DXS Most recent trade: $2255.268 Today's Change: 0.00
PPA Most recent trade: $19.83 Today's Change: +0.3138

ETF AVAILABLE THROUGH POWERSHARES (NYSE: PPA)


Benchmark Index: SPADE Defense Index (NYSEarca: DXS)
Exchange Traded Fund: Powershares Aerospace & Defense Portfolio ETF (NYSE: PPA)
Morningstar 5-Star Rated (Large Growth, 3 Year)

About the SPADE Defense Index
The SPADEฎ Defense Index (NYSEarca: DXS) is a modified capitalization-weighted index comprised of publicly traded companies that benchmarks the performance of companies involved with defense, homeland security, and space. The Index is composed of more than 50 firms with representative business activities including: naval vessels, military aircraft, missiles and munitions, battlespace awareness, C4ISR, network centric warfare, homeland security including border security and biometric and screening systems, and space systems.

Index values are distributed by the NYSEarca under the ticker 'DXS'. The Powershares Aerospace & Defense Portfolio ETF, designed to track the SPADE Defense Index, trades under the ticker 'PPA'. Historical data for the Index is available from 30 December 1997. The ETF was launched on 26 October 2005.

About the Market
The Defense and Homeland Security market represents nearly 5% of U.S. GDP and includes a number of the world's leading industrial firms as well as those developing the next generation of cutting-edge technologies.

The sector's performance over the past decade has been driven by a global increase in spending by governments for defense and security -- now totaling more than $1 Trillion annually; supplemental budgets in the United States to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and to reset the military after we depart these regions; and the acquisition of commercial aircraft designed to fly with increased fuel efficiencies.

A Decade of Performance
• The sector continues to present opportunities to investors with a strong track record that shows outperformance of the broader market over the past 15 years.

• The Powershares Aerospace & Defense ETF (PPA), which tracks the Index, is highly liquid.

Latest Information

• Download the February 2012 Newsletter (pdf)

• Download the January 2012 Newsletter (pdf)

• December Quarterly Rebalance: Elbit Systems (ESLT) was removed when its trading volume fell below required levels. Hexcel (HXL) was added.

• Force Protection (FRPT) was removed from the index following the completion of its acquisition by General Dynamics -- 19 December 2011

• Download the December 2011 Newsletter (pdf)

• ITT Exelis (NYSE: XLS), the defense group replaced ITT after the company split into three firms on 1 November 2011


• Download the November 2011 Newsletter (pdf)

• Download the October 2011 Newsletter (pdf)

• September Quarterly Rebalance: Huntington Ingalls (NYSE: HII) was added.

• Download the September 2011 Newsletter (pdf)

• 22 August 2011 - The acquisition of EMS Technologies was completed by Honeywell (NYSE: HON) and was removed from the index.
• Download the August 2011 Newsletter (pdf)

• 27 July 11 - The acquisition of two index constituents closed. Kratos (KTOS) completed it acquisition of Integral Systems (ISYS) and Safran of France completed its acquisition of L1 Identity (ID). • Download the July 2011 Newsletter (pdf)

• 20 June 11 - Providence Equity Partners completed its acquisition of SRA International (SRX)
• June Quarterly Rebalance: Heico (NYSE: HEI) was added.
• Download the June 2011 Newsletter (pdf)
• 9 May 11 - Ladish Corporation was removed from the index after its acquisition by Alleghany closed.
• Download the May 2011 Newsletter (pdf)

• Download the April 2011 Newsletter (pdf)
• March 2011 Quarterly Rebalance: CPI International (CPII) and Applied Signal (APSG) were removed from the index during the quarter when the acquisition of their firms closed.
• Download the March 2011 Newsletter (pdf)
• Download the February 2011 Newsletter (pdf)
• Download the January 2011 Newsletter (pdf)
•December Quarterly Rebalance: Booz Allen (NYSE: BAH) and KEYW Holdings (NASDAQ: KEYW) were added. VSE Corporation (NASDAQ: VSEC) was removed when the stock no longer met the liquidity requirements governing the index. The following companies were removed when their acquisitions closed: Cogent (NASDAQ; COGT), and ICX Technologies (NASDAQ: ICXT)

• Download the December 2010 Newsletter (pdf)
• Download the November 2010 Newsletter (pdf)
• Download the October 2010 Newsletter (pdf)

•September 2010 Quarterly Rebalance: Transdigm (NYSE: TDG), LMI Aerospace (NASDAQ: LMIA), and CPI International (NASDAQ: CPII) were added. The following companies were removed when their acquisitions closed: Dyncorp (NYSE: DCP), Argon ST (NASDAQ: STST), and Stanley (NYSE: SXE)