Russell Global Index Set To Have More US, Emerging Mkts

The Russell Global Index will have an increased U.S. presence when it is reconstituted in two weeks, with the country set to have a net 121 additions in the index of more than 10,000 stocks.

Meanwhile, emerging markets will also add to their lots as other developed countries - led by the U.K. - will have a smaller presence in the global index, said Russell Investments.

"The bottom line is that emerging market nations are becoming more developed," said Rob Balkema, portfolio analyst for Russell Investments. "A decade ago, countries like South Korea, Israel, Taiwan and China were a far cry from how they operate today, and growth projections for the larger emerging nations like China are quite high for the next 25 years."

The final list of what companies will be part of Russell's various stock indexes won't be finalized until after trading ends June 26. But on a preliminary basis, the U.S. is set to be followed on the net-additions list for the Russell Global Index by Israel at 57, Taiwan with 37 and South Korea at 25. China is lower on the preliminary list with 19.

Among those set for deletion, the U.K. leads the way with 59, with Canada next at 42, Australia with 41 and Japan at 38. "Japan in particular is an export economy and as global growth has slowed dramatically over the past year and exports have decreased, such markets have become a smaller slice of the global pie," said Balkema.

Five countries which had been part of the index won't be eligible in the coming year because of risk scores or they have no securities that qualify for membership this year. Pakistan currently has 35 companies in the Global Index. Ukraine, Vietnam, Latvia and Slovakia are also set to lose a presence in the index.

The U.S. portion of the Global Index, known as the Russell 3000, is set to have 276 additions and 155 deletions. Among the preliminary additions include truck maker Navistar Inc. (NAV) while impending deletions include struggling media companies A.H. Belo Corp. (AHC) and McClatchy Co. (MNI).

-By Kevin Kingsbury, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2136; [e-mail]