CHICAGO and NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- PowerShares Capital Management LLC, a leading provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and Nasdaq Global Funds, Inc., a subsidiary of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., announced an agreement to transfer sponsorship of the NASDAQ-100 Index Tracking Stock(r)(Nasdaq:QQQQ), also known as QQQ(r), the NASDAQ-100 European Tracker(r) (EQQQ), and the 4 BLDRS Index Funds Trust(sm) (Nasdaq:ADRE) (Nasdaq:ADRD) (Nasdaq:ADRU) (Nasdaq:ADRA). Pending Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulatory approvals, sponsorships of the funds will be conveyed to PowerShares.
PowerShares Capital Management, an AMVESCAP PLC company (NYSE:AVZ), is one of the most innovative ETF companies in the marketplace today, and is the second largest issuer of ETFs in the United States. The transaction significantly expands the distribution channels for the funds and will bring greater investor education and access to these innovative products.
PowerShares seeks to provide Intelligent Indexes, Intelligent Exposure and Intelligent Access for investors. "The QQQ fits very well in the PowerShares family of funds because the NASDAQ like PowerShares is synonymous with leadership, innovation and creativity. We are extremely pleased to expand our existing strategic relationship with The NASDAQ Stock Market," said Bruce Bond, President of PowerShares Capital Management. "Being the most heavily traded exchange traded fund in the world, QQQ provides shareholders with unprecedented diversified access to NASDAQ companies, some of which are among the most compelling investment opportunities available on an exchange today."
"PowerShares has a strong track record of providing compelling portfolios and investment tools for advisers and investors," said John Jacobs, CEO of NASDAQ Global Funds. "The addition of these successful investment products to PowerShares' family of exchange traded funds (ETFs) underscores their commitment to sound portfolio construction and investment management approaches. This decision is another important step to elevate NASDAQ's growing and significant leadership in the equification of America."
NASDAQ is an influential and innovative force in the financial products industry. It will maintain its position as a world class indexer by developing new indexes of its own and with other partners. NASDAQ is home to some of the world's most closely watched indexes including the NASDAQ-100 Index, the NASDAQ Clean Edge U.S. Index, and the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index. In addition to pursuing listings of ETFs and other structured products, NASDAQ will continue to develop ETFs and other financial products that are based on NASDAQ and other indexes.
Designed to follow the NASDAQ-100 Index, QQQQ tracks one-hundred of the largest non-financial companies listed on NASDAQ. It is the most actively traded ETF in the world with 107.9 million average shares traded daily as of September 30, 2006(1).
BLDRS is a series of ETFs based on The Bank of New York ADR Indexes(sm). A real-time index tracking U.S. traded depositary receipts, the BLDRS Fund Family includes two market index funds and two regional index funds. Each BLDR represents an entire portfolio of international equities and has the benefit of low cost, transparent investing, liquidity, diversity, and The Bank of New York's expertise as a world leader in depositary receipt programs.
The NASDAQ-100 European Tracker is a European version of QQQ. It is available to investors in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK. European investors can buy the NASDAQ-100 European Tracker in their time zones and currencies. This product cannot be bought or sold in the U.S.
NASDAQ's agreement to transfer sponsorships of QQQ and the BLDRS Index Funds to PowerShares requires approval from the SEC. The transfer of the NASDAQ-100 European Tracker will be a separate transaction that must first be approved by the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority. Both transactions are expected to be completed by June 30, 2007.
ETFs are investment products that hold a pool of securities and are designed to generally correspond with a specific Index. Investors can buy and sell ETFs just like stock, through their broker in most cases, throughout the trading day.
Media Conference Call
PowerShares and NASDAQ will hold a press conference on this development via telephone today at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Bruce Bond, John Jacobs and NASDAQ executive vice president Bruce Aust will be available for questions from the media following prepared remarks at the following telephone numbers:
Telephone: 888-810-3953 (U.S.)
1-210-234-0060 (International)
Leader: Bethany Sherman
Password: 8034027
About NASDAQ
NASDAQ(r) is the largest electronic screen-based equity securities market in the United States. With approximately 3,200 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. It is home to category-defining companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media and biotechnology industries. For more information about NASDAQ, visit the NASDAQ Web site at www.nasdaq.com or the NASDAQ Newsroom at www.nasdaq.com/newsroom/.
About PowerShares Capital Management LLC
PowerShares Capital Management LLC is passionate about its goal of efficiently delivering the highest quality institutional investment management services available. PowerShares is "Leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution," providing investment advisors with institutional caliber asset management that seeks to replicate enhanced indexes in one of the more benefit rich investment vehicles available in the marketplace today, the exchange-traded fund. The firm is committed to theoretically sound portfolio construction and empirically verifiable investment management approaches. PowerShares' asset management philosophy and investment discipline are deeply rooted in the application of intuitive factor analysis and model implementation to enhance investment decisions.
About AMVESCAP
PowerShares Capital Management is a subsidiary of AMVESCAP PLC, a leading independent global investment manager, dedicated to helping people worldwide build their financial security. AMVESCAP had approximately $441 billion in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2006, and is listed on the London, New York and Toronto stock exchanges with the symbol "AVZ." Additional information is available at www.amvescap.com.
(1) Source: Bloomberg and FactSet Research Systems
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's agreement to convey sponsorships of QQQ, EQQQ and the BLDRS Index Funds to PowerShares, as well as about future strategic plans of NASDAQ Global Funds. 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's control. These factors include, but are not limited to factors detailed in NASDAQ'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.
An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus, which contains this and other information about QQQ, a unit investment trust, please call 888-627-3837. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.
ALPS Distributors, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, is distributor for QQQ.