ATLANTA & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE), a leading operator of global exchanges and clearing houses and provider of data and listings services, today announced that ICE Data Services has been selected as the new benchmark provider for BlackRock’s iShares® U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFF), which currently represents $14.7 billion in assets under management¹.

This follows a successful transition in August 2018 of four iShares corporate bond ETFs, which had a combined $19 billion in assets under management, to indices compiled by ICE Data Services. The iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFF) provides exposure to U.S. preferred stocks, which have characteristics of both bonds and stocks, and provide income competitive with high yield bonds.

Effective January 31, 2019, the fund will be benchmarked to the ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Transition Index and following a nine-month transition period it will be benchmarked to the ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index. These indexes are part of ICE Data Indices, a comprehensive family of more than 5,000 global fixed income, equity, commodity and currency indexes that leverage ICE Data Services’ pricing, reference data and analytics solutions.

“ICE has invested significant resources to build high-quality data and analytics capabilities, particularly around index design and calculation services,” said Heather Brownlie, Head of U.S. iShares Fixed Income at BlackRock. “We’re pleased to partner with them to position our preferred stock ETF for the future.”

“The iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF is a premier fund serving the investment community, and we’re thrilled to have been chosen as the index provider,” said Lynn Martin, President and Chief Operating Officer of ICE Data Services. “The selection of our indices showcases our ability to manage exposure across asset classes. This capability uniquely positions us to offer a wide range of customized solutions which support all aspects of the benchmarking and performance measurement process to an increasing customer base.”

ICE Data Services’ multi-asset class index solution provides benchmark and bespoke indices on an integrated platform that drives efficient workflows across asset management, benchmarking and reporting.

1. As of November 27, 2018

About Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) is a Fortune 500 and Fortune Future 50 company formed in the year 2000 to modernize markets. ICE serves customers by operating the exchanges, clearing houses and information services they rely upon to invest, trade and manage risk across global financial and commodity markets. A leader in market data, ICE Data Services serves the information and connectivity needs across virtually all asset classes. As the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, the company raises more capital than any other exchange in the world, driving economic growth and transforming markets.

Trademarks of ICE and/or its affiliates include Intercontinental Exchange, ICE, ICE block design, NYSE and New York Stock Exchange. Information regarding additional trademarks and intellectual property rights of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. and/or its affiliates is located at http://www.intercontinentalexchange.com/terms-of-use. Key Information Documents for certain products covered by the EU Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products Regulation can be accessed on the relevant exchange website under the heading “Key information Documents (KIDS)”.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 -- Statements in this press release regarding ICE's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see ICE's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors in ICE's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, as filed with the SEC on February 7, 2018.

SOURCE: Intercontinental Exchange
ICE-CORP

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ICE Media Contact:
Damon Leavell
+1 212 323 8587
damon.leavell@theice.com
media@theice.com

ICE Investor Relations Contact:
Warren Gardiner
+1 770 835 0114
warren.gardiner@theice.com
investors@theice.com

Source: Intercontinental Exchange