CHICAGO and NEW YORK, March 21, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- 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 that the sponsorships of the NASDAQ-100 Index Tracking Stock(r), also known as QQQ(r), and the 4 BLDRS Index Funds Trust(sm) (Nasdaq:ADRE) (Nasdaq:ADRD) (Nasdaq:ADRU) (Nasdaq:ADRA) have been transferred to PowerShares Capital Management, effective today. As part of the agreement, the existing NASDAQ-100 Trust (Nasdaq:QQQQ), which tracks the NASDAQ-100 Index(r), will be renamed the PowerShares QQQ(tm) Trust and PowerShares will assume all marketing responsibilities for the funds. PowerShares QQQ will continue to track one-hundred of the largest non-financial service companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
PowerShares Capital Management, an AMVESCAP PLC company (NYSE:AVZ), is one of the most innovative ETF providers in the marketplace today and is the second largest issuer in the United States based on number of ETF portfolios. The transaction expands the distribution channels for the funds and brings greater investor access to these dynamic products.
"We are pleased to be celebrating today's QQQ sponsorship transfer and affirm our growing partnership with the Nasdaq Stock Market," said Bruce Bond, President of PowerShares Capital Management. "Today's agreement is a major milestone in pursuit of PowerShares' goal to provide investors the most compelling investment tools using the benefit-rich ETF format. We are excited by the many synergies and growth opportunities that can be achieved leveraging the PowerShares AMVESCAP global distribution network as we drive to expand availability of PowerShares QQQ for investors worldwide. The QQQ and BLDRS suite of tracking funds is a crown jewel addition to the growing family of PowerShares ETF portfolios."
"As a leader in the equitization of Americans, our goal is to ensure that the broadest possible pool of investors has access to these highly innovative products," said John Jacobs, CEO of NASDAQ Global Funds. "This development is indicative of our powerful alliance with PowerShares Capital Management, one that we expect will continue to foster new opportunities for creative investment vehicles."
Designed to follow the NASDAQ-100 Index, PowerShares QQQ tracks one-hundred of the largest non-financial companies listed on NASDAQ. In 2006, QQQ was one of the most actively traded ETFs in the world and the most actively traded listed equity security in the U.S. with 107.4 million average shares traded daily.
BLDRS is a series of ETFs based on The Bank of New York ADR Indexes(sm). Based on real-time indexes 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(r) (EQQQ) 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 was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (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.
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.
NASDAQ is a force of innovation and influence in the financial products industry. It maintains its position as a world class innovator 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(r), the NASDAQ Clean Edge U.S. Index(r), and the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index(r). In addition to pursuing listings of ETFs and other structured products, NASDAQ will continue to develop indexes and other index-based derivative securities for the global capital markets.
About NASDAQ
NASDAQ is the largest U.S. electronic equities exchange. With approximately 3,200 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. electronic market. It is home to companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media and biotechnology. NASDAQ is the primary market for trading NASDAQ-listed stocks as well as a leading liquidity pool for trading NYSE-listed stocks. 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(r), 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 $465 billion in assets under management as of February 28, 2007, and is listed on the London, New York and Toronto stock exchanges with the symbol "AVZ." Additional information is available at www.amvescap.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's conveyance of the 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.
Risks of Owning Exchange-Traded Funds
Exchange-traded funds are made up of publicly traded securities that can and will move higher and lower with market movements. You should anticipate that the value of the shares of each fund will advance or decline more or less in correlation with the advance or decline in value of the applicable index. The Funds are not actively managed, and shares of the Funds may trade at or below the Funds' NAV. Exchange-traded funds are subject to risks similar to those of stocks, including risks associated with short-selling and margin account maintenance. Ordinary brokerage commissions apply
An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain prospectuses, which contain this and other information about QQQ and BLDRS, unit investment trusts, please call 888-627-3837. Read the prospectuses carefully before investing.
Investment in foreign exchange related products generally incur greater risks than domestic investments.
ALPS Distributors, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, is distributor for QQQ and BLDRS
PowerShares(r) and Leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution(r) are registered marks of PowerShares Capital Management LLC.
PowerShares and ALPS Distributors, Inc. are not affiliated.
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