Helsinki, March 10, 2010 — NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, part of the NASDAQ OMX Group,
Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) today starts trading a portfolio of new certificates issued
by Nordea, including bull and bear certificates on the NASDAQ-100 index.
Jenny Rosberg, Senior Vice President at NASDAQ OMX said “We are happy to
cooperate with Nordea in order to expand the range of stock exchange traded
certificates available for our investors. Exchange traded notes, such as
certificates, represent an untapped market potential in the Nordic region, and
we are planning to launch more products that will give Nordic institutional and
retail investors the opportunity to trade world leading brands in their home
markets.”
Lauri Rosendahl, President of NASDAQ OMX Helsinki said “The exchange traded
certificates are a great complement to actively managed funds and allow Finnish
investors easy and cost-efficient access to well known global indices in the
local currency. The certificate based on the NASDAQ-100 index provides Finnish
investors with the possibility to invest in some of the world's largest and most
well-known brands. This product is a great example of the possibilities of being
a global exchange company, and how to transform this to benefits for our local
customers.”
“With our new certificate range we are seeking to meet a growing demand in all
Nordic countries from our more active and self directed clients, for quick, easy
and efficient exposure to the global financial markets. We are currently
launching similar products in the other Nordic countries, and are aiming to
expand the product range further over the coming years”, says Thorben Sander
heading Nordea's Equity and Fixed income departments for private clients.
The NASDAQ-100 certificate, which is traded in EUR, aims to give a daily return
equivalent to the NASDAQ-100 Index. The NASDAQ-100 Index includes 100 of the
largest domestic and international non-financial securities listed on the Nasdaq
Stock Market based on market capitalization. The index reflects companies across
major industry groups including computer hardware and software,
telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology. Companies included
within the NASDAQ-100 certificate include Apple, Cisco, Dell, Google, Intel,
Microsoft, Oracle, Starbucks, Symantec and Yahoo. For a complete list of
companies included in NASDAQ-100 Index, visit:
http://dynamic.nasdaq.com/dynamic/nasdaq100_activity.stm.
In addition to the NASDAQ-100 index, the new certificates now issued by Nordea
track the following indexes: S&P500, OMXH25, EURO STOXX 50, DAX, STOXX Europe
600 Banks, STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources, STOXX EUROPE 600 Oil & Gas, STOXX
Europe 600 Telecommunication and STOXX Europe 600 HealthCare. The range of
certificates includes normal and leveraged bull and bear certificates on each
index.
About certificates
An exchange traded certificate is a security that tracks an index, commodity,
currency or a basket of assets like an index fund, but trades like a stock on an
exchange. The simplest form of a certificate is an index certificate which
tracks a stock index. Depending on the certificate type (bull or bear), an
investor can benefit from either the rise or fall in the value of the underlying
asset. A certificate can have a closed end or an open end.
Holders of the now issued certificates do not receive any coupon payments during
the life of the note, and there is no principal protection for the investment.
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 approximately 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.
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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CONTACTS:
Anu Ilvonen
+ 358 9 6166 7206
Anu.ilvonen@nasdaqomx.com