JOHANNESBURG, May 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Dow Jones Indices (SPDJI) announced today that it has launched the deepest and most extensive suite of African equity indices currently available to investors. Fourteen (14) new equity indices covering thirteen (13) African markets were launched today by SPDJI providing investors in Africa, as well as those outside, with a comprehensive offering of indices measuring the performance of the African equity markets.

The launch of the new family of indices today comes on the heels of SPDJI's continuing expansion in Africa. So far this year, SPDJI has launched twenty-nine (29) new indices covering varying segments of the African and South African equity markets.

"S&P Dow Jones Indices has a long history of providing relevant benchmarks to African investors," says Alexander Matturri, CEO of S&P Dow Jones Indices. "Continuing with this year's launch of fifteen South Africa indices and now strengthened with today's extensive offering of over a dozen new regional African indices, S&P Dow Jones Indices now offers investors a comprehensive suite of benchmark and tradable equity indices covering the African continent."

The headline index launched today by SPDJI is the S&P All Africa, a comprehensive benchmark for the African continent. The Index combines the constituents of the S&P Pan Africa, S&P South Africa Composite, and S&P Zimbabwe BMI, as well as developed market listed companies that operate purely in or derive a majority of their revenues from the African continent. 

The S&P All Africa serves as the basis for numerous sub-indices including regional benchmark and tradable indices covering different segments of the continental equity market.  The other thirteen indices launched today include:

• S&P All Africa ex-South Africa
• S&P All Africa Capped
• S&P All Africa ex-South Africa Capped
• S&P East Africa
• S&P North Africa
• S&P Southern Africa ex-South Africa
• S&P West Africa
• S&P All Africa Select
• S&P All Africa ex-South Africa Select
• S&P East Africa 10
• S&P North Africa 15
• S&P Southern Africa ex-South Africa 10
• S&P West Africa 25

Brief descriptions for these indices can be found at the conclusion of this release. Additional information on all indices launched today by S&P Dow Jones Indices can be found by accessing: www.spdji.com.

1. The S&P All Africa ex-South Africa is designed to serve as a comprehensive benchmark for the African market excluding South Africa.
2. The S&P All Africa Capped modifies the S&P All Africa, ensuring that the weights of individual countries, sectors and companies are limited.
3. The S&P All Africa ex-South Africa Capped modifies the S&P All Africa ex-South Africa, ensuring that the weights of individual countries, sectors and companies are limited. 
4. The S&P East Africa is designed to serve as a comprehensive benchmark for the East Africa region within the S&P All Africa, and includes companies listed in Kenya.
5. The S&P North Africa is designed to serve as a comprehensive benchmark for the North Africa region within the S&P All Africa, and includes companies listed in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.  
6. The S&P Southern Africa ex-South Africa is designed to serve as a comprehensive benchmark for the Southern Africa ex-South Africa region within the S&P All Africa, and includes stocks from Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 
7. The S&P West Africa is designed to serve as a comprehensive benchmark for the West Africa region within the S&P All Africa, and includes companies listed in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. 
8. The S&P All Africa Select consists of 100 of the largest and most liquid companies from the S&P All Africa, including 50 South African companies and 50 non-South African companies.
9. The S&P All Africa ex-South Africa Select is designed to be a broad, yet replicable index measuring the performance of the largest, most liquid companies listed in Africa ex-South Africa and companies listed in developed markets that derive the majority of their revenues from the African continent.
10. The S&P East Africa 10 consists of 10 of the largest and most liquid companies listed in Kenya. The index employs a 25% single stock cap to reduce concentration.
11. The S&P North Africa 15 consists of 15 of the largest and most liquid companies listed in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.  The index employs a 20% single stock cap to reduce concentration.
12. The S&P Southern Africa ex-South Africa 10 consists of 10 of the largest and most liquid companies listed in Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  The index employs a 25% single stock cap to reduce concentration.
13. The S&P West Africa 25 consists of 25 of the largest and most liquid companies listed in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. The index employs a 15% single stock cap to reduce concentration.

About S&P Dow Jones Indices
S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a part of McGraw Hill Financial, is the world's largest, global resource for index-based concepts, data and research. Home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average^TM, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC has over 115 years of experience constructing innovative and transparent solutions that fulfill the needs of investors. More assets are invested in products based upon our indices than any other provider in the world. With over 1,000,000 indices covering a wide range of asset classes across the globe, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC defines the way investors measure and trade the markets. To learn more about our company, please visit www.spdji.com. 

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