NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Dow Jones Indexes today announced component changes in the Dow Jones Islamic Market Titans 100 Index and its three subindexes as a result of the regular quarterly review of the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index.
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (Japan) will be deleted from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Titans 100 and its subindex the Dow Jones Islamic Market Asia/Pacific Titans 25 and will be replaced by Rio Tinto Ltd. (Australia).
Sanofi-Aventis S.A. (France) will be deleted from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Titans 100 and its subindex Dow Jones Islamic Market Europe Titans 25 and will be replaced by Royal Dutch Shell PLC (United Kingdom).
The Dow Jones Islamic Market Titans 100 comprises the Dow Jones Islamic Market U.S. Titans 50, the Dow Jones Islamic Market Europe Titans 25 and the Dow Jones Islamic Market Asia/Pacific Titans 25.
The changes announced today are a result of a quarterly review of the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index. Component changes made during the review are also applied to all Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes to ensure compliance with Shariah principles. To determine their eligibility for the Dow Jones Islamic Market Titans 100, stocks are screened based on their industry type and their financial ratios. Excluded are companies engaged in the following lines of business: alcohol, tobacco, pork-related products, financial services, defense/weapons and entertainment. Dow Jones Indexes then screens out companies with unacceptable financial ratios: companies whose total debt divided by trailing 12-month average market capitalization is 33% or more; those whose cash plus interest-bearing securities divided by trailing 12-month average market capitalization is 33% or more; and those whose accounts receivables divided by trailing 12-month average market capitalization is 33% or more.
The component changes will be effective at the start of trading on September 19, 2005.
The Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes were created for people who wish to invest according to Islamic investment guidelines. The indexes track Shariah compliant stocks from around the world, providing Islamic investors with comprehensive tools based on a truly global investing perspective. Further information on the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes can be found on www.djindexes.com
Company additions to and deletions from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Titans 100 and its subindexes do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the company.
Journalists may e-mail questions regarding this press release to:
PR-Indexes@dowjones.com or contact a member of the Dow Jones Indexes public relations group:
New York: Sybille A. Reitz, +1-212-597-5735 Naomi Kim, +1-212-597-5718 Frankfurt: Simona Deckers, +49-69-97142894 Nicole Wesch, +49-69-97142893
Note to Editors:
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