NEW YORK, June 26, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) today named the companies that are included in its new listing tier, the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The new NASDAQ Global Select Market tier, which will become effective on July 3rd, has the highest listing standards in the world. Approximately 1200 companies qualify for this new market tier. To view a list of NASDAQ Global Select companies as of June 23, 2006, visit www.nasdaq.com/GlobalSelect. NASDAQ will provide companies included in the new tier an array of specialized services.
In conjunction with the creation of the new tier, NASDAQ will rename the NASDAQ National Market to the NASDAQ Global Market. Approximately 1,450 companies will be included in the NASDAQ Global Market. The NASDAQ Capital Market will remain as is with approximately 550 companies within this segment. All three market tiers maintain rigorous listing and corporate governance standards and have the opportunity to leverage an array of NASDAQ corporate services.
NASDAQ President and CEO Bob Greifeld noted, "NASDAQ companies are doing business on a global basis and we wanted to recognize that in the creation of our new listing tiers. We believe that the best quality companies will be attracted to the highest listing standards."
Greifeld continued, "The feedback we have received from NASDAQ-listed companies about our blue chip market for blue chip companies has been very positive. CEOs recognize that high quality listing standards are linked to reputation and valuation. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to distinguish these companies, provide them with first-class services, and lead a race to the top for listings standards.
In accordance with NASDAQ's philosophy of offering corporate services as an integral part of the listings value proposition, all NASDAQ-listed companies benefit from a portfolio of exceptional services and informational programs. Members of the NASDAQ Global Select Market will receive an additional package of services as a benefit of listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. These services will provide companies greater visibility, deeper market intelligence, and competitive context on hot-button topics like executive and director compensation. Most notably, NASDAQ is developing new indexes that track the NASDAQ Global Select Market and the NASDAQ Global Market, which launch next month.
In celebration of NASDAQ's 35 years of excellence in electronic trading, The NASDAQ Stock Market introduced the new listing tier on February 15, 2006, to mark its anniversary and leadership. The standards for the new NASDAQ Global Select Market have financial and liquidity requirements that are higher than those of any other market. Inclusion in the NASDAQ Global Select Market is a mark of achievement and stature for qualified companies.
Please note that although the reclassification is effective on July 3rd, newspapers may not display the new tiers until July 5th. For additional information about the NASDAQ Global Select Market, including listing requirements, please visit http://www.nasdaq.com/newsroom/presskit/main.stm. For facts about NASDAQ and the global equity markets, please visit www.NASDAQFacts.com.
NASDAQ(r) is the largest electronic screen-based equity securities market in the United States. With approximately 3,200 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. It is home to companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media and biotechnology. NASDAQ is the primary market for trading NASDAQ-listed stocks. For more information about NASDAQ, visit the NASDAQ Web site at www.nasdaq.com or the NASDAQ Newsroom at www.nasdaq.com/newsroom/.