American Stock Exchange Lists First Trust Morningstar(R) Dividend Leaders Index Fund

NEW YORK, March 15  /PRNewswire/ -- The American Stock Exchange(R) (Amex(R)) announced today the launch of an exchange traded fund (ETF) by First Trust Advisors L.P. (First Trust), based on the Morningstar(R) Dividend Leaders Index (Index).

The Fund seeks to match the performance of the Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index and will trade under the symbol FDL. This is First Trust's second ETF listing on the Amex.

The Index consists of the top 100 dividend yielding stocks that are listed on U.S. securities exchanges selected through the application of Morningstar's proprietary multi-step screening process. The objective of the Index is to offer investors a benchmark for dividend portfolios as well as a means to invest in a portfolio of stocks that have a consistent record of growing dividends as well as the ability to sustain them.

"We are very excited to welcome First Trust back to the Amex for another innovative ETF listing," said Cliff Weber, Senior Vice President of the ETF Marketplace at the Amex. "We also are pleased to work with Morningstar for the first time.  The Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index and the First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund provide a new and different approach to investing in dividend oriented securities."

"We believe financial advisors and their clients will find the First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund to be a convenient and attractive way to participate in this segment of the market," said Scott Hall, managing director at First Trust. "The underlying index is a departure from the typical 'just deliver dividend' approach to many current dividend funds. That is, Morningstar has developed a set of screens looking not only for those stocks with high dividend yield, but also dividend consistency and sustainability."

Mr. Hall added: "We're delighted to have such tremendous strategic partners in Morningstar, Goldman Sachs, The Bank of New York, and the American Stock Exchange in the launch of our second ETF."

The Index is unique because the stocks are weighted in proportion to the dividends available to investors. Both the amount of the dividend paid by a company and the size of the company are given due importance. To be included in the Index, stocks must have a consistent history of dividend payments.

In addition, Morningstar applies a sustainability screen that considers forward-looking measures and favors companies that are expected to have sufficient earnings to cover future dividends.

About the American Stock Exchange

The American Stock Exchange(R) (Amex(R)) is the only primary listing exchange that offers trading across a full range of equities, options, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and structured products, including HOLDRS(SM). The Amex pioneered the ETF, and is responsible for bringing the first domestic product to market in 1993. Leading the industry in ETF listings, the Amex, to date, lists 161 ETFs. The Amex also lists and trades options on broad-based and sector indexes as well as domestic and foreign stocks.

About First Trust Advisors L.P.

First Trust Advisors L.P., a registered investment adviser, is an Illinois limited partnership formed in 1991. First Trust Portfolios L.P., the largest independent unit investment trust sponsor in North America (by sales), is an affiliate of First Trust Advisors. First Trust Advisors serves as an investment adviser to separately managed accounts, insurance companies, profit-sharing plans, and charitable foundations and endowments. First Trust Advisors currently manages or supervises approximately $20 billion in assets as of 6/30/05. You should consider the Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. Call 800-621-1675 to request a prospectus, which contains this and other information abut the Fund. Read it carefully before you invest or send money. Like all investment company securities, the shares of the Fund are not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency, are not issued or guaranteed by any bank, and may lose value. 

DATASOURCE: American Stock Exchange



CONTACT:   Kelsey Hubbard, American Stock Exchange, [phone],

 



Web site:  http://www.amex.com/ 

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