News Agency Direkt and GES Investment Services launch ethical indices
News Agency Direkt and GES Investment Services launch ethical indices News Agency Direkt and GES Investment Services today introduce a new index family of ethical indices on the Nordic markets. The indices consist of all listed companies in Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki and Copenhagen, with the exception of those companies that do not meet a set of ethical criteria. GES Investment Services will track all companies on a six-month basis according to the ethical criteria that are included in the analysis models GES Global Ethical Standard and GES Controversial. These criteria are based on international standards on the environment, human rights and business ethics. Companies with production and/or sales of weapons, tobacco, alcohol, pornography and gambling are not included. The ethical indices have had a higher return than comparable indices. In Denmark, SIX/GES Ethical Index has since January 1, 2002, had a return of 36 percent, which is 17 percentage points higher than the KBX Cap GIs return of 19 percent. "We think that these indices will serve as benchmark for Asset Managers that focus on ethical investments in the Nordic region and we can see that it pays off to have a long-term ethical investment philosophy", says Pär Ståhl, Manager SME & Findata Direkt, News Agency Direkt. "There is an increasing demand among our clients for an ethical index which they can compare their performance with. Therefore, it is pleasant that we can offer this now together with News Agency Direkt", says Magnus Furugård, Managing Director GES Investment Services. The index family includes one main Nordic index as well as one index for each country. Return 2002-01 - 02-2004-09-29 Return Comparable Index SIX/GES Ethical Index Nordic 9 % SHB Nordic portfolio index 4 % SIX/GES Ethical Index Denmark 36 % KBX Cap GI 19 % SIX/GES Ethical Index Finland 34 % HEX Portfolio Yield 18% SIX/GES Ethical Index Norway 38 % Oslo Börs Mutual Fund Index 30 % SIX/GES Ethical Index Sweden 3 % SBX Cap GI -3 % The SIX/GES Ethical Index is measured daily and can be accessed in SIX Trader under "Stockholm, Index." The indices are calculated starting 2001-12-28 with the start-up value of 100. Rules and regulations for the SIX/GES Ethical Index are available on the SIX home page: www.six.se For further information about measuring the ethical indices, please contact: Mikael Petersson, Product Manager Indices, News Agency Direkt, phone no: 08-736 56 30 For information about the ethical criteria, please contact: John Howchin, Research Director, GES Investment Services, telephone no: 08-787 99 18 About News Agency Direkt News Agency Direkt is the leading Index provider in the Nordic region and provides the capital markets with financial information and news in real time. Direkt offers news, profit forecasts and historical data on the Nordic markets. About GES Investment Services GES Investment Services is the leading Nordic analysis house for ethical/socially responsible investments and provides the financial sector with analyses of and consultation on the companies' sustainability performance and preparedness. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/10/01/20040930BIT23260/wkr0001.pdf