STOXX Indexes Licensed for German ETFs

April 2, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - STOXX Ltd., a European index provider, has licensed several Dow Jones STOXX Strong Style Indexes to underlie four exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

According to a press release, the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50, Dow Jones STOXX Strong Growth 20, Dow Jones STOXX Strong Value 20 and Dow Jones STOXX Strong Style Composite 40 indexes have been licensed to ETFlab Investment GmbH to underlie four exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listed at Deutsche Boerse, Germany.

This is the first time that the Dow Jones STOXX Style indexes have been licensed to underlie ETFs.

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Launched on June 4, 2007, the Dow Jones STOXX Strong Style indexes are designed to accurately represent the performance of the most style pure companies in Western Europe, covering the highest scoring stocks in each style category, according to a press release.  

The Dow Jones STOXX Strong Growth 20 Index and Dow Jones STOXX Strong Value 20 Index include companies with the highest growth and the highest value scores, respectively, and are weighted by their growth or value score. The Dow Jones STOXX Strong Style Composite 40 Index combines both style indexes for Western Europe. They are the only pan-European blue-chip indexes for growth and value companies, according to a press release.

Six Factors

For the Dow Jones STOXX Style indexes, six factors are applied to define a stock’s style category with two factors being projected, two being current and two being historical:

  • projected price/earnings (P/E) ratio,
  • projected earnings growth,
  • trailing P/E ratio,
  • trailing earnings growth,
  • price/book (P/B) ratio and
  • dividend yield.

The six factors are condensed into a single style score measuring the style purity of the company. The weight of a company is then based on its growth or value score.

Launched on February 28, 1998, the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 Index provides a blue-chip representation of supersector leaders in the Eurozone covering Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

The Dow Jones STOXX Strong Growth 20 Index, Dow Jones STOXX Strong Value 20 Index and Dow Jones STOXX Strong Style Composite 40 Index are derived from the Dow Jones STOXX TMI Style Index. The Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 Index captures approximately 60% of the free-float market capitalization of the Dow Jones EURO STOXX TMI Index.

Components, weightings and performance figures for the Dow Jones STOXX Strong Style Indexes and Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 Index can be found at http://www.stoxx.com .

Retirement Planning, Dieting Equally Hard to Start

April 1, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - In a survey of approximately 1,000 people across the country, the Bank of America found just as many Americans say that starting retirement planning is hard as those who say starting a diet or fitness routine is difficult.

According to a press release on the survey findings, nearly one-third (30%) of Americans say that starting retirement planning is difficult, while 29% say the same about starting a fitness routine and 28% say the same about starting a diet. Only one-third of survey respondents report they are on track with their retirement planning efforts, and nearly one-quarter (23%) report they have not started planning at all.

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Respondents identified difficulty with respect to determining the types of investments they should make (42%), how much they will need to retire comfortably (40%), when to retire (33%), and where to begin (32%), the release said. Among affluent Americans surveyed, 34% reported difficulty with identifying appropriate retirement investments and 24% say they struggle with knowing how much they will need to retire comfortably.

The survey also found that despite Americans’ general familiarity with retirement products, many are not taking full advantage of them. Most Americans (79%) reported being familiar with 401(k) plans, but of those with access, 22% do not participate. Additionally, 68% of Americans report being familiar with IRAs; however, only 40% report having one. Less than half of Americans with IRAs (43%) fund them each year.

Among affluent Americans, 84% report they are familiar with traditional IRAs, and 62% say they are familiar with Roth IRAs; however, only 56% currently incorporate an IRA in their retirement planning. While affluent Americans are more likely to have an IRA than the general population, they are no more likely to fund it annually.

The survey was conducted by Braun Research via telephone between the dates of March 7-13, 2008, with 750 nationally representative Americans and 250 individuals with investable assets between $100,000 and $3 million.

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