Northern Trust Liquidates ETFs Traded On NYSE Arca

After consultation with Northern Trust Investments, N.A., the investment advisor to the 17 funds, The Northern Exchange Traded Shares (NETS) Board of Trustees' decided to quit ETF business. By 31 December 2008 17 funds had approximately $33 million in assets.

By None

After consultation with Northern Trust Investments, N.A., the investment advisor to the 17 funds, The Northern Exchange Traded Shares (NETS) Board of Trustees’ decided to quit ETF business.

By 31 December 2008 17 funds had approximately $33 million in assets. The Funds were launched in 2008 and are designed to track international, single-country benchmarks. The decision is explained by Funds’ inability to attract significant market interest since their inception.

The board determined that it was advisable and in the best interests of the Funds and their shareholders to liquidate the Funds, which are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc.

Monday, 9 February 2009, is scheduled to be the last day of trading for the shares of the Funds on NYSE Arca. Any person holding shares in the Funds after the delisting date will receive a cash distribution equal to the net asset value of their shares as determined on 20 February, the date of liquidation pursuant to the Funds’ valuation policies.

Shareholders receiving this cash distribution will not incur transaction fees in connection with this distribution or the cancellation of their shares in the Funds.

The affected Funds are:

NETS(TM) S&P/ASX 200 Index Fund (Australia)

AUS

NETS(TM) BEL 20(R) Index Fund (Belgium)

BRU

NETS(TM) Hang Seng China Enterprises Index Fund

SNO

NETS(TM) CAC40(R) Index Fund (France)

FRC

NETS(TM) DAX(R) Index Fund (Germany)

DAX

NETS(TM) Hang Seng Index Fund (Hong Kong)

HKG

NETS(TM) ISEQ 20(TM) Index Fund (Ireland)

IQE

NETS(TM) TA-25 Index Fund (Israel)

TAV

NETS(TM) S&P/MIB Index Fund (Italy)

ITL

NETS(TM) TOPIX(R) Index Fund (Japan)

TYI

NETS(TM) AEX-index(R) Fund (The Netherlands)

AEX

NETS(TM) PSI 20(R) Index Fund (Portugal)

LIS

NETS(TM) FTSE Singapore Straits Times Index Fund

SGT

NETS(TM) FTSE/JSE Top 40 Index Fund (South Africa)

JNB

NETS(TM) FTSE 100 Index Fund (United Kingdom)

LDN

NETS(TM) FTSE CNBC Global 300 Index Fund

MYG

NETS(TM) Tokyo Stock Exchange REIT Index Fund

JRE

L.D.

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