Products February 16, 2011

S&P Brings On Israeli Indexes

February 16, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Standard & Poor's and Harel Financial Group have launched a suite of sector indexes covering a range of companies within the Israeli equity market.
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A news release said the S&P/Harel Sector Indices will provide investors with a benchmark for measuring sector performance within the Israeli equity market and will serve as the basis for investment products. 

The S&P/Harel Sector Indices are launched as part of a collaboration agreement entered by the two companies where S&P launches new sector indices for the Israeli market and Harel issues investment products which track the new indexes. On February 23, 2011, Harel will issue two investment products which track the following indexes:  

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  • S&P/ Harel TA Energy Index, and
  • S&P/ Harel TA Telecommunication Index.

“With the launch of these Indices, Israeli investors will have access to S&P Indices full range of indexing capabilities essential to both measuring asset classes and for serving as the basis for investment products,” said Alka Banerjee, Vice President at S&P Indices, in the news release. “Our full expectation is that these Indices will be the first of a family of indices serving both Israeli investors and those from outside of Israel looking to access this market.”

Each index within the S&P/Harel Sector Indices is made up of 12, 15, 20 or 25 of the largest eligible publicly traded Israeli companies listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) within industry sectors and sub-industries as defined by GICS, the Global Industry Classification Standard.

Benefits February 16, 2011

More Workers Seeing Health Benefits in Wellness Programs

February 16, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Achieving better overall health is the top reason American workers (43%) report they participate or would participate in a wellness benefit program according to the latest Principal Financial Well-Being Index.
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A news release said other reasons cited for participating in a wellness program included reduced personal health care costs (33%) and a greater chance of living longer and healthier lives (31%). The survey also found more than half (53%) of workers use weight management programs offered by their employers, a 25 percentage point increase over last year. This trend is echoed by a 21 percentage point increase in workers’ use of personalized action plans for high risk conditions to 68%, and an eighteen percentage point increase in workers’ use of blood sugar screenings to 84%.

“This dramatic increase in workers taking advantage of these wellness benefits is indicative of Americans’ greater sense of personal responsibility towards their own health,” said Lee Dukes, president of Principal Wellness Company, in the news release. “With health care costs on the rise and increasing public awareness of illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, Americans are ready to take action. Workplace wellness gives employees a convenient, simple way to get started.”

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The survey found that 43% of workers agree wellness benefits motivate them to work harder and perform better. Over a quarter (28%) of workers surveyed believe they have missed fewer days of work as a direct result of participating in a wellness program and 38% of workers attributed wellness programs to improved energy and productivity at work. Nearly half (48%) of workers surveyed agreed that wellness benefits encourage them to stay in their current employment situation.

The poll was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive between October 20 and October 28, 2010, among 1,159 workers and 528 retirees.

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