NEW YORK, June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the growing importance of real estate to investors, S&P Dow Jones Indices ("S&P DJI") announced today the launch of the S&P 500^® Equal Weight Real Estate Index, which equally weights the index constituents in the S&P 500 that are currently classified in the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS^®) Real Estate Industry Group, excluding Mortgage REITs sub-industry. The Index has been licensed to Guggenheim Investments to serve as the basis for an exchanged traded fund (ETF).

As previously announced on November 10, 2014, a new Real Estate Sector is being created, elevating its current position as an Industry Group under the Financials Sector. The change is scheduled to be implemented after the market close of August 31, 2016 and will bring the number of GICS Sectors to eleven.

"S&P DJI pioneered the concept of smart beta indices with the launch of the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index family," says Philip Murphy, Vice President of North American Equity Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices. "The launch of the S&P 500 Equal Weight Real Estate Index expands the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index family providing investors with a straightforward alternative to market cap weighted benchmarks for the real estate industry."

To learn more about the S&P 500® Equal Weight Real Estate Index, please visit: www.spdji.com.

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^®, 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.

S&P^® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC ("S&P"), a part of McGraw Hill Financial. Dow Jones^® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ("Dow Jones"). These trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P and their respective affiliates (collectively "S&P Dow Jones Indices") do not sponsor, endorse, sell, or promote any investment fund or other investment vehicle that is offered by third parties and that seeks to provide an investment return based on the performance of any index. This document does not constitute an offer of services in jurisdictions where S&P Dow Jones Indices does not have the necessary licenses. S&P Dow Jones Indices receives compensation in connection with licensing its indices to third parties.

SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices