New Investment notes from Barclays Stockbrokers offer access to commodities and global equities

• Diversified Commodity Investment Note to return 125% of any rise in the performance of a basket of commodities
• Global Accelerator Investment Note 2 to return 155% of any rise in the performance of a basket of global equity indices
• Both Investment Notes are available with a minimum investment level of £500

Barclays Stockbrokers today announces the launch of two new Investment Notes, the Diversified Commodity Investment Note and the Global Accelerator Investment Note 2. Both Investment Notes are available immediately and are designed for five year growth; they are available with a minimum investment level of £500.

The Diversified Commodity Investment Note is linked to the performance of a basket of commodities and is designed to produce 125% of any rise in the basket. It has 100% capital protection if it is held for the full five year term.

The basket of commodities comprises1:

• Energy – 40%
• Agriculture – 15%
• Base Metals – 25%
• Precious Metals – 20%
   

The Global Accelerator Investment Note 2 is linked to the performance of a basket of global equities indices and is designed to produce 155% of any rise in the basket.  With this Investment Note capital is returned at maturity as long as the underlying basket has not fallen to less than 60% of its Initial Level; in which case your capital return will be reduced by 1% for every 1% that the Final Level of the index is below its initial level. If the index does fall to less then 60% capital return at maturity could be less then the amount invested.

The basket comprises four of the most publicly recognised equity indices in the world,:

• The FTSE 100 Index:  a capitalisation-weighted index of the 100 most highly capitalised companies traded on the London Stock Exchange.
• The Nikkei 225 Index: a price-weighted average of 225 top-rated Japanese companies listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
• The S&P 500 Index: a capitalisation-weighted index of 500 stocks. The index is designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries.
• The Dow Jones Eurostoxx 50 Index: a capitalisation-weighted index of 50 European blue-chip stocks from those countries participating in the EMU.  

Amy Nauiokas, MD and Head of Barclays Stockbrokers says: “These new Investment Notes offer investors the opportunity to diversify their portfolios by accessing commodities and global equities indices.  The Notes also give investors the flexibility of buying and selling through Barclays Stockbrokers on a daily basis, and investors can further benefit from the peace of mind capital protection offers.  Having ridden the waves of recent market volatility it is essential for investors to diversify their investment portfolios and seek alternative areas of investing - these Investment Notes offer just that.”

These Investment Notes are eligible to be held in a Barclays Stockbrokers trading account, Self-Select ISA* and also via PEPs* and SIPPs, and as little as £500 can be invested.  They will be listed on the London Stock Exchange.  The Diversified Commodity Investment Note provides repayment of capital at the end of the term if the index conditions are met.  For the Global Accelerator Investment Note 2 capital is returned at maturity as long as the underlying Basket has not fallen to less than 60% of its Initial Level.  If the index does fall to less then 60% capital return at maturity could be less then the amount invested. The investment can be sold prior to the end of the term but the maturity benefits will not be paid and the value might be less than the initial investment. For those investors wanting to trade regularly they can open and fund a trading account and deal via the Barclays Stockbrokers website, http://www.stockbrokers.barclays.co.uk/

For more information on these Investment Notes visit www.stockbrokers.barclays.co.uk/in or call one of our Investment Note specialists on 0845 300 9040.

Barclays Stockbrokers also offers the following Investment Notes which are available to trade in the secondary market on the London Stock Exchange:

• European Blue-Chip
• Global Financial Services
• Global Property
• Alternative Energy
• Global Infrastructure
• FTSE 100 Capital Protected
• Global Accelerator
• Nikkei 225 Supertracker
• Energy-Linked Capital Protected
• China Supertracker
• EURO STOXX 50 Capital Protected

* Investment Notes with a term less than 5 years are not eligible for ISA or PEP investments.

For further information please contact:

Nicola Hankey  020 7114 9813
Caroline Wells  020 7114 7435