Mondo Visione Worldwide Financial Markets Intelligence

FTSE Mondo Visione Exchanges Index:

S&P Launches BRIC 40 Index; Provides Exposure To Brazil, Russia, India & China

Date 21/06/2006

Designed to provide exposure to 40 leading companies from the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China, Standard & Poor’s today launched the S&P BRIC 40 Index. The constituents of the index are large, well-traded, liquid companies currently trading on the following developed market exchanges: Hong Kong Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and NYSE.

“Securities in emerging markets are an increasingly popular option for investors, asset managers and plan sponsors; however, liquidity of the issues continues to be a cause of concern,” says David Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poor’s. “The construction of the S&P BRIC 40 Index accounts for both the liquidity of the underlying stocks, as well as the liquidity of the overall portfolio resulting in an index which is more efficient to invest in.”

The S&P BRIC 40 Index, which already has licensed products based upon it, is calculated by means of the divisor method used in most Standard & Poor’s indices. It is rebalanced annually and treats corporate actions in a transparent procedure similar to other Standard & Poor’s indices.

The index uses a modified market capitalization weighting scheme, with modifications being to market cap weights, if required, to reflect available float, reduce single stock concentration and enhance index basket liquidity. Constituent companies are also members of the S&P/IFCI index series that meet minimum market capitalization and liquidity requirements.

A paper outlining the structure and methodology of the S&P BRIC 40 Index can be found by accessing www.standardandpoors.com/indices. Daily returns denominated in U.S. dollars and Euros are available in leading market data platforms.

About Standard & Poor’s
Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 6,300 employees located in 21 countries and markets, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com.