Bloomberg launches 36 Australian equity benchmarks

Bloomberg has launched a set of domestic equity indices for Australia, adding 36 benchmarks and related measures to its equity index range.

The new suite is aimed at investors seeking broad or targeted exposure to Australian shares. It covers flagship benchmarks as well as selected segments of the local market, and includes versions that account for dividend franking credits.

The launch extends Bloomberg's index presence in Australia beyond fixed income, where its AusBond indices are already widely used. It also gives the company a more complete local offering across asset classes as index providers compete for mandates from asset managers, pension funds and product issuers.

Headline benchmarks include the Bloomberg Australia Domestic 50 Index, Bloomberg Australia Domestic 100 Index, Bloomberg Australia Domestic 200 Index and Bloomberg Australia Domestic 300 Index. The range also includes narrower market segments, such as the Bloomberg Australia Domestic Mid 50 Index and the Bloomberg Australia Domestic Small 200 Index.

For domestic investors focused on tax treatment, Bloomberg has introduced return variants that include the effect of dividend franking credits. These include the Bloomberg Australia Domestic 200 Grossed Up Franked Return Index, Bloomberg Australia Domestic 200 Superannuation Franked Return Index, Bloomberg Australia Domestic 300 Grossed Up Franked Return Index and Bloomberg Australia Domestic 300 Superannuation Franked Return Index.

Local expansion

Australia's equity market has long been served by established benchmark providers, making local relevance and methodology important factors in index adoption. By introducing franking credit-adjusted versions, Bloomberg is addressing a market feature that is particularly relevant for many domestic institutions and superannuation investors.

The indices use a transparent, rules-based methodology intended to represent the Australian equity universe. Bloomberg says they are designed for uses including benchmarking, asset allocation and the creation of financial products for institutional and retail investors.

The indices are available through the Bloomberg Terminal, where users can review constituents and apply them in portfolio analysis tools. Clients can access constituent-level data for analytics, portfolio construction and performance evaluation.

That integration matters because index users increasingly want benchmark data and portfolio tools in a single workflow. It also reflects how index providers now compete not only on coverage and methodology but also on how easily benchmarks can be used across research, product design, and day-to-day portfolio management.

Bloomberg's broader equity index business spans global, regional, country and sector exposures across more than 40 countries. Its global equity families cover more than 99% of eligible free-float market capitalisation and include developed- and emerging-market benchmarks, as well as style, factor, and thematic indices.

Flagship names in that broader suite include the World, Developed Markets, and Emerging Markets Large & Mid Cap indices, as well as the Bloomberg 500 Index. The Australian launch adds a domestic-market layer to that global offering for investors seeking a benchmark series built specifically around local equities.

Ji Zhuang, Head of APAC at Bloomberg Index Services, said the launch builds on Bloomberg's established presence in the region.

"The launch of our Australia Domestic Equity Indices represents a natural evolution of our offering, building on a strong global equity foundation designed to provide a comprehensive representation of the market through the lens of domestic investors, backed by the same high standards of data quality and analytics," Zhuang said.

Zhuang also pointed to Bloomberg's existing role in Australian fixed income benchmarks. "This expansion marks a strategic milestone in our continued commitment to Australia, where we have long supported the region's investment community as a leading fixed income benchmark provider through our flagship AusBond indices," he said.