S&P 500 President to Ring the NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell


ADVISORY, Dec. 17, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --


 Who:
 Deven Sharma, President of Standard & Poor's
 David Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee
 Bob Greifeld, Chief Executive Officer of NASDAQ OMX
 John Jacobs, Executive Vice President of NASDAQ OMX

 What:
 On October 21, 2008, NASDAQ OMX was added to the S&P 500 Stock
 Market Index.

 NASDAQ OMX has been the top price performing exchange operator
 in the S&P 500 for year-to-date 2008.  In addition to the S&P 500,
 NASDAQ OMX is included in the NASDAQ Financial-100 Index, a key
 benchmark for the financial community.

 Where:
 NASDAQ MarketSite - 4 Times Square - 43rd & Broadway - Broadcast Studio

 When:
 Thursday, December 18, 2008 at 3:45 - 4:00 p.m. ET

 Contacts:
 Dave Guarino
 212 438 1471
 dave_guarino@sandp.com

 NASDAQ MarketSite:
 Jolene Libretto
 646.441.5220
 Jolene.Libretto@NASDAQOMX.com

Feed Information:

The Closing Bell is available from 3:50 p.m. to 4:05 p.m. on AMC-3/C-3 (ul 5985V; dl 3760H). The feed can also be found on Ascent fiber 1623. If you have any questions, please contact Jolene Libretto at (646) 441-5220.

Radio Feed:

An audio transmission of the Closing Bell is also available from 3:50 p.m. to 4:05 p.m. on uplink IA6 C band / transponder 24, downlink frequency 4180 horizontal. The feed can be found on Ascent fiber 1623 as well.

Webcast:

A live webcast of the NASDAQ Closing Bell will be available at: http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx

Photos:

To obtain a hi-resolution photograph of the Market Close, please go to http://www.nasdaq.com/reference/marketsite_events.stm and click on the market close of your choice.

About the S&P 500:

The S&P 500 is the world's most followed stock market index with $1.5 trillion directly index and $4.85 trillion benchmarked. Widely regarded as the best single gauge of the U.S. equities market, this world-renowned index includes 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. It is a core component of the U.S. indices that could be used as building blocks for portfolio construction. It is also the U.S. component of S&P Global 1200. The history of the S&P 500 dates back to 1923, with an expansion to include 500 companies in 1957.

About Standard & Poor's

Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of financial market intelligence, including independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 8,500 employees, including wholly owned affiliates, located in 23 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.

About NASDAQ OMX:

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is the world's largest exchange company. It delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents, with over 3,900 listed companies. NASDAQ OMX Group offers multiple capital raising solutions to companies around the globe, including its U.S. listings market; NASDAQ OMX Nordic, NASDAQ OMX Baltic, including First North; and the U.S. 144A sector. The company offers trading across multiple asset classes including equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products and ETFs. NASDAQ OMX Group technology supports the operations of over 70 exchanges, clearing organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50 countries. NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic are not legal entities but describe the common offering from NASDAQ OMX Group exchanges in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. For more information about NASDAQ OMX, visit http://www.nasdaqomx.com.