The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. today announced the appointment of Jeff Singer as senior vp and head of Nasdaq Internationa, and Eric Bernbach as vp of the eastern region of the United States.

Both roles will be based in New York and report to Bruce Aust, executive vp and head of the corporate client group of The Nasdaq Stock Market.

Singer will be responsible for Nasdaq’s global business development with a primary role of managing international relationships with companies outside the Americas. Nasdaq currently has 342 companies headquartered outside the U.S., with a combined global market cap of US$859 billion. Singer will also spearhead the international sales efforts for The Portal Alliance, a U.S. institutional market for securities not registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Portal Alliance includes approximately 750 securities of which more than 50% are from non-U.S. issuers with strong representation from Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC).

Bernbach assumes Singer’s previous role. His responsibility will be maintaining Nasdaq’s relationships with over 1,152 Nasdaq-listed companies on the East Coast of the United States, with a combined market cap of US$760 billion. He will lead a team of directors responsible for attracting new business and client retention.

Separartely, Nasdaq announced it has launched the Nasdaq internet index. The index is a new benchmark designed to track the performance of companies engaged in a broad range of internet-related services including internet access providers, internet search engines, web hosting, website design, and internet retail commerce.

The new index is comprised of securities of companies that are at the forefront of internet technology. They are leading innovators in providing faster internet access, creating more intuitive e-commerce experiences, and developing the second generation Web.

“The Nasdaq internet index contains some of the most exciting internet companies traded on Nasdaq and other U.S. exchanges,” said Nasdaq senior vp Steven Bloom. “Given the strength of Nasdaq’s brand association with innovation and its market share of internet company listings, it is logical for Nasdaq to extend investment opportunities through a new benchmark for this dynamic, evolving sector.”

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