"This is a significant development for both Nasdaq and investors in Japan," said John Jacobs, President and CEO of Nasdaq Financial Products Services, Inc.. "Investors in Japan will be introduced to an ETF whose trading symbol is 'QQQ' - the most heavily-traded security in the U.S. Not only will the Nasdaq Japan Market continue to provide opportunities to invest in Japan's growth companies, but also in many of the largest and most dynamic businesses in the world," added Jacobs - who invented QQQ.
The Nasdaq-100 Index includes the top 100 non-financial companies (ranked by market value) traded on the National Market tier of The Nasdaq Stock Market®. The ETF for this index is one of the largest in the world, boasting an aggregate market value of approximately $22 billion and daily trading volumes of around 65 million shares.* This ETF is very popular with both institutional and individual investors because it makes it possible to invest in the collective performance of companies with high market-value growth potential that are listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market and it enables such investments to be made in small amounts.
The Nasdaq-100 Index has outperformed all other major U.S. and international indices on a cumulative basis over the past 10 years. The index returned 377-percent between 1992 and 2001. The Nasdaq-100 Trust - a unit investment trust that holds shares of the companies in the Nasdaq-100 Index - has a net asset value of $22.2 billion dollars. That represents a 50-percent increase in its net asset value since its inception on March 10, 1999.
Nasdaq is the world's largest stock market. With more than 4,000 companies, Nasdaq lists more companies and trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. Over the past five years, Nasdaq has outpaced all other U.S. markets in listing IPOs. It is also home to category defining companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, transportation, media and healthcare industries. With operations on three continents, Nasdaq is a key driver of global capital formation. For more information about Nasdaq, visit the Nasdaq Web site at www.nasdaq.com or the Nasdaq NewsroomSM at www.nasdaqnews.com.
