BELM Bell Microproducts

NEW YORK, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Perry Ellis International Inc. (NASDAQ:PERY) will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on Thursday, March 20, 2008. PERY will take the place of Bell Microproducts Inc. (NASDAQ:BELM), which was removed from the S&P SmallCap 600 after today's close of trading due its failure to comply with NASD listing requirements. Standard & Poor's will monitor this transaction, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/. Perry Ellis International is an apparel company that engages in the designing, sourcing, marketing, and licensing of apparel products in the United States and internationally. Headquartered in Miami, FL, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Apparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods Sub-Industry index. Following is a summary of the change: S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - March 20, 2008 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Perry Ellis Consumer Apparel, Accessories & International Discretionary Luxury Goods 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 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 7,500 employees, including wholly-owned affiliates, located in 21 countries, 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/. About The McGraw-Hill Companies: Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/. DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's CONTACT: David M. Blitzer, Ph.D. Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee +1-212-438-3907 Web site: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/ http://www.standardandpoors.com/

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