Who publishes the S&P 500 Index and what does the S&P 500 Index measure?
The S&P 500 Index is published by Standard & Poors, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and is intended to provide an indication of the pattern of common stock price movement. The value of the S&P 500 Index is based on the relative value of the aggregate market value of the common stocks of 500 companies as of a particular time compared to the common stock population of the NYSE, which Standard & Poors uses as an assumed model for the composition of the total market. The purchase of a MEPA Agreement does not entitle you to any ownership interest in the stocks of the companies included in the S&P 500 Index, which is the aggregate average market value of the common stocks of 500 similar companies during the base period of the years 1941 through 1943. The market value for the common stock of a company is the product of the market price per share of the common stock and the number of outstanding shares of common stock. Standard & Poors chooses companies for inclusion in the S&P
