Barclays Capital Launches Stable Income Market Index

Barclays Capital, publisher of leading broad market benchmarks, today announced the launch of the Stable Income Market Index (SIMI), a new index tailored to the needs of the US Stable Value industry. The SIMI index is intended to serve as a market performance benchmark for the asset portfolio within a Stable Value fund. In keeping with the policy constraints typical for such portfolios, the Index has been designed to have a relatively modest risk profile.

The Index is jointly produced by Barclays Capital Research Index, Portfolio and Risk Solutions group and Quantitative Portfolio Strategy group. The SIMI index is defined as a low-risk blend of asset classes from within the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, focusing on shorter maturities, and providing diversified exposure to debt from the government, credit and securitized sectors.

“The launch of the Stable Income Market Index should help plan sponsors measure the performance of Stable Value asset managers against a benchmark that more fairly reflects the constraints imposed by wrap providers,” said Lev Dynkin, Head of Quantitative Portfolio Strategy. “The SIMI index was developed by Barclays Capital Research at the request of, and in close consultation with, Stable Value market participants, including pension funds, asset managers, insurance companies and banks that provide insurance wraps for Stable Value funds to protect them from significant drops in market value versus book value.”

The newly launched SIMI index will be published with monthly history dating back to July 1999. Stable Income Market Index data can be accessed on Barclays Capital Live and on Bloomberg®.

About Barclays Capital Index, Portfolio and Risk Solutions

The Barclays Capital Indices platform offers market-leading benchmarks and other index products to meet the diverse needs of global investors including investment and market analysis of both alpha and beta sources, portfolio benchmarking and performance measurement, asset allocation, and the creation of index tracking funds and index-based structured products.

About Barclays Capital

Barclays Capital is the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC. With a distinctive business model, Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients with a full spectrum of solutions to their strategic advisory, financing and risk management needs. Barclays Capital has offices around the world, employs over 25,000 people and has the global reach, advisory services and distribution power to meet the needs of issuers and investors worldwide. For further information about Barclays Capital, please visit our website www.barclayscapital.com.