New York, NY, November 19, 2006
—The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ®)
(NASDAQ: NDAQ) announced plans to
introduce the NASDAQ Israel IndexSM
(NASDAQ: ISRQ), which is designed to track
the performance of U.S.-listed companies
that are incorporated in Israel. NASDAQ
began disseminating the index on November
17.
The NASDAQ Israel Index is an important
tool to follow the performance of innovative
companies that have fueled one of the
world's most important economies. The
index includes over 70 Israeli companies,
most of which are listed on NASDAQ. NASDAQ
provides these companies, which have a
combined market capitalization of $50
billion, with high visibility and access
from the U.S. to a large pool of investors
worldwide.
"This index will serve as a powerful
metric by which investors can track the
performance of Israeli companies that
have attained extraordinary achievements
in areas as wide-ranging as manufacturing,
agriculture, and high technology,"
said NASDAQ Executive Vice President John
Jacobs. "The companies in this index
have played a critical part in Israel's
increasingly influential role in key sectors
of the global economy."
Charlotte Crosswell, Head of NASDAQ International
said, "The index highlights NASDAQ's
25 years of activity and commitment to
the Israeli market. We are confident that
the index will further enhance the visibility
of the Israeli companies among U.S. and
international investors as well as help
investors from around the world look to
invest in the Israeli economy."
The NASDAQ Israel Index is calculated
using a modified market capitalization
methodology. The index will be calculated
and disseminated on a price return basis
(NASDAQ: ISRQ) and a total return basis
(NASDAQ: ISRX).
NASDAQ has been a leading index provider
since 1971 and is committed to providing
relevant market indexes and services to
all investors. NASDAQ indexes are the
basis for over 400 financial products
in over 30 countries. NASDAQ's index engine
is built upon NASDAQ's industry-leading
technology platform. All existing NASDAQ
indexes are calculated on this platform,
including the world renowned NASDAQ-100
Index®, the NASDAQ Financial-100
Index® and the NASDAQ Composite
Index®. NASDAQ can calculate
and disseminate indexes that include securities
listed on NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange
and the American Stock Exchange.
About NASDAQ
NASDAQ is the largest electronic screen-based
equity securities market in the United
States. With approximately 3,200 companies,
it lists more companies and, on average,
trades more shares per day than any other
U.S. market. It is home to companies that
are leaders across all areas of business
including technology, retail, communications,
financial services, transportation, media
and biotechnology. NASDAQ is the primary
market for trading NASDAQ-listed stocks.
For more information about NASDAQ, visit
the NASDAQ Web site at www.nasdaq.com
or the NASDAQ Newsroom at www.nasdaq.com/newsroom/.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
The matters described herein contain
forward-looking statements that are made
under the Safe Harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These statements include, but
are not limited to, statements about the
index, including the timing and possible
benefits of the index. We caution that
these statements are not guarantees of
future performance. Actual results may
differ materially from those expressed
or implied in the forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve a number
of risks, uncertainties or other factors
beyond NASDAQ's control. These factors
include, but are not limited to, factors
detailed in NASDAQ's annual report on
Form 10-K, and periodic reports filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. We undertake no obligation
to release any revisions to any forward-looking
statements.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Wayne Lee, NASDAQ
301. 978.4875
Wayne.D.Lee@Nasdaq.com
Harriet Benson, NASDAQ
+44.20.7825.5544
Harriet.Benson@Nasdaq.com
