Singapore Exchange Announces Plans For Joint Venture With The American Stock Exchange - Joint Venture To Trade Etfs Across North American-Asian Continents

Singapore Exchange (SGX) and The American Stock Exchange® (Amex) yesterday announced their plans to establish a joint venture to list and trade Amex-listed exchange-traded funds (ETF) and structured products on SGX Securities Trading (SGX-ST).

The proposed joint venture is the first step in the development of a global and fungible exchange-traded fund trading system. It will provide both retail and institutional investors the opportunity to trade ETFs across the North American and Asian time zones.

Thomas A. Kloet, Chief Executive Officer of SGX said, “We are very pleased to introduce this product line to investors in the Asia Pacific region and to do so in a cooperative effort with Amex.”

Mr Kloet added, “This move is yet another indication of the innovative and groundbreaking products SGX is bringing to investors in the region. Ultimately, this joint venture will be the exchange network of choice for ETFs providing the first fully fungible trading of ETFs across the North American and Asian continents.”

“This proposed joint venture is the first of its kind and reinforces Amex’s position as the leader and pioneer in exchange-traded fund products and structured products” said Salvatore F. Sodano, Amex Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The Amex-SGX union will create a low-cost, efficient market network that enables investors, across time zones, to diversify their portfolios.” The American Stock Exchange®, a subsidiary of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD®), is the only primary exchange that offers trading across a full range of equities, Index SharesSM, structured products, and options. In addition to its role as a national equities market, the Amex is the leader in Index Share listings (DIAMONDS®, iSharesSM, MidCap SPDRsTM, Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking StockSM, Select Sector SPDRs® and SPDRs®) and is the second-largest options exchange in the U.S., trading options on broad-based and sector,indexes as well as domestic and foreign stocks. For more information, visit www.amex.com.

For more complete information and prospectuses, including potential risks, for SPDRs®, MidCap SPDRsTM, DIAMONDS®, Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking StockSM and Select Sector SPDRs® call 1-800-THE-AMEX or visit www.amex.com; and for iSharesSM call 1-800-iShares or visit www.ishares.com. Read a prospectus carefully before you invest. Index Shares are subject to risks similar to those of stocks. Investment returns may fluctuate and are subject to market,volatility, so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investments in foreign investments may incur unique and greater risks than domestic investments. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. ALPS Mutual Funds Services, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, is distributor for the DIAMONDS, MidCap SPDR, Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking Stock and SPDR Trusts, all unit investment trusts, and the Select Sector SPDR Trust, an index fund. SEI Investments Distribution Co., a registered broker-dealer, is distributor for iShares Index Funds.

Inaugurated on 1 December 1999, Singapore Exchange (SGX) is the first demutualised, integrated securities and derivatives exchange in Asia Pacific. Resulting from the merger of two established and well-respected financial institutions - the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) and the Singapore International Monetary Exchange.