NEW YORK, March 10, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) will celebrate the 20-year anniversary of its presence in California's Silicon Valley on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. To mark the milestone, NASDAQ OMX will host several events including remote Opening and Closing Bell ceremonies from San Jose City Hall, and a press briefing to discuss NASDAQ OMX's initiatives, prospects for the valley and its IPO market. During the remote Closing Bell ceremony, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed will deliver a proclamation naming March 16, 2010 "NASDAQ Day" in honor of the exchange company's significance to Silicon Valley and its role in supporting economic growth over the last 20 years and in the future. In 1990, NASDAQ OMX established its office in Palo Alto, and it is currently based on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California.
Bruce Aust, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Client Group, NASDAQ OMX, commented, "We are proud that NASDAQ OMX established a presence in the Valley when many of today's major office parks were still fruit orchards. We are also proud to have served as the capital formation engine for so many Valley companies who have truly changed the world. The Silicon Valley area is a unique eco-system that cities all over the world have tried to emulate, and we will continue to play an important role in that growth well into the future."
With 513 listed companies from California and 203 companies from Silicon Valley listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market, the world's largest exchange company has also seen increased listings momentum through IPOs and listing applications since the second half of 2009. Since 2009, NASDAQ OMX has won 41 IPOs that have raised $8.3 billion. Currently the exchange has 102 listing applications in the pipeline from sectors including biotech, technology, and social media. There are 28 companies in Silicon Valley that are part of the NASDAQ-100 index, seven of which are headquartered in San Jose.
Mark Heesen, President of the National Venture Capital Association said, "Over the last 20 years the venture capital industry and NASDAQ have brought to the public markets some of the most exciting and value-added companies trading today. The resulting job creation and innovation have proven to be a tremendous source of economic growth for Silicon Valley and the country. We look forward to working with entrepreneurs to bring more emerging growth companies public on NASDAQ for the next 20 years and beyond."
NASDAQ OMX continues to attract switches from the NYSE Group with a total of 24 companies transferring to NASDAQ in 2009. These companies have a total value of over $157 billion and include Mattel Inc., R&R Donnelly & Sons, and Dreamworks Animation. Of the 24, five of the switch companies in 2009 were from California.
From 2000-2003, Bruce Aust served as head of NASDAQ OMX's West Coast region. Aust had been based on the West Coast since 1988. During his time at NASDAQ, he was responsible for oversight of all NASDAQ-listed companies in the Western Region, representing 60 percent of the market capitalization on NASDAQ. Marianne Baldrica is currently the head of the company's West Coast region.
Credentialed members of the press are invited to attend the NASDAQ OMX Silicon Valley Press Briefing with NASDAQ OMX CEO Bob Greifeld, Executive Vice President Bruce Aust, and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. The briefing will take place following the remote closing bell from 1:15-2:15 p.m. PST at San Jose City Hall, Room 120. Please RSVP to Marisha.chinsky@nasdaqomx.com.
The Remote Opening Bell ceremony will take place from 6:15 a.m. to 6:35 a.m. PST (9:15 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. EST) at San Jose City Hall. The Remote Closing Bell ceremony will be hosted by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, NASDAQ OMX CEO Bob Greifeld, Bruce Aust, and NASDAQ-listed companies' CEOs and executives from 12:00-1:00 p.m. PST (3:00-4:00 p.m. EST).
To obtain a hi-resolution photograph of the remote market open or close, please go to http://www.nasdaq.com/reference/marketsite_events.stm and click on the market open and close of March 16 once they have been posted.
The Opening Bell is available from 6:20 a.m. PST to 6:35 a.m. PST (9:20 a.m. EST to 9:35 a.m. EST) on Galaxy 19 C/15, downlink frequency 4000 vertical. The feed can also be found on Ascent fiber 1623.
The Closing Bell is available from 12:50 p.m. to 1:05 p.m. PST (3:50 p.m. to 4:05 p.m.) on AMC-3/C-3 (ul 5985V; dl 3760H). The feed can also be found on Ascent fiber 1623.
Live webcasts of the NASDAQ Opening and Closing Bells will be available at: http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx
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 3,700 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">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 potential strategic partnerships, 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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