Facebook Added to NASDAQ Q-50, Prelude to NASDAQ-100 Index Addition (FB, CNQR, GRPN, ONXX, RGLD, WDC, MELI, SINA)

The NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ) has announced its changes in the quarterly reranking of the NASDAQ Q-50 Index, and the effects will take place prior to market open on Monday, September 24, 2012. The index is designed to track the performance of the 50 securities that are next in line to replace the securities currently included in the NASDAQ-100 Index. The big news is that Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is being added to the list, and there is little doubt that Facebook will be added to the NASDAQ-100 at the next rebalance. The other companies being added to the index are as follows:

• Concur Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: CNQR)
• Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN)
• Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: MLNX)
• NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI)
• ONYX Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX)
• Royal Gold Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD)
• tw telecom inc. (NASDAQ: TWTC)
• Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC).

The following stocks are being removed from the list:

• Atmel Corp. (NASDAQ: ATML)
• Endo Health Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: ENDP)
• Informatica Corp. (NASDAQ: INFA)
• Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LECO)
• MercadoLibre Inc. (NASDAQ: MELI)
• ON Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: ONNN)
• Patterson Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: PDCO)
• Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: RYAAY)
• Sina Corp. (NASDAQ: SINA).

JON C. OGG