The Nasdaq OMX Group has expanded its Nasdaq Global Index Family, resulting in the launch of an additional 21,000 new indices. The enlarged family represents more than 98% of the global equity investable marketplace and includes in excess of 25,000 separate indices.

Nasdaq OMX has expanded its global index family.
(© 2013, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.)

The family consists of global securities broken down by market segment, region, country, size and sector, covering 9,000 securities with a combined float-adjusted market capitalisation of over $37 trillion.

The indices cover 45 countries classified as developed or emerging markets across the following regions: the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East-Africa. They are calculated in AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, JPY and local currencies.

The initial swathe of indices, launched in December 2012, is calculated in USD.

John Jacobs, Executive Vice President at Nasdaq OMX, said: “The expansion of the Nasdaq Global Index Family into various currencies underscores the arrival of our index business — Nasdaq OMX Global Indexes — as a premier global index operation”

He added: “We recognised the need for cost-effective benchmark alternatives in multiple currencies, and now product sponsors, portfolio managers and other market participants can more effectively gauge and manage currency exposure as they track global equities.”

The family is based on a transparent, rules-based index methodology and includes price return, total return and net total return versions. Over ten years of historical back-tested data are available for each of the indices in the family.