The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) and CRD Analytics announced today the results of the semi-annual re-ranking of the NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability 50 Index (Nasdaq:QCRD), which will become effective prior to market open on Monday, May 24, 2010.
The following twelve securities will be added to the Index: Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A), Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE:BBD), Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA), Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY), The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), Infosys Technologies Limited (Nasdaq:INFY), Eli Lilly & Company (NYSE:LLY), Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT), Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO), Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), UBS AG (NYSE:UBS).
The NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability 50 Index is an equally weighted equity index that serves as a benchmark for stocks of companies that are taking a leadership role in sustainability performance reporting and are traded on a major U.S. stock exchange. The Index is made up of companies that have taken a leadership role in disclosing their carbon footprint, energy usage, water consumption, hazardous and non-hazardous waste, employee safety, workforce diversity, management composition and community investing. These are companies that are voluntarily disclosing their current environmental, social and governance risks as well as their revenue opportunities and how it will affect future performance. The securities must also meet other eligibility criteria which include minimum requirements for market value, average daily share volume, and price. The Index is evaluated on a semi-annual basis in May and November. For more information about the NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability 50 Index, including detailed eligibility criteria, visit https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/.
"More and more companies and investors are recognizing that sustainability as a business and investment strategy will define success in the Twenty-First Century," said Michael Muyot, President and Founder of CRD Analytics. "The NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability 50 Index, based on our SmartView analytics platform, is a key tool for tracking the performance of sustainability leaders. Hats off to those companies added to the index -- as they have raised the bar."
"The re-ranking of the NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability 50 Index ensures its relevance as the most widely followed benchmark for companies that are on the leading edge of self-reporting sustainability activities," said NASDAQ OMX Executive Vice President John Jacobs. "This index is a powerful tool for those who want to capture the investment opportunities created by the economic shift toward global sustainability."
As a result of the re-ranking, the following twelve securities will be removed from the Index: ABB Ltd (NYSE:ABB), Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:ABX), BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP), BT Group plc (NYSE:BT), Reed Elsevier PLC (NYSE:ENL), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE:RDS-A), Royal Bank Of Canada (NYSE:RY), Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE:SI), Statoil ASA (NYSE:STO), Vodafone Group PLC (Nasdaq:VOD), Westpac Banking Corporation (NYSE:WBK).