The NYSE Composite Index® Sets New Closing High On April 20 - NYA Up 6.2% In First-Quarter 2007 From Last Year

The NYSE Composite Index® (NYA) closed today at a new high of 9697.34.  Reaching a new record 11 times during the first quarter of 2007 and 19 times in 2007 year-to-date, the NYSE Composite gained 6.2% in the first-quarter 2007 as compared to the same period last year.

With an increase of 17.9% in 2006, the NYA continues to outperform the Dow Industrials, Nasdaq Composite, and the S&P 500.

Background:
The NYA is designed to measure the performance of all common stocks, ADRs, REITs and tracking stocks listed on the NYSE.  Reintroduced in 2003 with a new methodology and recalculated base value of 5,000, the NYA outperformed all major indexes in 2004, 2005 and 2006 while showing the lowest volatility in broad based indexes.