NEW YORK and CHICAGO, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), one of the world's foremost financial information companies, and CME Group (NASDAQ: CME), the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, announced today that they have received notification that the U.S. Department of Justice has completed its review of the proposed joint venture company, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and has granted early termination of the statutory waiting period.  Accordingly, the condition to the formation of the joint venture related to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act has been satisfied.  The formation remains subject to other customary closing conditions.  A closing date has not yet been announced, but the S&P Dow Jones Indices joint venture is targeted to be completed by the end of June.

More information on S&P Dow Jones Indices will be published upon close of the transaction.

Forward-looking Statements:  Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward- looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. More detailed information about factors that may affect our performance may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which can be obtained at its Web site at http://www.sec.gov . We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

It is not possible to invest directly in an index. S&P Indices does not sponsor, endorse, sell, or promote any S&P index-based investment product. This document does not constitute an offer of services in jurisdictions where S&P Indices or its affiliates do not have the necessary licenses. S&P Indices receives compensation in connection with licensing its indices to third parties.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:  McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two public companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

About CME Group: As the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) is where the world comes to manage risk.  CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, weather and real estate.  CME Group brings buyers and sellers together through its CME Globex® electronic trading platform and its trading facilities in New York and Chicago.  CME Group also operates CME Clearing, one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, which offers clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts, as well as for over-the-counter derivatives transactions through CME ClearPort®.  These products and services ensure that businesses everywhere can substantially mitigate counterparty credit risk in both listed and over-the-counter derivatives markets.

Investors Relations Contacts:
McGraw-Hill
Chip Merritt
Vice President, Investor Relations
(212) 512-4321 (office)
chip_merritt@mcgraw-hill.com

CME Group
John Peschier
Managing Director, Investor Relations
(312) 930-8491
john.peschier@cmegroup.com

News Media Contacts:
McGraw-Hill
Patti Rockenwagner
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
(212) 512-3533
patti_rockenwagner@mcgraw-hill.com

S&P Dow Jones Indices
David Guarino
Director, Communications
(212) 438-1471
dave_guarino@standardandpoors.com

CME Group
Laurie Bischel
Director, Corporate Marketing & Communications
(312) 907-0003
laurie.bischel@cmegroup.com

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies; CME Group