The S&P GCC indices are designed to represent the performance of the most active stocks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which is an organization of six Arab states who share many social and economic objectives. These states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirate. The S&PGCC is a subset of the S&P/IFCG (Global) indices which represent the performance of the most active stocks in the emerging markets. As a core member of the S&P Emerging Market indices, it is constructed from equities included in the Emerging Markets Database (EMDB).
S&P EMDB indices were the first to focus on this region. The S&P EMDB is divided into two main families. The S&P/IFCG (Global) indices measure the performance of the widest possible set of active stocks in a particular country. The S&P/IFCI (Investable) indices measure S&P/IFCG companies that are liquid and available for foreign investment. The S&P/IFCG Saudi Arabia was launched in 1997 and the S&P/IFCG Oman and S&P/IFCG Bahrain in 1998. Since 2006, Standard and Poor's calculates indices for every country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Index constituents exhibit the following characteristics:
- Underlying Indices – S&P/IFCG (Global)
- Market Coverage –Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE
- Weighting – Market capitalization
- Reconstitution – Annually in November
Index Governance and Policy
Standard & Poor's leads a Global Advisory Panel that meets at least once a year to consult on all major methodological issues impacting the S&P Global Indices, including the S&P Emerging Market Index series. The panel members are made up of a diverse group of users and interested parties, including highly acclaimed academics, plan sponsors, and consultants, as well as industry leading active and passive investment managers. This medium serves to provide feedback to Standard & Poor's from market participants in an unbiased, professional manner, allowing S&P to continuously evolve its index methodology as required.