DJ OMX Launches Index Family With Oslo,Reykjavik Exchanges

STOCKHOLM (Dow Jones)--Swedish stock exchange operator OMX AB (OMX.SK) Friday said it will launch a new index family on April 3, 2006, in cooperation with the exchanges in Oslo and Reykjavik.

The purpose of the new index family, VINX, is to reflect the development in the region in a reliable and predictable manner and to highlight the overall investment opportunities, OMX said.

The new VINX family covers the All-share, Benchmark, Tradable and Sector indexes, which include companies listed on OMX's exchanges in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki, and on the exchanges in Oslo and Reykjavik.

Today there are more than 800 companies with a market capitalization of close to EUR1 trillion available on the stock exchanges.

"Increased interest and a growing demand for more benchmark possibilities from our customers are our reasons for launching the VINX indexes. The close cooperation between the exchanges ensures that the new VINX indexes will optimally reflect the participating markets," said Jukka Ruuska, in charge of the Nordic Marketplaces business area within OMX and president of the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

The VINX index family will be independent of, and supplementary to, the local indexes provided by the participating exchanges.

The index structure and rules have been developed in close cooperation with market participants.

The company said the plan is to launch derivatives on VINX30 by mid-2006, including the 30 most traded companies in the region.

As of April 3, 2006, the VINX30 has the following constituents: Nokia Oyj (NOK), Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson (ERICY), Nordea Bank AB (NDA.SK), A.P Moller Maersk A/S (MAERSK-B.KO), Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE.KO), Hennes & Mauritz AB (HM-B.SK), AstraZeneca PLC (AZN), Novo Nordisk A/S (NOVO-B.KO), Statoil ASA (STO), Norsk Hydro ASA (NHY), Swedbank AB (FSPA-A.SK), Svenska Handelsbanken AB (SHB-B.SK), Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (SEB-A.SK), TeliaSonera AB (TLSN.SK), UPM-Kymmene Oyj (UPM), Sandvik AB (SAND.SK), Volvo AB (VOLVY), DnB NOR ASA (DNBNOR.OS), Sampo Oyj (SAMAS.HE), Telenor ASA (TELN), Stora Enso Oyj (SEO), Fortum Oyj (FUM1V.HE), Electrolux AB (ELUX), Investor AB (INVE-B.SK), Svenska Cellulosa AB (SCA-B.SK), Atlas Copco AB (ATCO-A.SK), Skanska AB (SKA-B.SK), SKF AB (SKF-B.SK), Assa Abloy AB (ASSA-B.SK), and Securitas AB (SECU-B.SK).

(END) Dow Jones Newswires