CRDN Ceradyne, Inc. (MM)

Standard & Poor's Announces Change to U.S. Index NEW YORK, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ceradyne Inc. (NASDAQ:CRDN) will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on Tuesday, December 7. Ceradyne will take the place of InVision Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:INVN), which is being removed from the Index after this evening's market close. InVision Technologies is being acquired by S&P 500 constituent General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE) Standard & Poor's will monitor this transaction, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/. Ceradyne produces technical ceramic products and components for industrial, defense, consumer, electronic and microwave communications applications. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Aerospace & Defense Sub-Industry Index. Following is a summary of the change: S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - December 6, 2004 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTORGICS SUB-INDUSTRY DELETED InVision Technologies Industrials Aerospace & Defense S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - December 7, 2004 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTORGICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Ceradyne Industrials Aerospace & Defense Additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the companies concerned. About Standard & Poor's Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research, data and valuations. With 6,000 employees in 21 countries, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure, and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/. Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/. DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's CONTACT: David M. Blitzer, Ph.D. Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee (212) 438-3907 Web site: http://www.standardandpoors.com/ http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/

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