The iShares S&P Global 100 ETF will be managed by Barclays Global Fund Advisors, a subsidiary of Barclays Global Investors (BGI), and manager of the largest selection of ETFs. Susquehanna Specialists, Inc., the specialist in 20 ETFs and widely recognized as one of the largest liquidity providers in the full range of ETF products, will be the specialist firm in this product.
An ETF is a basket of stocks designed to track the performance of an index, in this case the S&P Global 100, and can be bought and sold like an equity security. An ETF can be traded anytime during normal market hours and is priced intra-day so investors know the value of their investments. A complete list of the 100 stocks in the S&P Global 100 index follows.
"We are delighted at the opportunity to provide investors a unique product that allows them to diversify their portfolios by including the world's leading companies in a single trade," said NYSE Chairman and CEO Richard Grasso. "With 76 of the S&P Global 100 companies listed on the NYSE and representing a combined global market capitalization exceeding $7 trillion, it is only natural the iShares S&P Global 100 ETF trade on the NYSE. We are committed to providing investors with the most liquid global trading products and look forward to introducing similar pioneering products in the future."
"We are pleased to partner with the NYSE, Standard & Poor's and specialist firm Susquehanna Specialists, all world leaders in their fields, in providing investors with a globally-oriented iShares product," said Lee Kranefuss, CEO of BGI's Individual Investor Group. "With the iShares S&P Global 100, investors have one-stop access to companies around the world with the benefits of an ETF. Individuals and institutions have invested over $4.4 billion in iShares this year alone because they offer a compelling approach to asset allocation, combining low cost, broad diversification and tax efficiency."
"Today's investor is increasingly aware that the global economy presents opportunities for global investment. The S&P Global 100 Index was created with this fact in mind," said Leo C. O'Neil, president of Standard & Poor's, a global leader in financial data and investment analysis. "With companies in it such as Toyota, General Electric, Vodaphone, Deutsche Telecom, Nortel and other truly global firms, we believe that our index provides an excellent performance measure for judging world business' response to fast-changing economic conditions.
Standard & Poor's is a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP).
A historical review of the S&P Global 100 index, launched last February, indicates it would have continuously outperformed the S&P 500 and S&P Global 1200 over the past 12 years.
