NEW YORK and WILTON, Conn., April 4, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, and AIG Financial Products Corp. (AIG-FP), a leader in financial derivatives products and a wholly owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), today announced the creation of 20 new single-commodity sub-indexes, the largest expansion to date of the Dow Jones -- AIG Commodity Index(sm) (DJ-AIGCISM) family of indexes.
Each of the new sub-indexes, consisting of a single commodity, is constructed according to the rules of the DJ-AIGCI. There is one sub-index for each of the 19 commodities currently included in the DJ-AIGCI plus a sub-index for cocoa, which was an Index component until 2005. The 19 commodities currently included in the DJ-AIGCI are aluminum, coffee, copper, corn, cotton, crude oil, gold, heating oil, lean hogs, live cattle, natural gas, nickel, silver, soybeans, soybean oil, sugar, unleaded gasoline, wheat, and zinc. Total return versions of each of the new sub-indexes are available as well. The new sub-indexes join 25 other DJ-AIGCI-related indexes and sub-indexes already calculated daily by Dow Jones Indexes and AIG Financial Products Corp. The expansion of the Index family responds to the rapid growth of interest in commodities as an asset class.
Investors are demanding increasingly sophisticated tools to manage their commodity investment as they develop specialized views on specific commodities. These new sub-indexes provide investors with a benchmark for those markets. For example, those investors who invest in sugar or corn in light of the increased use of these commodities in ethanol production can now use the Dow Jones-AIG Sugar Sub-Index(sm) and the Dow Jones-AIG Corn Sub-Index(sm) as a benchmark for those investments. Investors are also increasingly sensitive to the details of index construction as they can impact commodity index returns, and the new sub-indexes are constructed according to the rules of the DJ-AIGCI.
"The rapid growth of this asset class in recent years has been nothing short of remarkable," said Michael A. Petronella, President of Dow Jones Indexes/Ventures. "As investor demand for greater flexibility to manage commodity index-based investment has grown, we have responded with new and efficient vehicles to investors seeking tools to measure their exposure to individual commodity futures markets."
"With approximately $24 billion in assets tracking the Dow Jones-AIG Commodity Index on a global basis, we think it's important that commodity investors also have an increased capability to customize their exposure to specific commodities using a benchmark with the credibility of the DJ-AIGCI," said Joseph Cassano, President of AIG-FP. "While broad commodity indexes remain the best way for many investors to access the asset class from a strategic perspective, other investors may seek to adjust exposure to certain commodities on a more tactical basis."
The Dow Jones-AIG Commodity Index, a diversified and highly liquid benchmark for the commodities markets, is composed of futures contracts on physical commodities and was introduced in 1998.
The Dow Jones Indexes logo is available at: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1289
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: + 49-69-97142815
Alternatively, please contact Keil Decker of Sloane & Company at kdecker@sloanepr.com or call +1-212-446-1875.
For further information regarding the Dow Jones -- AIG Commodity Index, please email djaig@aigfpc.com or call Daniel Raab at AIG Financial Products Corp., +1-203-563-1960
Note to Editors: Ticker Symbols
A list of the new index ticker symbols is as follows:
Reuters Bloomberg Comstock Thomson DJ-AIG Aluminum Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGAL DJAIGAL DJAIGAL .DAGAL DJ-AIG Cocoa Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGCC DJAIGCC DJAIGCC .DAGCC DJ-AIG Coffee Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGKC DJAIGKC DJAIGKC .DAGKC DJ-AIG Copper Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGHG DJAIGHG DJAIGHG .DAGHG DJ-AIG Corn Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGCN DJAIGCN DJAIGCN .DAGCN DJ-AIG Cotton Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGCT DJAIGCT DJAIGCT .DAGCT DJ-AIG Crude Oil Sub-Index .DJAIGCL DJAIGCL DJAIGCL .DAGCL DJ-AIG Gold Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGGC DJAIGGC DJAIGGC .DAGGC DJ-AIG Heating Oil Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGHO DJAIGHO DJAIGHO .DAGHO DJ-AIG Lean Hogs Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGLH DJAIGLH DJAIGLH .DAGLH DJ-AIG Live Cattle Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGLC DJAIGLC DJAIGLC .DAGLC DJ-AIG Natural Gas Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGNG DJAIGNG DJAIGNG .DAGNG DJ-AIG Nickel Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGNI DJAIGNI DJAIGNI .DAGNI DJ-AIG Silver Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGSI DJAIGSI DJAIGSI .DAGSI DJ-AIG Soybeans Oil Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGBO DJAIGBO DJAIGBO .DAGBO DJ-AIG Soybean Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGSY DJAIGSY DJAIGSY .DAGSY DJ-AIG Sugar Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGSB DJAIGSB DJAIGSB .DAGSB DJ-AIG Unleaded Gasoline Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGRB DJAIGRB DJAIGRB .DAGRB DJ-AIG Wheat Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGWH DJAIGWH DJAIGWH .DAGWH DJ-AIG Zinc Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGZS DJAIGZS DJAIGZS .DAGZS Reuters Bloomberg Comstock Thomson DJ-AIG Aluminum Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGALTR DJAIALTR DJAIGALTR .DAALT DJ-AIG Cocoa Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGCCTR DJAICCTR DJAIGCCTR .DACRT DJ-AIG Coffee Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGKCTR DJAIKCTR DJAIGKCTR .DAKCT DJ-AIG Copper Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGHGTR DJAIHGTR DJAIGHGTR .DAHGR DJ-AIG Corn Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGCNTR DJAICNTR DJAIGCNTR .DACNT DJ-AIG Cotton Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGCTTR DJAICTTR DJAIGCTTR .DACTT DJ-AIG Crude Oil Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGCLTR DJAICLTR DJAIGCLTR .DACLT DJ-AIG Gold Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGGCTR DJAIGCTR DJAIGGCTR .DAGCR DJ-AIG Heating Oil Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGHOTR DJAIHOTR DJAIGHOTR .DAHOR DJ-AIG Lean Hogs Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGLHTR DJAILHTR DJAIGLHTR .DAHTR DJ-AIG Live Cattle Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGLCTR DJAILCTR DJAIGLCTR .DALCR DJ-AIG Natural Gas Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGNGTR DJAINTR DJAIGNGTR .DANGR DJ-AIG Nickel Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGNITR DJAINITR DJAIGNITR .DANIR DJ-AIG Silver Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGSITR DJAISITR DJAIGSITR .DASIR DJ-AIG Soybean Oil Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGBOTR DJAIBOTR DJAIGBOTR .DABOT DJ-AIG Soybeans Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGSYTR DJAISYTR DJAIGSYTR .DASYR DJ-AIG Sugar Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGSBTR DJAISBTR DJAIGSBTR .DASBR DJ-AIG Unleaded Gasoline Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGRBTR DJAIRBTR DJAIGRBTR .DARBR DJ-AIG Wheat Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGWHTR DJAIWHTR DJAIGWHTR .DAWHR DJ-AIG Zinc Total Return Sub-Index(sm) .DJAIGZSTR DJAIZSTR DJAIGZSTR .DAZSR
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 and with Hearst of SmartMoney. Dow Jones also provides news content to CNBC and radio stations in the U.S.
About AIG Financial Products Corp.
AIG Financial Products Corp. (AIG-FP) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. The AIG-FP group has offices in London, Paris, Tokyo, Houston, and Wilton, CT. As a leading participant in the capital and derivatives markets, AIG-FP provides its clients with corporate finance, investment and financial risk management solutions. AIG-FP's clients include the world's top corporations, asset managers, insurance companies, banks, investment banks, sovereigns and high-net-worth individuals. AIG-FP is an active trader/dealer in foreign exchange and in a full spectrum of derivative products markets including commodities, credit, energy, equity and rates.
About AIG
American International Group, Inc. (AIG), world leaders in insurance and financial services, is the leading international insurance organization with operations in more than 130 countries and jurisdictions. AIG companies serve commercial, institutional and individual customers through the most extensive worldwide property-casualty and life insurance networks of any insurer. In addition, AIG companies are leading providers of retirement services, financial services and asset management around the world. AIG's common stock is listed in the U.S. on the New York Stock Exchange as well as the stock exchanges in London, Paris, Switzerland and Tokyo.