Posted: 12 Mar 2010 01:06 PM PST

NEW YORK, Mar 12, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, today announced changes in the composition of the Dow Jones China Index Series. Component changes in the Dow Jones China 88, Dow Jones China Offshore 50, Dow Jones China Broad Market, Dow Jones Shanghai, Dow Jones Shenzhen and Dow Jones CBN China 600 indexes will be effective after the close of trading on Friday, March 19, 2010.

The following six companies will be deleted from the Dow Jones China 88 Index, which tracks the largest and most liquid 88 stocks in China's Class-A market and reflects roughly 41.65% of the float-adjusted market capitalization of both the Shanghai and Shenzhen Class-A markets: Guangshen Railway Co. Ltd. (Travel & Leisure, 601333.SH), Jilin Yatai Group Co. Ltd. (Construction & Materials, 600881.SH), Shanghai International Port Group Co. Ltd. (Industrial Goods & Services, 600018.SH), Heilongjiang Agriculture Co. Ltd. (Food & Beverage, 600598.SH), China CSSC Holdings Ltd. (Industrial Goods & Services, 600150.SH) and China Railway Erju Co. Ltd. (Construction & Materials, 600528.SH). The six companies that are being added to the Dow Jones China 88 Index are: Metallurgical Corp. of China Ltd. (Construction & Materials, 601618.SH), Hebei Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. (Basic Resources, 000709.SZ), Everbright Securities Co. Ltd. (Financial Services, 601788.SH), Gree Electric Appliances Inc. of Zhuhai (Personal & Household Goods, 000651.SZ), Changjiang Securities Co. Ltd. (Financial Services, 000783.SZ) and China Merchants Property Development Co. Ltd. (Real Estate, 000024.SZ).

The number of Shanghai-listed stocks in the Dow Jones China 88 Index will decrease to 62 from 66 components, while the number of Shenzhen-listed stocks will increase to 26 from 22 components. Shanghai-listed stocks represent 79.47% of the free-float market capitalization of the Dow Jones China 88 Index, compared to 20.53% for Shenzhen-listed companies.

Four components will be replaced in the Dow Jones China Offshore 50 Index, which represents the largest stocks of companies whose primary operations are in mainland China but that trade on exchanges in Hong Kong and the U.S. The companies that will be deleted from the index are: Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (Personal & Household Goods, SNDA), China National Building Material Co. Ltd. (Construction & Materials, 3323.HK), Sohu.com Inc. (Technology, SOHU) and Datang International Power Generation Co. Ltd. (Utilities, 0991.HK). The following four companies will be added to the Dow Jones China Offshore 50 Index: China Pacific Insurance Group Co. Ltd. (Insurance, 2601.HK), China Longyuan Power Group Corp. Ltd. (Oil & Gas, 0916.HK), Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd. (Health Care, 1099.HK) and China Minsheng Banking Corp. Ltd. (Banks, 1988.HK).

The number of components in the Dow Jones China Broad Market Index will increase to 1234 from 1197, with 1 deletion and 38 additions. The index will include 1197 A-shares and 37 B-shares. The Dow Jones China Broad Market Index reflects approximately 95% percent of the free-float market capitalization for both the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets.

The number of components in the Dow Jones Shanghai Index will increase to 729 from 713, with 1 deletion and 17 additions, while the number of components in the Dow Jones Shenzhen Index will increase to 505 from 484 components, with 21 additions. The Dow Jones Shanghai and Dow Jones Shenzhen indexes represent approximately 95% of the free-float market capitalization of their respective markets.

There will be 25 components replaced in the Dow Jones CBN China 600 Index. The Index reflects roughly 80% of the free-float market capitalization of China's Class-A market.

All changes above are being announced today after the conclusion of a regular periodical review.

While the Dow Jones CBN China 600 Sector Blue-Chip indexes are typically reviewed semiannually in June and December, three changes are being announced this quarter. In the Dow Jones CBN China 600 Travel & Leisure Blue-Chip Index, Beijing Bashi Media Co. Ltd. (Travel & Leisure, 600386.SH) will be removed due to its deletion from the Dow Jones CBN China 600 Index, of which the Dow Jones CBN China 600 Travel & Leisure Index is a subset. The company will be replaced by Science City Development PCL (Travel & Leisure, 000975.SZ). In the Dow Jones CBN China 600 Construction & Materials Blue-Chip Index, Nanjing Xingang High-Tech Co. Ltd. (Construction & Materials, 600064.SH) will be removed due to the company being reclassified from ICB supersector, Construction & Materials to Real Estate. The company will be replaced by Gansu Qilianshan Cement Group Co. Ltd. (Construction & Materials, 600720.SH). In the Dow Jones CBN China 600 Technology Blue-Chip Index, BOE Technology Group Co. Ltd. (Technology, 000725.SZ) will be removed due to the company being reclassified from ICB supersector, Technology to Industrial Goods & Services. The company will be replaced by China Great Wall Computer Shenzhen Co. Ltd. (Technology, 000066.SZ).

The Dow Jones CBN China 600 Sector Blue-Chip Indexes were launched on September 8, 2005 as subset of the Dow Jones CBN China 600 Index.

Further information about the Dow Jones China Indexes is available at http://www.djindexes.com/chinese.

The Dow Jones China Indexes are designed to provide market participants globally with accurate tools for measuring equity performance in China. Float-adjusted shares are used for stock selection and index calculation, in order to accurately reflect shares available to the public. Block holdings of individuals, other companies or governments that exceed 5% of total market value are excluded.

The Dow Jones China 88, Dow Jones Shanghai and Dow Jones Shenzhen indexes were launched on May 28, 1996 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the world's most widely quoted stock market indicator.

Company additions to and deletions from the Dow Jones China Indexes do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the company.

Journalists may e-mail questions regarding this press release to PR-Indexes@dowjones.com

About Dow Jones Indexes

A full-service index provider, Dow Jones Indexes develops, maintains and licenses indexes for use as benchmarks and as the basis of investment products. Best known for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Dow Jones Indexes also maintains its benchmark index series, the Dow Jones Total Stock Market Indexes, which is anchored by the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index and covers more than 12,000 securities in 65 markets. Beyond equity indexes, Dow Jones Indexes maintains a number of alternative indexes, including measures of the hedge fund and commodity markets. Dow Jones indexes are maintained according to clear, unbiased and systematic methodologies that are fully integrated within index families. www.djindexes.com

About Dow Jones

Dow Jones & Company (www.dowjones.com) is a News Corporation company /quotes/comstock/15*!nws/quotes/nls/nws (NWS 16.51, -0.18, -1.08%) /quotes/comstock/15*!nwsa/quotes/nls/nwsa (NWSA 14.03, -0.23, -1.61%) (ASX:NWS) (ASX:NWSLV) (www.newscorp.com). Dow Jones is a leading provider of global business news and information services. Its Consumer Media Group publishes The Wall Street Journal, Barron's and MarketWatch. Its Enterprise Media Group includes Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Factiva, Dow Jones Client Solutions, Dow Jones Indexes and Dow Jones Financial Information Services. Its Local Media Group operates community-based information franchises.

The Dow Jones & Company logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4578

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: Dow Jones Indexes

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A Solid Base - Gustavus Adolphus College News (blog)

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 12:23 PM PST

By Hanna Schutte '11

Stephanie Pearson '92 (photo submitted)

"Gustavus is one of those places that make you feel comfortable with yourself. It gives you a good, solid base so you can go out and explore the world," says Stephanie Pearson, a 1992 English graduate who is now a columnist for Outside magazine. Using this strong base, Pearson has had some amazing journeys as a writer and traveler.

Pearson's travels brought her back to campus in 2009 to talk to current Gusties about her experiences since graduation, as well as some of the aspects of Gustavus that have stuck with her for nearly 20 years.

Like many Gustavus students, Pearson tried several majors before she decided on English. Pearson has worked for a variety of publications, but has found her passion in travel writing. "I've always liked to travel and write, and I was curious, so it seemed to be a natural fit. I wasn't on the paper in college, but I loved magazines like National Geographic and Travel & Leisure. I had a vision of what I wanted to do, but no clue of how I wanted to get there. I just kept trying to figure it out." This spirit of searching for your true calling is prevalent in many ways at Gustavus.

Pearson has many good memories about her Gustavus experience. "I always had fun when I was on campus, but I remember little things like going to the library, getting a cube and just studying (that is, cramming!). I also remember when we took a geology field trip to Carlsbad, N.M. through the Geology Club. We drove from Gustavus there—it was about 20 hours—and camped. It was a lot of fun and very memorable," she says. Pearson also studied abroad in Colombia while she was at Gustavus.

There were a number of professors who inspired Pearson. "I remember Lisa Heldke and her class on racism and sexism—that was very educational," Pearson says. She also recalls former professors Ann Brady and Larry Owen, both in the English department, as inspiring her toward her current endeavors.

Pearson '92 on her recent travels. (photo submitted)

After graduation, Pearson began exploring. "I became a ski-bum. I realized I love mountains, and so I wrote a lot about that," she says. Upon discovering what it was she was zealous about (travel and writing), she decided to combine the two and turn them into her lifelong career.

Pearson's passion for writing and travel has taken her to locations around the world. She has visited Australia, Guatemala, Bhutan, New Zealand, Hollywood, and the Marquesas Islands, just to name a few places, and has had a variety of fascinating and one-of-a-kind experiences.

She counts her recent trip to the Falkland Islands as her favorite. She has written and edited for the magazine Outside and currently writes its "Gear Girl" column. Her next big endeavor will be a trip to Mt. Everest in the spring of 2010. To find out more about Pearson's experiences and read some of her work, visit her blog at www.stephanieannpearson.com.

As for students who are searching for where they would like to go, or what career would suit them best, Pearson's advice is simple. "Follow your passion," she says. "Stay true to yourself, and you can figure out what it is you want to do."

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United Airlines open to mergers: CFO - Reuters

Posted: 23 Feb 2010 07:39 AM PST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - United Airlines (UAUA.O) is open to merging with U.S. or foreign carriers as the industry is "poised for consolidation," the airline's chief financial officer said on Tuesday.

Deals

"UAL has been supportive of consolidation for a long time," CFO Kathryn Mikells said at the Reuters Travel and Leisure Summit in New York. "It is something we will continue to look at."

Mikells declined to comment on whether United's parent company, UAL Inc, was in talks with other carriers, but added that the airline is seeking more alliances, especially in regions such as South America and Brazil.

In 2008, sources told Reuters that United was in talks with Continental Airlines (CAL.N) and U.S. Airways (LCC.N) about a possible merger with either company. Mikells declined to comment on whether those talks had resumed.

She said barriers preventing foreign airlines from entering the U.S. market were blocking global consolidation at a time when airlines needed scale. Current U.S. law restricts foreign ownership of U.S. airlines to 25 percent of voting stock.

"Clearly, outside of the U.S., consolidation is underway," Mikells said. "Not being able to participate in that in a more material way just really positions the U.S. companies detrimentally relative to international carriers.

"We are hopeful as we move into this recovery period ... that folks will focus again on the fact that we need to have the same ability to make changes in our industry as other industries clearly have," she said, referring to sectors such as autos and technology.

INDUSTRY LOSSES

The airline industry has lost $50 billion in the past 10 years, including $11 billion in 2009 alone, according to the International Air Transport Association. The trade group expects the industry to take at least three years to recover from the slump in demand caused by the recession.

Mikells said United was seeking more alliances and was planning to eke out more cost savings from current partnerships, which typically focus on sharing revenue.

"We are now focusing more on the cost side by co-locating at airports, sharing IT systems, doing joint investments in information technology," she said.

When asked if the 2008 merger between Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and Northwest Airlines had made the combined carrier a stronger competitor, Mikells said the market had spoken: Delta's current market capitalization is nearly $10 billion, about twice that of United and Continental Airlines combined.

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Travel and Leisure

Friday, March 12, 2010

“Component Changes Made to Dow Jones China Indexes - MarketWatch (press release)” plus 2 more

“Component Changes Made to Dow Jones China Indexes - MarketWatch (press release)” plus 2 more

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