NASDAQ OMX AeA Illinois Tech Index Outperforms Market

Illinois Technology Index Shows Stronger Performance in Turbulent Economy

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ — AeA, the nation’s largest high-tech trade association representing all segments of the high-tech industry, announced today that the NASDAQ OMX AeA Illinois Tech Index (Nasdaq: ILTI) outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.INDU), S&P 500, and NASDAQ Composite Index(R) (COMP) since its inception in 2008.

On May 19, 2008, AeA and The NASDAQ Stock Market, a subsidiary of the NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc, officially unveiled the NASDAQ OMX AeA Illinois Tech Index, the first state-wide public technology index in the US, developed to promote Illinois’ leading technology companies and outstanding technology resources. The index is a public-private partnership supported by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Grant Thornton LLP, Baker & McKenzie, and the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) and tracks all public companies headquartered in Illinois from major sectors including high tech manufacturing, information technology, biotech, alternative fuels, and life sciences.

The NASDAQ OMX AeA Illinois Tech Index is a market capitalization-weighted index that began with a base value of 1000.00. As of December 31, 2008, the index value decreased in value to 728.92, a net change of -27.11%, and outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.INDU), S&P 500, and NASDAQ Composite Index (COMP).

    NASDAQ OMX AeA Illinois Tech Index (ILTI)  728.92, net change of -27.11%
    Dow Jones Industrial Average (.INDU)     8,776.39, net change of -32.42%
    S&P 500 (SPX)                              903.25, net change of -36.63%
    NASDAQ Composite Index (COMP)            1,577.03, net change of -37.64%

As of December 31, 2008, there were fifty-eight companies listed on the Illinois Technology Index with a combined market value of more than $221 billion. There were several constituent deletions in 2008 due to mergers and acquisitions. Significant events included the acquisition of Eagle Test Systems, Inc. by Teradyne, Inc., the acquisition of NAVTEQ Corporation by Nokia Corporation, and acquisition of APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. by Fresenius SE. There were no additions to the index in 2008.

The top ten index constituents include Abbott Laboratories 37.40%, Baxter International Inc. 15.01%, Boeing Company (The) 14.12%, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company 8.35%, Illinois Tool Works Inc. 8.09%, Motorola, Inc. 4.53%, Hospira Inc. 1.93%, United States Cellular Corporation 1.06%, IDEX Corporation 0.90%, and Telephone & Data Systems Inc. .76%.

The Illinois Technology Index is calculated during the trading day and is disseminated every 15 seconds from 09:30:15 to 17:16:00 ET. For a live quote, or for more information on the index, visit: http://www.aeanet.org/illinoistechindex.

About AeA

AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association representing all segments of the high-tech industry, is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels, providing access to capital and business opportunities, and offering select business services and networking programs. For more information, please visit www.aeanet.org. AeA merged with the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) as of January 1, 2009.

About the NASDAQ OMX Group

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is the world’s largest exchange company. It delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents, with over 3,900 listed companies. NASDAQ OMX Group offers multiple capital raising solutions to companies around the globe, including its U.S. listings market; NASDAQ OMX Nordic, NASDAQ OMX Baltic, including First North; and the U.S. 144A sector. The company offers trading across multiple asset classes including equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products and ETFs. NASDAQ OMX Group technology supports the operations of over 70 exchanges, clearing organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50 countries. NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic are not legal entities but describe the common offering from NASDAQ OMX Group exchanges in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. For more information about NASDAQ OMX, visit http://www.nasdaqomx.com.

SOURCE AeA