NEW YORK and MUSCAT, Oman, Jan. 14, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, and Muscat Securities Market, the stock exchange in Oman, today launched the Dow Jones MSM Index. The index is a total-market index that measures the performance of all companies listed on the Muscat Securities Market. The index currently includes 66 stocks.
The Dow Jones MSM Index is designed to underlie financial products such as exchange-traded funds and other investable products that enable investors to participate in the performance of the Oman stock market.
"The cooperation with the Muscat Securities Market is an important step in solidifying our role as the leading index provider in the GCC region," said Michael A. Petronella, president of Dow Jones Indexes. "We are optimistic that this index will help to raise the profile of this ambitious and upcoming financial market as an investment destination for international investors."
"We are delighted to partner with Dow Jones Indexes for the launch of the Dow Jones MSM Index. This will allow Muscat Securities Market to enhance the service quality and to be well positioned among exchanges worldwide, in line with international standards and practices," said Mr. Ahmed Saleh Al-Marhoon, Director General of MSM.
The index universe for the Dow Jones MSM Index is defined as all companies listed on Muscat Securities Market that trade at least 10 days in a quarter. Companies that trade fewer than 7 days in a quarter will be deleted from the index. The top five companies in the index by free float market capitalization are: Raysut Cement Co. (Construction & Materials), National Bank of Oman (Banks), Bank Muscat (Banks), Oman Telecommunications Co. (Telecommunications) and Renaissance Services S.A.O.G. (Media).
The Dow Jones MSM Index, which is calculated in Omani rial (OMR), is reviewed quarterly in March, June, September and December. The index is weighted by free-float market capitalization. Weights of individual stocks are capped at 10% in order to prevent the index from being dominated by certain securities. In 2007, the Dow Jones MSM Index gained 72.73%. Daily index history is available back to December 31, 2002. The full list of companies, including weighting and values of the Dow Jones MSM Index, is available on www.djindexes.com.
Journalists may e-mail questions regarding this press release to PR-Indexes@dowjones.com or contact Dow Jones Indexes/STOXX press office:
New York: +1-212-597-5720 Frankfurt: +49-69-29-725-290 Muscat Securities Market: Mr. Raid, email: raid@msm.gov.om; phone: +968-24823882, +968-24823618
Note to Editors:
About Dow Jones Indexes
A full-service index provider, Dow Jones Indexes develops, maintains and licenses indexes for use as benchmarks and as the basis of investment products. Best known for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Dow Jones Indexes also is co-owner of the Dow Jones STOXX indexes, the world's leading pan-European indexes, and together with Wilshire Associates, provides the Dow Jones Wilshire Global Index family, which is anchored by the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 and covers more than 12,000 securities in 59 markets. Beyond equity indexes, Dow Jones Indexes maintains a number of alternative indexes, including measures of the hedge fund and commodity markets. Dow Jones indexes are maintained according to clear, unbiased and systematic methodologies that are fully integrated within index families. www.djindexes.com
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ABOUT MSM
The Muscat Securities Market (MSM) was established by the Royal Decree (53/88) issued on 21 June 1988 to regulate and control the Omani securities market and to participate, effectively, with other organizations for setting up the infrastructure of the Sultanate's financial sector.
After ten years of continuous growth there was a need for a better functioning of the Market. The MSM was restructured by two Royal Decrees (80/98) and (82/98).
The Royal Decree (80/98) dated November 9th 1998 which promulgated the new Capital Market Law provides for the establishment of three separate entities, Muscat Securities Market (MSM) the exchange and the Capital Market Authority (CMA) - the regulators. And, the Muscat Depository and Registration as private company owned by Brokers Houses and MSM.
As a continuing process in the development of the securities market, the MSM has developed its regulations to keep pace with the international developments and all information and financial data relating to the performance of the Market and all listed companies are provided directly to investors through a highly advanced electronic trading system (Atos Euronext System). This will not only ensure transparency of activities which is considered to be one of the main principles of a well organized market. The Atos Euronext's trading system used by MSM creates confidence and stability to the market.
The Market has developed its existing mechanism of clearance and settlement by introducing a new mechanism for the sake of encouraging stable dealing in securities as well as providing a better environment that might help the flow of foreign investment to the Sultanate. MSM has becomes a member of the RTGS system with Central Bank of Oman being the settlement bank, and, for the smoothness of settlements process between brokerages companies. MSM created Settlement Guaranteed Fund (SGF) that secure settlements between market dealers.
There are now 20 listed brokerage companies including 4 banks.
The Market website: www.msm.gov.om contains a lot of information and data.
The Muscat Securities Market logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4595