NEW YORK, Nov 10, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Standard & Poor's will make the following changes to the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 indices:

-- Wynn Resorts Ltd. (Nasdaq: WYNN) will replace Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) in the S&P 500, Ashland will replace Lear Corp. (NYSE: LEA) in the S&P MidCap 400, S&P MidCap 400 constituent DENTSPLY International Inc. (Nasdaq: XRAY) will replace Hercules Inc. (NYSE: HPC) in the S&P 500, and Bucyrus International Inc. (Nasdaq: BUCY) will replace DENTSPLY in the S&P MidCap 400 after the close of trading on Thursday, November 13. Ashland is acquiring Hercules in a transaction that will result in a company with a market value appropriate for the S&P MidCap 400, and which is expected to close on or about that date, pending final approvals. As of today's close of trading Lear Corp. had a market value of approximately $129 million, ranking 400th in the S&P MidCap 400 index.

-- Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE: EXP) will replace Secure Computing Corp. (Nasdaq: SCUR) in the S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on Friday, November 14. Secure Computing is being acquired by S&P MidCap 400 constituent McAfee Inc. (NYSE: MFE) in a deal expected to close on or about that date, pending final approvals.

Standard & Poor's will monitor these transactions, and post any relevant updates on its website: www.standardandpoors.com.

Wynn Resorts designs, develops, finances and constructs gaming projects in Las Vegas and Macau. Headquartered in Las Vegas, NV, the company will be added to the S&P 500 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Casinos & Gaming Sub-Industry index.

DENTSPLY produces a broad range of products for the dental market. Headquartered in York, PA, the company will be added to the S&P 500 GICS Health Care Supplies Sub-Industry index.

Ashland is a diversified chemicals company. Headquartered in Covington, KY, the company will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 GICS Diversified Chemicals Sub-Industry index.

Bucyrus International manufactures large-scale surface and underground mining equipment used for mining coal, iron ore, copper, oil sands and other minerals. Headquartered in South Milwaukee, WI, the company will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 GICS Construction & Farm Machinery & Heavy Trucks Sub- Industry index.

Eagle Materials manufactures gypsum wallboard and cement. Headquartered in Dallas, TX, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Construction Materials Sub-Industry index.

    Following is a summary of the changes:


                        S&P 500 INDEX - November 13, 2008

                  COMPANY        GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR    GICS SUB-INDUSTRY

      ADDED     Wynn Resorts    Consumer Discretionary    Casinos & Gaming

                  DENTSPLY            Health Care       Health Care Supplies

     DELETED      Ashland              Materials       Diversified Chemicals

                  Hercules             Materials       Diversified Chemicals



                    S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX - November 13, 2008

                  COMPANY        GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR    GICS SUB-INDUSTRY

      ADDED       Ashland              Materials       Diversified Chemicals

                  Bucyrus             Industrials       Construction & Farm
               International                             Machinery & Heavy
                                                               Trucks
     DELETED        Lear        Consumer Discretionary  Auto Parts & Equipment

                  DENTSPLY            Health Care       Health Care Supplies



                   S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - November 14, 2008

                  COMPANY        GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR    GICS SUB-INDUSTRY

      ADDED   Eagle Materials          Materials       Construction Materials

     DELETED  Secure Computing  Information Technology    Systems Software

Additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the companies concerned.

About Standard & Poor's Index Services

Standard & Poor's Index Services, the world's leading index provider, maintains a wide variety of investable and benchmark indices to meet an array of investor needs. Its family of indices includes the S&P 500, an index with $1.5 trillion invested and $4.85 trillion benchmarked, and the S&P Global 1200, a composite index comprised of seven regional and country headline indices. For more information, please visit www.standardandpoors.com/indices.

About Standard & Poor's

Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is the world's foremost provider of financial market intelligence, including independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 8,500 employees, including wholly owned affiliates, located in 23 countries and markets, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com.

SOURCE Standard & Poor's

http://www.standardandpoors.com

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