NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, and Wilshire Associates Incorporated, one of the world's leading investment consulting, investment management and investment technology firms, today announced that five Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Size and Style indexes will serve as the basis of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) being launched by State Street Global Advisors (SSgA), a Boston-based leader in institutional investing. SSgA also switched the underlying indexes of four existing ETFs to the Dow Jones Wilshire Style Indexes from the Dow Jones U.S. Style Indexes, meaning that SSgA is offering ETFs on the full set of Dow Jones Wilshire Size and Style Indexes.
The new ETFs, which began trading today on the American Stock Exchange -- combined with the four that switched indexes -- capture the top 2,500 U.S. stocks in the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000(sm) Composite Index, according to size and style.
The underlying-size indexes for the new ETFs are the Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Large-Cap Index, Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Mid-Cap Index and the Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Small-Cap Index. Additionally, the new Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Mid-Cap Growth and Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Mid-Cap Value ETFs will complement the transitioned Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Large-Cap Growth, Dow Jones Wilshire U.S.Large-Cap Value, Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Small-Cap Growth and Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Small-Cap Value ETFs.
"The Dow Jones Wilshire Index family is the broadest measure of the U.S. stock market," said Michael A. Petronella, president, Dow Jones Indexes/Ventures. "State Street Global Advisor's decision to issue ETFs based on the full suite of Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Style Indexes ensures that best practices and methodology for measuring these categories are being utilized."
The four existing-style ETFs -- previously based on the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Index, Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Value Index, Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Growth Index and Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Value Index -- switched late last month to the Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Large-Cap Growth Index, Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Large-Cap Value Index, Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Small-Cap Growth Index and Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Small-Cap Value Index.
"The introduction of five new style-based ETF products derived from the Dow Jones Wilshire Index family enhances SSgA's ETF offerings and brings customers a full range of investment tools to meet their financial goals," said Jim Ross, co-head of SSgA's Advisor Strategies unit. "By adopting the remaining Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Style Indexes for our existing style-based street TRACKS ETFs, we have ensured that our customers can access every segment of the U.S. equity market across a complete portfolio of investment styles."
The Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Indexes family comprises the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index, Dow Jones Wilshire RESI Index, Dow Jones Wilshire REIT Index, Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Industry Indexes and Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Style Indexes.
Dow Jones Wilshire Indexes are available on market-data vendor platforms -- many in real-time format -- and on the Dow Jones Indexes (www.djindexes.com) and Wilshire Associates (www.wilshire.com) Web sites. Style history is available to Dec. 31, 1998. The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index is calculated and distributed by Dow Jones Indexes under an agreement between Dow Jones & Company and Wilshire Associates Incorporated.
Journalists may e-mail questions regarding this press release to PR-Indexes@dowjones.com or contact a member of the Dow Jones Indexes/STOXX public relations group:
New York: +1-212-597-5720 Frankfurt: +49-69-97142815 or Please call Kim Shepherd, Wilshire Associates at +1-847-332-2987 or e-mail kim.shepherd@wilshire.com.
Note to Editors:
About Dow Jones Indexes
Dow Jones Indexes is part of Dow Jones & Company, which publishes the world's most vital business and financial news and information. Dow Jones Indexes is a premier global provider of investable indexes, including the Dow Jones Averages and the Dow Jones Global, Regional, Country and Sector Titans Indexes and is co-owner of the Pan-European Dow Jones STOXX Indexes. Together with Wilshire Associates, Dow Jones Indexes markets and licenses the Dow Jones Wilshire index family, which includes the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 and its size, style, and sector indexes. Dow Jones Indexes also offers a number of specialty indexes including hedge fund, commodity and credit derivative indexes.
In addition to Dow Jones Indexes, Dow Jones & Company (NYSE:DJ) (dowjones.com) publishes The Wall Street Journal and its international and online editions, Barron's and the Far Eastern Economic Review, Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, and the Ottaway group of community newspapers. Dow Jones is co-owner with Reuters Group of Factiva, with Hearst of SmartMoney and with NBC Universal of the CNBC television operations in Asia and Europe. Dow Jones also provides news content to CNBC and radio stations in the U.S.
The Dow Jones Indexes logo can be found at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1289
About Wilshire Associates
Wilshire Associates is a leading global investment technology, investment consulting and investment management firm with four business units including, Wilshire Analytics, Wilshire Funds Management, Wilshire Consulting, and Wilshire Private Markets. Wilshire Analytics develops and provides superior risk management, portfolio analysis, asset allocation and performance measurement solutions to fund managers, banks, insurers, consultants and other institutional investment organizations around the world.
The firm was founded in 1972, revolutionizing the industry by pioneering the application of investment analytics and research to investment management for the institutional marketplace. Wilshire also is credited with helping to develop the field of quantitative investment analysis that uses mathematical tools to analyze market risks. All other business units evolved from Wilshire's strong analytics foundation.
Wilshire developed the index now known as the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000(sm) Composite Index, the first asset/liability models for pension funds, the first U.S. equity style metrics work and many other "firsts" as the firm grew to more than 300 employees serving the investment needs of institutional and high net worth clients around the world.
Based in Santa Monica, Calif., Wilshire provides services to clients in more than 20 countries representing in excess of 600 organizations with assets totaling more than US $12.5 trillion. With eight offices on four continents, Wilshire Associates and its affiliates are dedicated to providing clients with the highest quality counsel, products and services. Please visit www.wilshire.com for more information.
-0-