Standard & Poor's Announces Changes to U.S. Indices

NEW YORK, Aug. 28  /PRNewswire/ -- S&P will make the following changes to the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 Indices:

  --  S&P MidCap 400 constituent Airgas Inc. (NYSE:ARG) will replace Cooper
      Industries Ltd. (NYSE:CBE) in the S&P 500, S&P SmallCap 600
      constituent Kirby Corp. (NYSE:KEX) will replace Airgas in the S&P
      MidCap 400, and Exponent Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) will replace Kirby in the
      S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on Tuesday, September 8.
      Cooper Industries is in the process of redomesticating to Ireland,
      rendering it ineligible for continued inclusion in the S&P 500.


  --  Encore Wire Corp. (NASDAQ:WIRE) will replace Axsys Technologies Inc.
      (NASDAQ:AXYS) in the S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on a
      date to be announced. S&P 100 & 500 constituent General Dynamics Inc.
      (NYSE:GD) is acquiring Axsys in a transaction expected to close soon
      pending final approvals.



Standard & Poor's will monitor these transactions, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/.

Airgas Inc. is a distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases and related equipment. Headquartered in Radnor, PA, the company will be added to the S&P 500 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Industrial Gases Sub-Industry index.

Kirby Corp. is a marine transportation and diesel engine services company. Headquartered in Houston, TX, the company will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 GICS Marine Sub-Industry index.

Exponent Inc. is a science and engineering consulting firm. Headquartered in Menlo Park, CA, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Research & Consulting Services Sub-Industry index.

Encore Wire manufactures copper electrical building wire and cable. Headquartered in McKinney, TX, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Electrical Components & Equipment Sub-Industry index.

  Following is a summary of the changes:



                      S&P 500 INDEX -  September 8, 2009
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                COMPANY      GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR     GICS SUB-INDUSTRY
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ADDED         Airgas            Materials            Industrial Gases
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  DELETED       Cooper           Industrials         Electrical Components &
                Industries                                 Equipment
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------



                   S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX -  September 8, 2009
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                COMPANY      GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR     GICS SUB-INDUSTRY
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ADDED         Kirby            Industrials                Marine
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  DELETED       Airgas            Materials              Industrial Gases
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------



                  S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX -  September 8, 2009
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                COMPANY      GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR     GICS SUB-INDUSTRY
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ADDED         Exponent         Industrials          Research & Consulting
                                                           Services
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  DELETED       Kirby            Industrials                Marine
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------



                         S&P  SMALLCAP 600 INDEX  -  TBA
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                COMPANY      GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR     GICS SUB-INDUSTRY
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ADDED         Encore Wire      Industrials        Electrical Components &
                                                            Equipment
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  DELETED       Axsys            Industrials        Aerospace & Defense
                Technologies
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------


  About Standard & Poor's Index Services


Standard & Poor's Index Services, the world's leading index provider, maintains a wide variety of investable and benchmark indices to meet an array of investor needs. Over $1 trillion is directly indexed to Standard & Poor's family of indices, which includes the S&P 500, the world's most followed stock market index, the S&P Global 1200, a composite index comprised of seven regional and country headline indices, the S&P Global BMI, an index with approximately 11,000 constituents, and the S&P GSCI, the industry's most closely watched commodities index.  For more information, please visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/indices.

About Standard & Poor's

Standard & Poor's, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With offices in 23 countries and markets, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for nearly 150 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/.

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DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's



CONTACT:  David M. Blitzer, Ph.D., Managing Director & Chairman of the

Index Committee, Standard & Poor's [phone]



Web Site:  http://www.standardandpoors.com/ 

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