QCLN First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) and Clean Edge, Inc. today announced the results of the semi-annual evaluation of the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Green Energy Index (Nasdaq:CELS), which will become effective prior to market open on Monday, March 19, 2012.

The following two securities will be added to the Index: Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq:AEIS) and FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL).

The Index is designed to track the performance of clean-energy companies that are publicly traded in the U.S. The Index includes companies engaged in the manufacturing, development, distribution, and installation of emerging clean-energy technologies such as solar photovoltaics, biofuels and advanced batteries. The five major sub-sectors that the index covers are Renewable Electricity Generation, Renewable Fuels, Energy Storage & Conversion, Energy Intelligence and Advanced Energy-Related Materials. The securities must also meet other eligibility criteria which include minimum requirements for market value, average daily share volume, and price. The NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Green Energy Index is re-ranked semi-annually in March and September. For more information about the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Green Energy Index, including detailed eligibility criteria, visit https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/.

The NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index is the basis for the First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund (Nasdaq:QCLN), which seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of the NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index before fees and expenses. 

As a result of the evaluation, the following nine securities will be removed from the Index: Aixtron SE (Nasdaq:AIXG), Codexis, Inc. (Nasdaq:CDXS), Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq:HSOL), JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited (NYSE:JKS), KiOR, Inc. (Nasdaq:KIOR), Metabolix, Inc. (Nasdaq:MBLX), SatCon Technology Corporation (Nasdaq:SATC), Vicor Corporation (Nasdaq:VICR), and Valence Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:VLNC).

About NASDAQ OMX Global Index Group

NASDAQ OMX Global Index Group is engaged in the design, development, calculation, licensing, and marketing of NASDAQ OMX Indexes. NASDAQ OMX Global Index Group specializes in the development of indexes focusing on NASDAQ OMX's brand themes of innovation, technology, growth, and globalization. NASDAQ OMX Global Index Group also provides custom index services and design solutions as a third-party provider to selected financial organizations. For more information about NASDAQ OMX indexes, visit www.nasdaq.com/indexes.

About NASDAQ OMX Group

The inventor and transformer of the electronic exchange, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., fuels economies with revolutionary technologies for the entire lifecycle of a trade - from risk management to trade to surveillance to clearing. In the US and Europe, we own and operate 24 markets, 3 clearinghouses and 6 central securities depositories supporting equities, options, fixed income, derivatives, commodities, futures and structured products. Able to traffic more than 1 million messages per second at sub-80 microsecond speeds with 99.999% uptime, our technology drives more than 70 exchanges in 50 developed and emerging countries into the future, powering 1 in 10 of the world's securities transactions. Our award-winning data products and worldwide indexes are the benchmarks in the financial industry. Home to 3,400 listed companies worth $5.1 trillion in market cap whose innovations shape our world, we give the ideas of tomorrow access to capital today. Welcome to where the world takes a big leap forward, daily.  Welcome to the NASDAQ OMX Century.  To learn more, visit www.nasdaqomx.com. Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/NASDAQ) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/nasdaqomx). (Symbol: NDAQ and member of S&P 500)

About Clean Edge, Inc.

Clean Edge, Inc., founded in 2000, is the world's first research and advisory firm devoted to the clean-tech sector. For more than a decade, the firm has delivered timely data, expert analysis, and comprehensive insights to governments, corporations, investors, nonprofits, and other key stakeholders. The company offers an unparalleled suite of index, benchmarking, and advisory services, including the Clean Energy Leadership Index subscription service, sponsored publications including the annual Clean Energy Trends report, the annual Clean-Tech Investor Summit conference (co-produced with IBF), and benchmark clean-tech stock indexes with NASDAQ. To keep abreast of the latest clean-tech news; access industry reports; learn more about Clean Edge, or sign up for the firm's free e-newsletters; visit http://www.cleanedge.com.

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CONTACT: NASDAQ Media Contact:
         Wayne Lee
         +1.301.978.4875
         Wayne.D.Lee@NASDAQOMX.Com
         
         NASDAQ Issuer and Investor Contact:
         Lisa Chaney
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         Lisa.Chaney@NASDAQOMX.Com
         
         Clean Edge Contact:
         Ron Pernick
         +1.503.493.8681
         pernick@cleanedge.com