SPDR SM DJ Wilshire International Real Estate ETF Assets Reach $500 Million in Three Months

BOSTON - State Street Global Advisors, the investment management arm of State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT), reports that assets in the SPDR SM DJ Wilshire International Real Estate ETF (AMEX: RWX) have reached $500 million. It is the first ETF to provide investors with access to global real estate securities publicly-traded outside the US.

“A number of catalysts appear to be driving investor demand for international real estate exposure, including a very low correlation to the broader US and international equity markets,” said James Ross, senior managing director of SSgA. “The significant inflows into the SPDR DJ Wilshire International Real Estate RWX ETF indicate that investors have quickly embraced this offering as a vehicle to gain more precise exposure to the global markets.”

Launched on December 19, 2006, the SPDR SM DJ Wilshire International Real Estate ETF has emerged as the fastest growing ETF listed in the US during the past six months. As of March 7, assets under management in the fund totaled approximately $500 million.**

“As investors increasingly look toward real estate securities globally to diversify their equity portfolios, they require more sophisticated risk measurement tools to benchmark their returns,” said Michael A. Petronella, president of Dow Jones Indexes/Ventures. “The Dow Jones Wilshire Global Real Estate Indexes were launched in 2006 to meet this demand, particularly as more institutional and individual investors seek exposure to REITs and real estate operating companies outside the US.”