DAVOS, Switzerland and TORONTO and NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As large institutional investors' concern about the short-termism in the capital markets grow, S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI), one of the world's leading index providers, launched today the S&P Long-Term Value Creation (LTVC) Global Index.

The S&P LTVC Global Index is designed to measure companies that have the potential to create long-term value based on sustainability criteria and financial quality.  Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), a co-founder of the Focusing Capital on the Long Term (FCLT) initiative, worked collaboratively with S&P DJI to develop the Index.

The S&P LTVC Global Index is comprised of companies that have demonstrated the ability to manage both current and future economic and governance opportunities and risks by focusing on a long-term strategy. These companies must also have a sustained history of financial quality. Companies with these characteristics are more likely to maintain a competitive advantage and thereby sustain stakeholder value.

"Over the past few years, there has been an intensifying investor demand for a benchmark that captures companies that take a long-term approach in making business decisions," says Alex Matturri, CEO of S&P Dow Jones Indices.  "The launch of the S&P LTVC Global Index is a manifestation of the long-termism concept with an independent and transparent approach. We are proud to leverage our deep indexing knowledge to facilitate awareness and education for market participants."

"We are proud of the role our investment teams played in the development of this innovative new index from S&P DJI, as part of CPPIB's ongoing work to advance longer-term behaviours in capital markets today," says Mark Wiseman, President and CEO CPPIB. "We believe this Index has the potential to act as a real catalyst to encourage a greater focus on factors that contribute to long-term value creation by both corporate management and investors, all to the ultimate benefit of individual savers and beneficiaries."

The S&P LTVC Global Index is constructed by combining qualitative and quantitative measures into a single metric to determine the potential for long-term value addition. The Economic Dimension Scores provided by RobecoSAM are included in the qualitative assessment to gauge corporate governance effectiveness.  The quantitative assessment consists of drivers of long-term investment returns – Return on Equity, Balance Sheet Accruals ratio and leverage ratio.

To learn more about the S&PLTVC Global 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.

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SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices