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The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) today announced the first quarter and year-to-date activities report for the NASDAQ OMX Global Index Group. The Global Index Group creates and licenses indexes, which are the basis of financial instruments, and provides full-service index support to financial product issuers, sponsors and investors.
Business Highlights
-- The NASDAQ Stock Market(R) (NASDAQ) began trading on February 11 two new
exchange-traded funds (ETFs) designed to provide leveraged and inverse
exposure to the NASDAQ-100 Index(R) (NDX). The following ETFs are
sponsored by ProShares:
-- ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ) -- ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ (SQQQ)
-- On March 22, the NASDAQ-100 Index became the benchmark for the first
foreign index-linked financial product in China. The Guotai NASDAQ-100
Fund is open for subscription by Guotai Asset Management Co., Ltd., one
of the original asset managers in China, and is now available to
investors in China.
-- Nordea Bank launched on March 10 four new Bull and Bear Certificates
based on the NASDAQ-100 Index and the OMX Helsinki 25 (OMXH25). The
certificates are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
-- An ETF designed to replicate the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index was
launched on January 25 in Canada. BMO Nasdaq 100 Equity Hedged to CAD
Index ETF (ZQQ) is sponsored by BMO Financial Group.
-- Two new ETFs based on NASDAQ OMX's PHLX Semiconductor Sector(SM) index
(SOX) were recently introduced by Direxion Shares. The PHLX
Semiconductor Sector index is the most widely recognized index investors
use to track the semiconductor industry. On March 11, the following ETFs
that offer leveraged long and short exposure to the PHLX Semiconductor
Sector index began trading:
-- Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (SOXL) -- Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares (SOXS)
-- NASDAQ recently began trading two new ETFs designed to provide leveraged
and inverse exposure to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index(R) (NBI), the
most widely used benchmark for U.S. biotechnology sector. The following
ETFs, sponsored by ProShares, began trading on April 8:
-- ProShares Ultra Nasdaq Biotechnology (BIB) -- ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology (BIS)
-- Options trading on the NASDAQ Internet Index(SM) (QNET) began on March
24 on NASDAQ OMX PHLX. The NASDAQ Internet Index is designed to track
the performance of the largest and most liquid U.S.-listed companies
engaged in internet-related businesses that are listed on NASDAQ, the
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or NYSE Amex. Susquehanna Securities is
the specialist for this new product.
-- DB Climate Change Advisors (DBCCA), the climate change investment and
research business of Deutsche Bank's Asset Management business, and
NASDAQ OMX announced on February 10 the introduction of the DB NASDAQ
OMX(R) Clean Tech Index (DBCC). The index is an accurate, real-time
representation of the global clean technology sector with exposure to
clean energy, energy efficiency, transport, waste management and water
companies. This is the first clean technology index co-branded by a
global exchange company and a global bank.
-- On April 12, NASDAQ OMX and the Consumer Electronics Association
(CEA)(R) introduced the NASDAQ OMX(R) CEA(R) Smartphone Index(SM)
(QFON), a new benchmark for the telecommunications sector focused on
wireless, mobile devices with advanced communications functionality. The
NASDAQ OMX(R) CEA(R) Smartphone Index is a modified
market-capitalization index and includes companies that are primarily
involved in the building, design and distribution of handsets, hardware,
software, and mobile networks associated with the development, sale and
usage of smartphones.
Index Performance
During the first quarter, NASDAQ OMX indexes -- the benchmark for 53 ETFs worldwide -- paced the market for both broad-based and sector performance. The table below shows the first quarter performance of some of NASDAQ OMX's leading indexes:
1st
Quarter
Name 2010
NASDAQ OMX Government
Relief Index 21.32%
OMX Nordic 40 index 15.03%
OMX Copenhagen 20 Index 13.77%
NASDAQ OMX ABA Community
Bank Index 12.47%
NASDAQ Biotechnology Index 11.32%
PHLX Medical Device Index 11.04%
OMX Helsinki 25 Index 10.50%
NASDAQ Q-50 Index 9.39%
PHLX Housing Index 9.12%
PHLX Defense Index 8.58%
PHLX Marine Shipping 8.38%
PHLX Chemicals Index 7.99%
NASDAQ OMX Global
Biotechnology Index 7.90%
NASDAQ Financial-100 Index 7.77%
OMX Stockholm 30 Index 7.29%
NASDAQ-100 Index 5.27%
New Indexes
In the first quarter, NASDAQ OMX launched the following new indexes:
Name Ticker DB NASDAQ OMX Clean Tech Index DBCC NASDAQ-100 Currency Hedged CAD NDXCADH SHB Gasoil SHBGASOIL SHB Gasoline SHBGASOLINE Folksam OMXS60 FMOMXS60 Folksam OMXS60 Cap FMOMXS60CAP KPA OMXS60 ex banks KPAOMXS60 KPA OMXS60 KPA OMXS60
On April 14, NASDAQ OMX launched the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Tradable Sector Indexes. The index family comprises 10 Sector indexes and a Composite index. Four versions of the indexes -- price return, total return, net return and an expiration index for futures -- are calculated. The price return indexes are listed below:
Name Ticker NASDAQ OMX Nordic 120 NOMXN120 NASDAQ OMX Nordic Energy NOMXNEN NASDAQ OMX Nordic Materials NOMXNMA NASDAQ OMX Nordic Industrials NOMXNIN NASDAQ OMX Nordic Construction & Real Estate NOMXNCR NASDAQ OMX Nordic Consumer NOMXNCO NASDAQ OMX Nordic Health Care NOMXNHC NASDAQ OMX Nordic Bank & Insurance NOMXNBI NASDAQ OMX Nordic Investment Companies NOMXNIC NASDAQ OMX Nordic Telecom & InfoTech NOMXNTI NASDAQ OMX Nordic Transportation NOMXNTP
On April 12, NASDAQ OMX launched a new blue chip index, the OMX Helsinki 15 (OMXH15). The OMXH15 is calculated as a free float market capitalized weighted index based on the 15 most traded shares on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
The index is calculated in price, gross and net versions:
Name Ticker OMX Helsinki 15 Index OMXH15 OMX Helsinki 15 Net Index OMXH15NI OMX Helsinki 15 Gross Index OMXH15GI
