NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NDAQ ) is pleased to support the launch of two new Vanguard exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on the NASDAQ Dividend Achievers Select Index. Listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Vanguard U.S. Dividend Appreciation Index ETF (TSX: VGG ) and the Vanguard U.S. Dividend Appreciation Index ETF (CAD-hedged) (TSX: VGH ) are now available to investors in Canada.
NASDAQ OMX acquired the Dividend Achievers Index Family from Mergent, Inc. in December 2012, an acquisition that immediately catapulted NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes into one of the largest providers of dividend indexes in the world, based on benchmarked assets. The world's largest dividend-themed ETF, the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (Symbol:VIG), tracks the NASDAQ U.S. Dividend Achievers Select Index. As of August 15, 2013, VIG had $16.8 billion in assets under management.
"The launch of these new Dividend Achiever ETFs in Canada is another milestone in the international expansion of investment products tracking NASDAQ OMX indexes," said John Jacobs, Executive Vice President of NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes. "We are continuing to expand our overall index offering and improve our Dividend and Income family of indexes to help global investors benchmark this increasingly important theme."
The following are examples of other investment products linked to NASDAQ OMX indexes that are available to millions of investors around the world:
- The May 2013 debut of the first cross-border ETF in China, the Guotai NASDAQ-100 Index Exchange-Traded Fund, which is based on the NASDAQ-100 Index ® ;
- Boost ETP's 2013 introduction in the United Kingdom of 15 leveraged exchange-traded products that track a range of indexes in the NASDAQ Commodity Benchmark Index Family SM ; and
- The March 2011 listing in India of the MOSt Shares NASDAQ-100 ETF, the first U.S.-based indexed ETF in India.
The NASDAQ Dividend and Income Index Family helps investors track companies and trading strategies positioned to produce yield in this continued low-rate environment. As of August 15, 2013, assets under management (AUM) on products linked to the Family have increased 68.9 percent, to $23.8 billion from $14.1 billion, since NASDAQ OMX acquired the Family from Mergent, Inc. in December 2012 and subsequently expanded it with two additional indexes. Assets benchmarked to the NASDAQ Dividend and Income Index Family reached an all-time high of $24.6 billion on August 5, 2013 since NASDAQ OMX purchased the suite of indexes from Mergent.
About NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes
NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes has been creating innovative, market-leading, transparent indexes since 1971. Today, our index offering spans geographies and asset classes and includes diverse families such as the Dividend Achievers, Global, Nordic, Green Economy, Sharia and Commodity Indexes. We continuously offer new opportunities for financial product sponsors across a wide-spectrum of investable products and for asset managers to measure risk and performance. NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes also provides custom index services and design solutions to selected financial organizations. For more information about NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes, visit indexes.nasdaqomx.com .
Daily index values, weightings and historical data for NASDAQ OMX indexes are available via NASDAQ OMX Global Index Watch and NASDAQ OMX Global Index Data Service .
About NASDAQ OMX Group
The inventor of the electronic exchange, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., fuels economies and provides transformative technologies for the entire lifecycle of a trade - from risk management to trade to surveillance to clearing. In the U.S. and Europe, we own and operate 26 markets, 3 clearinghouses and 5 central securities depositories supporting equities, options, fixed income, derivatives, commodities, futures and structured products. Able to process more than 1 million messages per second at sub-40 microsecond speeds with 99.99% uptime, our technology drives more than 70 marketplaces in 50 developed and emerging countries into the future, powering 1 in 10 of the world's securities transactions. Our award-winning data products and worldwide indexes are the benchmarks in the financial industry. Home to over 3,300 listed companies worth $6.9 trillion in market cap whose innovations shape our world, we give the ideas of tomorrow access to capital today. Welcome to where the world takes a big leap forward, daily. Welcome to the NASDAQ OMX Century. To learn more, visit www.nasdaqomx.com . Follow us on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/NASDAQ ) and Twitter ( http://www.twitter.com/nasdaqomx ). (Symbol: NDAQ and member of S&P 500)
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that are made under the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the NASDAQ Dividend and Income Index Family, as well as NASDAQ OMX's other products and offerings. We caution that these statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond NASDAQ OMX's control. These factors include, but are not limited to factors detailed in NASDAQ OMX's annual report on Form 10-K, and periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to release any revisions to any forward-looking statements.
NASDAQ ® and Dividend Achievers ® are registered trademarks of NASDAQ OMX and are licensed for use by Vanguard, Guotai, BOOST and the other third party sponsors set forth above, as applicable, for the various ETPs set forth above. These ETPs have not been passed on by NASDAQ OMX as to their legality or suitability, and they are not issued or sold by NASDAQ OMX. NASDAQ OMX makes no warranties and bears no liability with respect to the ETPs.
The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular financial product or an overall investment strategy. NASDAQ OMX makes no recommendation to buy or sell any financial product nor any representation about the financial condition of any company or fund. Statements regarding NASDAQ's proprietary indexes are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should undertake their own due diligence and carefully evaluate companies before investing. ADVICE FROM A SECURITIES PROFESSIONAL IS STRONGLY ADVISED.
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NASDAQ OMX Media Contact: Wayne Lee +1.301.978.4875 Intermarket Communications Media Contact: Michael Gelormino +1.212.909.4780
