NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, and Wilshire Associates, a global leader in investment technology, investment consulting and investment management, announced today that health care REITs will be added to the Dow Jones Wilshire Global Real Estate(sm) and Dow Jones Wilshire Global Real Estate Securities Index(sm). The change will become effective in September and applies to the U.S. versions of the indexes as well.
To be added, a health care REIT must meet the Indexes' minimum market capitalization requirement (US$200 million) and derive more than 75% of its revenues from the ownership of income-producing real estate.
Dow Jones Indexes and Wilshire Associates agreed to the rules change allowing health care REITs into the Indexes at this time because these REITs perform more like other equity REITs than like health care stocks. When the Dow Jones Wilshire Real Estate Indexes were being developed in 1990-91, health care REITs were greatly influenced by trends and developments in the health care industry, and were less affected by trends in the real-estate market. Therefore they were deemed ineligible for the Indexes. Today, by contrast, health care REITs are generally perceived as investors in real, somewhat specialized properties, rather than as adjuncts to the delivery of health care services and thus their performance is affected more by trends in the real-estate market than health care field.
The rules change allowing these additions will become effective at the September 2007 quarterly shares and float review. Preliminary component changes that result from the quarterly review will be pre-announced after the close of trading on Friday, September 7, and will become effective after the close of trading on Friday, September 21, 2007.
About the Dow Jones Wilshire Index Family
The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index(sm) is the primary domestic component of the Dow Jones Wilshire Global Total Market Index(sm) 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.
The Dow Jones Indexes and Wilshire Associates logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2464
Journalists may email questions regarding this press release to PR-Indexes@dowjones.com or contact Dow Jones Indexes/STOXX press office:
New York: +1-212-597-5720 Frankfurt: +49-69-29-725-290
To contact Wilshire Associates public relations, please email kim.shepherd@wilshire.com or call: Chicago: Kim Shepherd, +1-312-762-5504.
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 Indexes is part of Dow Jones & Company (NYSE:DJ) (dowjones.com), which 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, Factiva, Dow Jones Licensing Services, Dow Jones Indexes and Dow Jones Financial Information Services. Its Local Media Group operates community-based information franchises. Dow Jones provides news content to CNBC and radio stations in the U.S.
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 nearly 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.