MORN Morningstar Inc

TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2011 /CNW/ - Morningstar, Inc. , a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced that First Asset Investment Management of Canada has licensed seven Morningstar Indexes to serve as benchmarks for equity, fixed income, and managed futures exchange-traded funds (ETFs). First Asset expects to launch the ETFs on the Toronto Stock Exchange in early 2012. MOR "We are pleased that First Asset has licensed our indexes for its new exchange-traded funds," said Sanjay Arya, senior vice president of Morningstar Indexes. "The use of passive products in portfolio construction continues to evolve, and investors are increasingly seeking rules-based strategies that can harness market anomalies. Morningstar indexes draw on the wide range of investment research from across the company to deliver portfolio building blocks for investors to create diversified portfolios." Equity Indexes Four indexes based on the highly regarded investment research of CPMS, which a Morningstar subsidiary acquired in 2009. Through CPMS, institutions access quantitative North American equity research and portfolio analysis on more than 700 Canadian and 2,200 U.S. stocks. -- Morningstar® Canada Momentum IndexSM -- Morningstar® Canada Dividend Income IndexSM -- Morningstar® Canada Value IndexSM -- Morningstar® US Dividend Target 50 IndexSM Fixed Income Indexes Two broadly diversified, highly liquid bond indexes with exposure to Canadian and emerging market bonds. -- Morningstar® Canada Liquid Bond IndexSM -- Morningstar® Emerging Market Composite Bond IndexSM Alternative Index A fully collateralized futures index with diversified exposure to global markets through highly liquid exchange-listed futures contracts in commodities, currencies, and equities. -- Morningstar® Diversified Futures IndexSM "We are extremely pleased to be able to leverage Morningstar Indexes to develop new solutions for the Canadian ETF marketplace. The Morningstar indexes fit perfectly with First Asset and its subsidiary XTF Capital's goal of delivering better risk-adjusted investment solutions to Canadian investors," said Barry Gordon, president and CEO of First Asset. "Canadian investment advisors and investors are sophisticated and require alternatives and complements to the market returns provided by traditional indexes. Offering these Morningstar indexes as ETFs allows us to address that need, and furthers our objective of providing the next dimension of ETFs to Canadians." Morningstar originates more than 200 indexes that track a broad range of asset classes, including global equities, fixed income, and commodities. These combine to form an asset allocation index series. Currently, 29 ETFs and one ETN track Morningstar Indexes. For more information about all of Morningstar's indexes, visit http://indexes.morningstar.com. About Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on approximately 330,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 5 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its registered investment advisor subsidiaries and has more than $167 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2011. The company has operations in 26 countries. About First Asset and XTF Capital Founded in 1996, First Asset is a Canadian investment management company that manages and administers approximately $2.5 billion in assets as of November 30, 2011. First Asset offers a diverse range of investment products including exchange-listed investment funds, mutual funds, and ETFs covering a variety of domestic and global mandates. XTF Capital is an affiliate of First Asset. XTF Capital's ETFs offer investment strategies that strive for superior risk-adjusted returns on a low-cost basis. The First Asset ETFs will not be sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by Morningstar, and Morningstar makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in them. Morningstar Research Inc. CONTACT: Media Contacts:Alexa Auerbach, 312-696-6481 or alexa.auerbach@morningstar.com

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