Alerian, the index provider to the JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN (AMJ) and Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP), has unveiled two new indices tracking the North American energy infrastructure and Master Limited Partnership (MLP) sectors.

MLP indexing specialist Alerian has unveiled new energy infrastructure and MLP indices.

Designed in response to the evolving needs of industry stakeholders, the newly launched Alerian Energy Infrastructure Index and the Alerian MLP Equal Weight Index provide investors with new benchmarks encompassing a broader range of capitalisation, asset, and geographic exposure.

The Alerian Energy Infrastructure Index (ticker AMEI) is a composite of 30 core energy infrastructure companies in North America. The index provides diversified exposure to MLPs, MLP affiliates, and corporations with midstream operations.

The Alerian MLP Equal Weight Index (ticker AMZE) is an equal-weighted version of the leading MLP benchmark, the Alerian MLP Index. It has the same 50 constituents, but each constituent is equal weighted (rebalanced to a 2% weight) on a quarterly basis.

Kenny Feng, President and CEO, said: “With interest rates continuing to hover at historic lows, the defining investment shift over the last few years has been toward real assets that generate real, or inflation-protected, returns. For those retail and institutional investors that have participated in this shift via ownership of energy infrastructure assets, the AMEI will be the transparent and intuitive benchmark that MLP stakeholders have come to expect from Alerian.”

He added: “In different economic cycles, companies of a certain size or sector have greater potential to outperform. Because it offers higher exposure to small- and mid-cap MLPs and provides a more balanced MLP sector weighting, the AMZE will be especially useful for tactical asset allocation investors.”

The indices will be disseminated real time on a price-return basis and a total-return basis. Relevant data points such as dividend yield will be published weekly.