Boston-based exchange-traded fund giant State Street Global Advisors launched its latest ETF Thursday. The SPDR S&P Russia ETF is offered at 59 basis points and tracks the performance of the S&P BMI Russia Capped Index, according to the SEC filing. The fund is managed by State Street managing directors Lynn Blake and John Tucker.

The fund brings the company's emerging market ETF line-up to eight funds. SSgA manages more than $2.4 billion emerging market ETF assets, as of March 5, 2010. The company has a total of $168 billion AUM, as of December 31, 2009.

"The driving force behind the development of this new emerging market SPDR ETF was increasing investor demand for more precise exposure to the BRIC countries," said Anthony Rochte, senior managing director at SSgA, in a release.

Company Press Release

State Street Global Advisors (SSgA), the investment management business of State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT), today announced that the SPDR � S&P � Russia ETF (Symbol: RBL) began trading on the NYSE Arca on March 11, 2010. Its annual expense ratio is 0.59 percent.

Designed to provide investors with access to companies domiciled in Russia. Russia is the world�s largest producer of natural gas and oil, and the SPDR S&P Russia ETF seeks to track the performance of the S&P BMI Russia Capped Index. The Index includes companies domiciled in Russia with a float-adjusted market cap of $100 million or more and a minimum value traded of $50 million for the last 12 months at the time of annual reconstitution. As of February 26, 2010, the Index included 72 stocks.

�The launch of the SPDR S&P Russia ETF provides investors and investment professionals with diversified, convenient access to a country poised for potential growth as the global economy recovers,� said Anthony Rochte, senior managing director at State Street Global Advisors. �The driving force behind the development of this new emerging market SPDR ETF was increasing investor demand for more precise exposure to the BRIC countries.�

The BRIC economies, which encompass more than 25 percent of the world�s land mass and 40 percent of the world�s population, have posted strong growth in recent years. According to MSCI, BRIC equities have returned 26 percent per annum versus 18 percent for the standard emerging markets index over the last seven years ending November 30, 2009.

The SPDR S&P Russia ETF enhances State Street�s growing family of emerging markets SPDRs. As of March 5, 2010, State Street Global Advisors managed more than $ 2.4 billion in 8 emerging markets ETFs.

State Street Global Advisors is one of the largest ETF providers globally with assets under management for SPDR ETFs : totaling more than $204 billion as of December 31, 2009.

About State Street Global Advisors

State Street Global Advisors, the investment management business of State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT), delivers investment strategies and integrated solutions to clients worldwide across every asset class, investment approach and style. With $1.9 trillion in assets under management at December 31, 2009, State Street Global Advisors has investment centers in Boston, Hong Kong, London, Montreal, Munich, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Zurich, and offices in 26 cities worldwide. For more information, visit State Street Global Advisors at www.ssga.com

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