Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited (“Hang Seng Indexes”) on August 3 announced that it will expand the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index Series by adding two new benchmark indexes: the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Benchmark Index (HSSUSB) and the Hang Seng (China A) Corporate Sustainability Benchmark Index (HSCASUSB).
The new indexes are designed to enlarge the constituent base of the index series to include more Mid-Cap and Small-Cap companies that have strong sustainability performance. The existing three tradable indexes will continue to facilitate investable product development.
The two new benchmark indexes will have a varying number of constituents, including the top ESG-rated Hong Kong-listed companies selected from within the Hang Seng Composite Index and Mainland-listed companies selected from among the top 300 A-share companies in terms of market capitalization. In total, the HSSUSB and the HSCASUSB indexes will contain around 70 and 30 companies, respectively. The current number of constituents of the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index and the Hang Seng (China A) Corporate Sustainability Index is 30 and 15, respectively.
The Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index Series is reviewed yearly. The results of the first review of tradable indexes and constituents of the new benchmark indexes will be announced on 12 August 2011. All changes will take effect and the new benchmark indexes will be launched on 5 September 2011.
Vincent Kwan, Director and General Manager of Hang Seng Indexes, said, “The index series has been well received by the public since its launch in July 2010. We have also granted a license to Hang Seng Investment Management Limited to launch a new fund which will track the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index. This demonstrates the investment community’s demand for these indexes, which in turn helps drive socially responsible investment. We are delighted to provide the market a larger number of indexes and to increase the size of the pool of sustainable stocks within the indexes.”
The tradable indexes are calculated and disseminated real-time every 15-seconds, while the benchmark indexes are daily indexes released after market close.
About Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited
The Hang Seng Family of Indexes is managed and compiled by Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited (formerly HSI Services Limited), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hang Seng Bank. The Hang Seng Family of Indexes comprises a wide range of Flagship, Benchmark, Thematic and Strategy indexes that cover stocks listed in Hong Kong and mainland China markets. For further information on the Hang Seng Family of Indexes, please visit the company’s website at www.hsi.com.hk.
About Heng Seng Corporate Sustainability Index Series
The Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index Series with three tradable indexes were launched on 26 July 2010. The index series will expand with two benchmark indexes on 5 September 2011. Constituent selection is based on a robust process that includes consideration of the results from a Corporate Sustainability Rating Assessment undertaken by RepuTex, an independent analytics and advisory firm, using its proprietary Sustainability Rating framework.
Source: Hang Seng Indexes.
