ZURICH, Switzerland, Sept. 8, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- STOXX Limited, the leading provider of European equity indexes, and Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, today announced that the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50, Dow Jones EURO STOXX Select Dividend 30, Dow Jones STOXX 600, all 18 Dow Jones STOXX 600 Supersector indexes and the Dow Jones Industrial Average have been licensed to Commerzbank AG to serve as the basis for 22 exchange-traded funds, which will all be available on Deutsche Boerse today.
"The 21 Dow Jones STOXX indexes chosen by Commerzbank for their lineup of ETFs offer investors broad varieties to participate in the performance of the core European markets and sectors," said Werner Buerki, chairman, STOXX supervisory board. "The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a supreme blue-chip benchmark and the most widely quoted U.S. stock market index, and therefore a great addition to Commerzbank's ETF portfolio."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was launched on May 26, 1896 and tracks the performance of 30 American blue-chip companies selected by the editors of The Wall Street Journal. The index is price-weighted and aims to mirror the American stock market by representing the leading companies in the industries driving the U.S. market.
The Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 Index represents 50 supersector leaders in 12 euro zone countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. It is weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization, and each component's weight is capped at 10% of the index's total free-float market capitalization.
The Dow Jones EURO STOXX Select Dividend 30 Index consists of the highest dividend paying companies in the Dow Jones STOXX 600 Index. It is weighted by net dividend yield, with a component cap of 15%.
The Dow Jones STOXX 600 Index is designed to provide a broad yet liquid representation of large, mid and small capitalization companies in 18 European countries. The index covers Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The index is weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization.
The Dow Jones STOXX 600 Supersector Indexes include all companies in the Dow Jones STOXX 600 Index which are classified according to their primary source of revenue. The indexes aim to represent the largest European companies in each of the 18 supersectors. Automobiles & Parts, Banks, Basic Resources, Chemicals, Construction & Materials, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Health Care, Industrial Goods & Services, Insurance, Media, Oil & Gas, Personal & Household Goods, Retail, Technology, Telecommunications, Travel & Leisure and Utilities.
For more information on the Dow Jones STOXX indexes please visit www.stoxx.com. For more information on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, please visit www.djindexes.com.
The Dow Jones and STOXX logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4632
Journalists may e-mail questions regarding this press release to PR-Indexes@dowjones.com or contact Dow Jones Indexes/STOXX press office.