The board authorized holders of the BLDRS shares to receive additional BLDRS shares for each share they own in the following ratios:
| The BLDRS Asia 50 ADR Index FundSM (NASDAQ:ADRA) | Three-for-one |
| The BLDRS Developed Markets 100 ADR Index FundSM (NASDAQ:ADRD) | Three-for-one |
| The BLDRS Emerging Markets 50 ADR Index FundSM (NASDAQ:ADRE) | Four-for-one |
| The BLDRS Europe 100 ADR Index FundSM (NASDAQ:ADRU) | Three-for-one |
“These stock splits will effectively extend the BLDRS products to a broader retail investment audience,” said John Jacobs, executive vice president of NASDAQ and CEO of NASDAQ Global Funds. “Reducing the share price of these products will enable more individual investors to seek investment opportunities in developed and emerging markets, and in Asia and Europe. Because of the strong price performance of the BLDRS products, it was necessary to take this action for the benefit of retail investors.”
The BLDRS Asia 50 ADR Index Fund, a unit investment trust, seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of The Bank of New York Asia 50 ADR Index, a capitalization-weighted index designed to track the performance of a basket of Asian market-based Depositary Receipts.
The BLDRS Developed Markets 100 ADR Index Fund, a unit investment trust, seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of The Bank of New York Developed Markets 100 ADR Index, a capitalization-weighted index designed to track the performance of a basket of developed market-based Depositary Receipts.
The BLDRS Emerging Markets 50 ADR Index Fund, a unit investment trust, seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of The Bank of New York Emerging Markets 50 ADR Index, a capitalization-weighted index designed to track the performance of a basket of emerging market-based Depositary Receipts.
The BLDRS Europe 100 ADR Index Fund, a unit investment trust, seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of The Bank of New York Europe 100 ADR Index, a capitalization-weighted index designed to track the performance of a basket of European market-based Depositary Receipts.
Sponsored by NGF, a subsidiary of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ® ; NASDAQ:NDAQ), the BLDRS Index Funds Trust consists of four separate ETFs that are designed to correspond with the price and yield performance of four Bank of New York American Depositary Receipt Indices.
NGF is behind one of the largest ETF fund families – both in the U.S. and globally. Ranking third in the U.S., in terms of assets under management, NGF sponsors 5 ETFs: the NASDAQ-100 Index Tracking Stock® (NASDAQ: QQQQ) and the 4 BLDRS ETFs. In addition, NGF’s European subsidiary manages the NASDAQ-100 Index European TrackerSM (available only to investors in certain European countries).
NASDAQ is the largest U.S. electronic stock market. 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 http://www.nasdaq.com or the NASDAQ Newsroom at http://www.nasdaq.com/newsroom/ .
An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus, which contains this and other information about BLDRS, unit investment trusts, please call 888.627.3837. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. ETFs are subject to investment risk including possible loss of principal.
ALPS Distributors, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, is distributor for BLDRS. 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 proposed stock splits, the timing of those splits, and the benefit to investors. 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.
