Products May 19, 2008

New S&P Index Offers Exposure to Entire Agribusiness Industry

May 19, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Standard & Poor's has launched the first index to offer exposure to both equities and commodities across the entire agribusiness industry.
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The S&P Global Agribusiness Composite Index incorporates the new S&P Global Agribusiness Index and the existing S&P GSCI Agriculture and Livestock Index, according to the announcement. The S&P GSCI Agriculture and Livestock Index is a subset of the S&P GSCI which is designed to provide liquid exposure to the agriculture and livestock commodities markets through futures contracts.

The new composite index consists of 24 of the largest publicly-traded agribusiness companies from around the world with developed market listings that meet minimum market capitalization and liquidity requirements, the announcement said. It is comprised of a diversified mix of Producers, Distributors & Processors, and Equipment & Materials Suppliers companies.

“The new S&P Global Agribusiness Composite Index provides complete exposure to the global agribusiness industry by combining the downstream exposure offered by equities with the upstream exposure available through commodities. This composite model provides lower volatility for investors and capitalizes on S&P’s strengths in both markets,” Steven Goldin, Vice President, Portfolio Services for Standard & Poor’s, said in the news release.

For more information on the index, visit  www.standardandpoors.com/indices .

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