SEATTLE, WA -- (Marketwire) -- 09/21/12 -- The fifty largest U.S. stocks based on market capitalization, as reflected by the Russell Top 50® Mega Cap Index, outperformed major U.S. and international equity indexes for the year and year-to-date ended September 19th.

• The Index outperformed the U.S. large-cap Russell 1000® Index by more than 3% and more than 6% for the year-to-date and one year time periods, respectively, as of September 19th.
• The Index outperformed the U.S. small-cap Russell 2000® Index by more than 4% and more than 7% for the year-to-date and one year time periods, respectively as of September 19th.
• The Index also outperformed European and Asian equities as represented by the Russell Developed Europe and Russell Asia-Pacific Indexes, respectively, for the year-to-date and one year time periods as of September 19th.
• Interestingly, European equities as represented by the Russell Developed Europe Index have demonstrated very strong performance in recent months relative to other global markets, with a +13.18% return for the third quarter as of September 19th.

"In a market environment where low visibility, policy uncertainty and fear weigh on the markets globally, U.S. mega cap stocks appear to have been sought after for their relative liquidity, transparency, quality of earnings and strong balance sheets," said Russell Investments chief markets strategist Stephen Wood.

                         Russell Indexes Performance

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                                   3Q 2012 as of  2012 YTD As   One Year as
Russell Index                         9/19/12      Of 9/19/12    of 9/19/12
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Russell Top 50® Mega Cap Index         8.61%         21.29%        28.68%
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Russell Top 200® Index                 7.90%         18.64%        23.86%
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Russell 1000® Index                    7.85%         17.96%        22.30%
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Russell 2000® Index                    7.51%         16.68%        21.62%
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Russell Developed Europe Index         13.18%        17.08%        17.03%
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Russell Asia-Pacific Index             6.79%         11.70%        5.59%
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Source: Russell Investments

About the Russell Top 50® Mega Cap Index

The Russell Top 50® Mega Cap Index measures the performance of the largest companies in the Russell 3000® Index. It includes approximately 50 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership and represents approximately 40% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000. The Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive unbiased and stable barometer of the largest U.S. companies. The Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure that new and growing equities are reflected.

The Russell Global Index includes more than 10,000 securities in 48 countries and covers 98% of the investable global market. All securities in the index are classified according to size, region, country and sector. Daily Returns for the main components are available here: http://www.russell.com/indexes/data/daily_total_returns_global.asp

Disclaimer: http://www.russell.com/indexes/about/index_alerts.asp#disclaimer