result of our shared objective of promoting transparency," said Randall Hopkins, Senior Vice President of Global Data Products, NASDAQ OMX. "This development further expands the relationship between our organizations, which share a commitment to providing all market participants access to information in a highly scalable manner."
Russell's and NASDAQ OMX's partnership is made possible by the NASDAQ OMX Global Access program. Global Access enables Russell to distribute its data through one of the largest and most successful data distribution organizations in the world. By leveraging the sales, administrative, technical and brand strength of NASDAQ OMX, Global Access provides customers turn-key access to a premier data business. For details, visit http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/globalaccessprogram.
Source: NASDAQ OMX
Gold May Gain on Concern About Sovereign Debts, Survey Shows
March 5, 2010--Gold may gain on concern about European sovereign debts and rising holdings in exchange-traded funds, a survey showed.
Nineteen of 26 traders, investors and analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, or 73 percent, said bullion would rise next week.
Six forecast lower prices and one was neutral. Gold for delivery in April was up 1.1 percent for this week at $1,131 an ounce at 11:30 a.m. in New York yesterday.
Source: Bloomberg
STOXX Ltd. Changes Composition Of Select Dividend, Style And Grand Prix Indices
April 5, 2010--- STOXX Limited, a global index provider and creator of the leading European equity indices, today announced the result of the annual review of the STOXX Select Dividend Index series and the STOXX Global Grand Prix Index; as well as the result of the semi-annual review of the STOXX TMI Growth and STOXX TMI Value indices, its respective large, mid- and small sub-indices as well as the respective indices for the Euro zone. All changes will be effective on March 22, 2010.
Effective as of the open of European markets on March 22, 2010, 21 components will be replaced in the STOXX Global Select Dividend 100 Index. The index comprises the 100 highest dividend-paying companies in the three regions of the STOXX Global 1800 Index.
In the European portion of the STOXX Global Select Dividend 100 Index, the three largest components that are being added measured by dividend yield are Catlin GRP (U.K., Insurance, CGL.L), BCO Sabadell (Spain, Banks, SABE.MC) and Astrazeneca (U.K., Health Care, AZN.L). The three largest components exiting the index are D/S Norden (Denmark, Industrial Goods & Services, DNORD.CO), Koninklijke DSM (Netherlands, Chemicals, DSMN.AS) and DCC (Ireland, Industrial Goods & Services, DCC.I).
Source: STOXX Limited
NASDAQ OMX Introduces Investor Relations Website Solution for the Banking Sector
WebCenter360 Banking Suite to Feature Highline Financial Data and Analytics to Maximize the Transparency and Interactivity of Investor Communications
March 4, 2010--he NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.
(Nasdaq:NDAQ) today launched its WebCenter360 Banking Suite, a
competitively priced investor relations website solution built for
global, regional and community banks. NASDAQ announced that the
WebCenter360 Banking Suite will be powered by data and analytics from
Highline Financial, the preferred source for banking information and
analytics for the financial sector.
"Investor Relations websites are increasingly becoming the number one source of information for investors," said Demetrios N. Skalkotos, Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Services, NASDAQ OMX. "Our WebCenter360 Banking Suite is specially designed to increase the transparency of this critically important communications channel employing high quality competitive research, stock information and data from Highline Financial to those investing in the banking industry."
"We welcome this strategic partnership with NASDAQ OMX as the need for access to on demand banking sector data is crucial for investors to inform their daily investment and business decisions," said Terry Waters, President and CEO, Highline Financial. "The integration of Highline Financial data and analytics in the WebCenter360 Banking Suite will allow the delivery of timely, accurate and comprehensive banking information to NASDAQ's investor relations customers."
Source: NASDAQ OMX
First estimates for the fourth quarter of 2009-Euro area and EU27 GDP up by 0.1%
March 4, 2010--GDP increased by 0.1% in both the euro area1 (EA16) and the EU271 during the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with the previous quarter, according to first estimates released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the third quarter of 2009, growth rates were +0.4% in the euro area and +0.3% in the EU27.
Compared with the fourth quarter of 2008, seasonally adjusted GDP declined by 2.1% in the euro area and by 2.3% in the EU27, after -4.1% and -4.3% respectively for the previous quarter.
Variation in components of GDP
During the fourth quarter of 2009, household2 final consumption expenditure was stable in both the euro area and the EU27 (after -0.2% in both zones in the previous quarter). Investments fell by 0.8% in the euro area and by 1.3% in the EU27 (after -0.9% and -0.7% respectively). Exports increased by 1.7% in the euro area and by 1.9% in the EU27 (after +2.9% and +2.5%). Imports increased by 0.9% in the euro area and by 1.4% in the EU27 (after +2.8% in both zones).
US and Japanese GDP increased
In the United States GDP increased by 1.4% during the fourth quarter of 2009, after +0.6% in the third quarter of 2009. In Japan GDP increased by 1.1% in the fourth quarter of 2009, after 0.0% in the previous quarter. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2008, GDP increased by 0.1% in the United States (after -2.6% in the previous quarter), but decreased by 0.9% in Japan (after -4.9%).
GDP decreased by 4.1% in the euro area and by 4.2% in the EU27 in 2009
Over the whole year 2009, GDP decreased by 4.1% in the euro area and by 4.2% in the EU27, compared with +0.6% and +0.8% respectively for 2008. Over the whole year 2009, GDP decreased by 2.4% in the US (+0.4% in 2008) and by 5.0% in Japan (-1.2% in 2008).
Source: Eurostat
