Standard & Poor's Launches Equal Weighted Version of the S&P GSCI

NEW YORK, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's announced today the launch of the S&P GSCI Equal Weight Select Index, an equal-weighted version of the industry's most closely watched commodities index, the S&P GSCI®. The S&P GSCI Equal Weight Select Index in 2010 is comprised of 14 commodities included in the world production weighted S&P GSCI, each equally-weighted on a quarterly basis.

The S&P GSCI Equal Weight Select Index divides the S&P GSCI into six commodity groups from which only the largest and most liquid commodities are selected. In order to ensure maximum diversification and reduce concentration risk, the six commodity groups selected include: Agriculture – Grains and Oilseeds, Agriculture – Softs, Energy, Industrial Metals, Livestock, and Precious Metals.

Compared to the S&P GSCI, the S&P GSCI Equal Weight Select Index will tend to have higher exposure to commodities with lower production weights as a result of the equal weighting. The relative performance of the two indices will also differ depending on the size premium in different market cycles. Finally, because there are fewer commodities in the S&P GSCI Equal Weight Select Index than the S&P GSCI, there will be fewer monthly rolls.

"The S&P GSCI Equal Weight Select Index is a natural extension of our widely followed S&P GSCI Index providing a different dynamic by measuring the performance of only the largest and most liquid commodities within the S&P GSCI equally," says Michael McGlone, Director of Commodity Indexing at S&P Indices. "The development of the Index was based on investor/client demand for a version of the S&P GSCI that provided more equal-weighting among the main commodities."

For complete eligibility criteria, as well as index calculation guidelines, please visit: www.spgsci.standardandpoors.com.

About S&P Indices

S&P Indices, the world's leading index provider, maintains a wide variety of investable and benchmark indices to meet an array of investor needs. Over $1.25 trillion is directly indexed to Standard & Poor's family of indices, which includes the S&P 500, the world's most followed stock market index, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, the S&P Global BMI, an index with approximately 11,000 constituents, the S&P GSCI, the industry's most closely watched commodities index, and the S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index, the premier investable index for U.S. municipal bonds. For more information, please visit www.standardandpoors.com/indices.

About Standard & Poor's

Standard & Poor's, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With offices in 23 countries and markets, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for 150 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com.

SOURCE Standard & Poor's

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