NEW YORK, April 14, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, and Wilshire Associates, a leading global investment services and consulting firm, today confirmed that Visa (United States, Financial Services, V) will be added to the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index(sm).
Visa is being added this month in accordance with the IPO (initial public offering) inclusion rule for the Dow Jones Wilshire index family. According to the rule, any new non-component company - an IPO or new exchange listing - that meets the index inclusion standards as of the close of trading on the second Friday of the month will be added the following Friday.
Three other companies also will join the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 under this rule. Visa shares began trading on March 19, 2008, which was past the deadline for being added in March. The component changes will be effective as of the open of trading on Monday, April 21, 2008.
"The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 is the broadest measure of U.S. equities available today. The IPO inclusion rule allows the Dow Jones Wilshire index family to measure the performance of newly public companies like Visa in a timely and effective manner. The methodology of the Dow Jones Wilshire Global Indexes is designed to ensure that both the U.S. and global benchmarks provide the investment community with the most up-to-date, reflective and complete equity coverage possible," said Michael A. Petronella, president of Dow Jones Indexes.
"Since its inception, the DJ Wilshire 5000 has added companies, including IPOs, monthly," noted Lawrence E. Davanzo, president of Wilshire Associates Incorporated and head of its asset management business. "We never have required seasoning periods, but chose, instead, to mimic the way money managers actually invest."
Visa also will be included in the following Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Sub-indexes: Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Financial Services Index(sm), Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Large-Cap Index(sm) and Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Growth Index(sm).
As of Friday, April 11, 2008, there are 4,810 components in the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 with a float-adjusted market capitalization of $14.55 trillion. The float-adjusted market capitalization of Visa is $29.52 billion, as of Friday, April 11, 2008.
About the Dow Jones Wilshire Index Family
The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000(sm) is the primary domestic component of the Dow Jones Wilshire Global Total Market Index and a cornerstone of the Dow Jones Wilshire Global Index Family. The development of the global family of indexes in 2006 marked a new phase of the Dow Jones Wilshire relationship. The affiliation began in 2004 when Dow Jones Indexes and Wilshire co-branded and marketed the Dow Jones Wilshire family of indexes. By extending the Dow Jones Wilshire methodology used in the U.S. internationally, the global indexes provide unprecedented breadth, consistent global coverage, and objective and transparent rules.
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. The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000(sm) Composite Index, the only true broad market index, is calculated and distributed by Dow Jones Indexes pursuant to an agreement between Dow Jones & Company and Wilshire Associates Incorporated. The Dow Jones Wilshire Global Total Market Index, the broadest measure of global equities, was launched in October 2006.
Journalists may e-mail questions regarding this press release to PR-Indexes@dowjones.com
Note to Editors:
About Dow Jones Indexes
A full-service index provider, Dow Jones Indexes develops, maintains and licenses indexes for use as benchmarks and as the basis of investment products. Best known for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Dow Jones Indexes also is co-owner of the Dow Jones STOXX indexes, the world's leading pan-European indexes, and together with Wilshire Associates, provides the Dow Jones Wilshire Global Index family, which is anchored by the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 and covers more than 12,000 securities in 59 markets. Beyond equity indexes, Dow Jones Indexes maintains a number of alternative indexes, including measures of the hedge fund and commodity markets. Dow Jones indexes are maintained according to clear, unbiased and systematic methodologies that are fully integrated within index families. www.djindexes.com
Dow Jones & Company (www.dowjones.com) is a News Corporation company (NYSE:NWS) (NYSE:NWS.A) (ASX:NWS) (ASX:NWSLV) (www.newscorp.com). Dow Jones is a leading provider of global business news and information services. Its Consumer Media Group publishes The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch and the Far Eastern Economic Review. Its Enterprise Media Group includes Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Factiva, Dow Jones Client Solutions, Dow Jones Indexes and Dow Jones Financial Information Services. Its Local Media Group operates community-based information franchises. Dow Jones owns 50% of SmartMoney and 33% of STOXX Ltd. and provides news content to radio stations in the U.S.
The Dow Jones logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4578
About Wilshire Associates
Wilshire Associates is a leading global investment technology, investment consulting and investment management firm with four business units: Wilshire Analytics, Wilshire Funds Management, Wilshire Consulting, and Wilshire Private Markets. 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 Composite Index(sm), 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 approximately 350 employees serving the investment needs of institutional and high net worth clients around the world.
Based in Santa Monica, CA, Wilshire provides services to clients in more than 20 countries representing in excess of 600 organizations with assets totaling more than $12.5 trillion. With nine 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.