IGL I M C Global

Standard & Poor's Announces Changes to Indices NEW YORK, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Standard & Poor's will make the following changes to the S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 indices after the close of trading Friday, October 22: -- VCA Antech Inc. (NASDAQ:WOOF) will replace IMC Global Inc. (NYSE:IGL) in the S&P MidCap 400. IMC Global is merging with a subsidiary of privately-held Cargill Inc. in a deal expected to close on or about that date, subject to final approval. -- Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) will replace Tower Automotive Inc. (NYSE:TWR) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Tower Automotive's stock has traded below $2.00 per share for ten consecutive days. Standard & Poor's will monitor these transactions, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/. VCA Antech operates a network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories and freestanding, full-service animal hospitals. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, the company will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Health Care Facilities Sub-Industry Index. Amedisys is a provider of home healthcare nursing services. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Health Care Services Sub-Industry Index. Following is a summary of the changes: S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX - October 22, 2004 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED VCA Antech Health Care Health Care Facilities DELETED IMC Global Materials Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - October 22, 2004 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Amedisys Health Care Health Care Services DELETED Tower Consumer Discretionary Auto Parts & Equipment Automotive 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. Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research, data and valuations. With 5000 employees located in 20 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/ . Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies 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, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/ . http://www.mcgraw-hill.com DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's CONTACT: David M. Blitzer, Ph.D. Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee (212) 438-3907 Web site: http://www.standardandpoors.com/

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