Euronext Switches To “Industry Classification Benchmark” (ICB) And Announces Revised Classification Of Listed Companies

Euronext today published details of the stocks listed on its markets which are to be reclassified under the newly adopted “Industry Classification Benchmark” (ICB). This information appears in notice no.2005-2976 released today and available on www.euronext.com . ICB was launched in January 2005 by FTSE Group and Dow Jones Indexes, and will be effective on 2 January 2006 on Euronext markets in Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris.

This new sector classification, which will replace the FTSE Global Classification System currently used, covers 40,000 companies and 45,000 securities worldwide and enables investors to identify entities according to ICB’s hierarchy of ten industries, 18 supersectors, 39 sectors and 104 subsectors. From now until 31 December 2005, stocks on Euronext will be listed under both systems to give users an opportunity to get used to the new one.

As a result of the changeover, Euronext sector indices will be revised and available in early December 2005. From that date, sector indices based on the to be replaced FTSE classification system will no longer be issued but will continue to be calculated until the last trading day of the year. Daily values for the period from early December through 31 December 2005 will be displayed on the Euronext internet site starting 2 January 2006.

Euronext
Euronext, the first pan-European exchange, results from the September 2000 merger of equity and derivatives markets in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris. BVLP, the Portuguese exchange and LIFFE, the international derivatives exchange, joined Euronext in 2002. Euronext offers services that include listing of financial instruments, trading in securities and derivatives, data dissemination and IT support. Measured by value and number of trades processed through its central order book, Euronext is the largest cash equity market in Europe. Euronext.liffe, the derivatives business of Euronext, is Europe’s second largest derivatives exchange by volume and the value of trading.

Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB)
ICB is the new global solution for industry classification. A joint effort of FTSE Group (FTSE) and Dow Jones Indexes, ICB is a comprehensive system for sector and industry analysis, facilitating the comparison of companies across four levels of classification. The system is supported by the ICB global database, which contains over 40,000 companies and 45,000 securities worldwide. For more information about ICB, visit www.icbenchmark.com. For more information about FTSE, visit www.ftse.com; for more information about Dow Jones Indexes, visit www.djindexes.com.