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MSCI Barra (NYSE:MXB), a leading provider of investment decision support tools worldwide, including indices and portfolio analytics, announced on 22 January the launch of the first four indices belonging to its new MSCI Thematic & Strategy Indices family: MSCI Short, MSCI Leveraged, MSCI Infrastructure and MSCI Equal Weighted Indices. This family of indices aims to capture the beta of specific investment themes and strategies, and is a result of feedback from client consultations held in 2007 with the asset management, broker dealer and asset owner communities. The MSCI Infrastructure and MSCI Equal Weighted Indices are available from today, and the MSCI Short and MSCI Leveraged Indices will be available from the end of May, 2008.
"The four MSCI Thematic & Strategy Indices we announced today are the first of many indices we plan to introduce aimed at capturing topical investment ideas. In each case, we are able to leverage our global presence, our 35 years of experience in index design, and our extensive research insight into the investment process," said David Brierwood, Chief Operating Officer, MSCI Barra. “This unique combination allows us to provide the global investment community with timely, innovative indices that serve investors’ benchmarking and product creation needs,” he added.
The first four MSCI Thematic & Strategy Indices are derived from eligible MSCI Country and Regional Indices, which are calculated according to the MSCI Global Investable Market Indices Methodology. The indices may be licensed for use by institutional investors around the world for portfolio management and benchmarking purposes, as well as to serve as the basis of structured products and other index-linked investment vehicles such as ETFs.
The MSCI Infrastructure and MSCI Equal Weighted Indices, including nine years of index level history, are now available to eligible clients directly from MSCI Barra on request. The MSCI Short and Leveraged Indices will be available to eligible clients directly from MSCI Barra on request by the end of May, 2008. Index level data for a select range of MSCI Thematic & Strategy Indices will be made available via www.mscibarra.com by the end of May, 2008, and will be added to the existing MSCI equity index products on or before the end of July, 2008.
Index methodologies for the new MSCI Thematic & Strategy Indices are available on www.mscibarra.com.
