NEW YORK and BEDFORD, Mass., April 1, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.(sm) (Nasdaq:NDAQ) and Interactive Data Corporation (NYSE:IDC), a leading provider of financial market data, analytics and related solutions, today announced they have been selected by Wilshire Associates Incorporated to support several of the indexes from the suite of Wilshire Indexes.
Wilshire Associates -- a leading global independent investment consulting and services firm -- has selected Interactive Data's Pricing and Reference Data business to calculate the real-time values for selected indexes. NASDAQ OMX(sm) was selected as disseminator of index values for these Wilshire Indexes through NASDAQ OMX's Global Access solutions. Interactive Data will publish values for the selected Wilshire Indexes in real-time to the NASDAQ OMX Global Index Data Service(sm) (GIDS(sm)). GIDS is designed to facilitate better trading performance and portfolio valuation due to real-time dissemination of index data.
GIDS is a value-added product for firms that wish to receive the full complement of NASDAQ OMX global index and ETF data. GIDS subscribers have lower administrative and technology costs than firms that take the products separately and it facilitates better trading performance and portfolio valuation due to its frequent dissemination of index and ETF data. Interactive Data's Basket Calculation Service(tm) utilizes real-time equity pricing data from global exchanges to calculate real-time values for indices.
"Our mandate as an index provider is to measure and describe the market in ways that are meaningful and important to investment professionals worldwide," said David Hall, senior managing director, Wilshire Associates and head of the Wilshire Equity Analytics division of Wilshire Analytics. "We are confident that Wilshire Indexes provide the best measure of equities markets spanning the globe and that through our relationship with Interactive Data Corporation and NASDAQ OMX, investors will quickly adopt them as their preferred index family."
"We are pleased to be selected as the disseminator of index values for a leading index provider like Wilshire," said Randall Hopkins, Senior Vice President of Global Data Products, NASDAQ OMX. "By leveraging the capabilities of NASDAQ OMX and Interactive Data, we can provide critical index information to the market in a timely manner. We are also delighted to expand our relationship with Interactive Data. The agreement between our organizations is a testament to our commitment to providing high quality value added products and services at lower costs."
"Our role in calculating the Wilshire Indexes, together with the distribution capabilities of NASDAQ OMX, can help Wilshire provide transparency to market makers and investors while meeting their requirements for providing intra-day index values," said Jeff Banker, managing director, strategic market development for Interactive Data. "By offering these services to index providers, Interactive Data can provide critical intra-day information that can help broaden the range of indices available to the market."
For more information about NASDAQ OMX's Global Index Data Services, visit http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader.aspx?id=globalindexDS.
About Wilshire Associates
Wilshire Associates, a leading global independent investment consulting and services firm, provides consulting services, analytics solutions and customized investment products to plan sponsors, investment managers and financial intermediaries. Its business units include, Wilshire Analytics, Wilshire Consulting, Wilshire Funds Management 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 Wilshire 5000 Total Market 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 nearly 350 employees serving the investment needs of institutional and high net worth clients around the world.
Based in Santa Monica, California, Wilshire provides services to clients in more than 20 countries representing approximately 600 organizations. With ten offices on four continents, Wilshire Associates and its affiliates are dedicated to providing clients with the highest quality counsel, products and services. Wilshire is a registered service mark of Wilshire Associates Incorporated. Please visit http://www.wilshire.com for more information.
About Interactive Data Corporation
Interactive Data Corporation (NYSE:IDC) is a leading global provider of financial market data, analytics and related solutions to financial institutions, active traders and individual investors. The Company's businesses supply real-time market data, time-sensitive pricing, evaluations and reference data for millions of securities traded around the world, including hard-to-value instruments. Many of the world's best-known financial service and software companies subscribe to the Company's services in support of their trading, analysis, portfolio management and valuation activities. Interactive Data, headquartered in Bedford, Mass., has approximately 2,400 employees in offices located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) (LSE:PSON), an international media company, whose businesses include the Financial Times Group, Pearson Education, and the Penguin Group, is Interactive Data Corporation's majority stockholder.
Interactive Data's Pricing and Reference Data business provides global securities pricing, evaluations and reference data designed to support financial institutions' and investment funds' pricing activities, securities operations, research and portfolio management. Interactive Data collects, edits, maintains and delivers data on more than 6 million securities, including daily evaluations for approximately 2.8 million fixed income and international equity issues. Interactive Data specializes in 'hard-to-get' information and evaluates many 'hard-to value' instruments.
Pricing, evaluations and reference data are provided in the U.S. through Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data, Inc. and internationally through Interactive Data (Europe) Ltd. and Interactive Data (Australia) Pty Ltd.
For more information about Interactive Data Corporation and its businesses, please visit www.interactivedata.com.
The Basket Calculation Service(sm) is a service mark of Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data, Inc.
About NASDAQ OMX
The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is the world's largest exchange company. It delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents, with over 3,800 listed companies. NASDAQ OMX offers multiple capital raising solutions to companies around the globe, including its U.S. listings market, NASDAQ OMX Nordic, NASDAQ OMX Baltic, NASDAQ OMX First North, and the U.S. 144A sector. The company offers trading across multiple asset classes including equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products and exchange-traded funds. NASDAQ OMX technology supports the operations of over 70 exchanges, clearing organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50 countries. NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic are not legal entities but describe the common offering from NASDAQ OMX exchanges in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. For more information about NASDAQ OMX, visit http://www.nasdaqomx.com.
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 NASDAQ OMX's 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.
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