Deals | Dow Jones sells indexes unit for $608M

CME Group of Chicago agreed to buy 90% of Dow Jones Indexes in a deal announced today that allows Dow Jones & Co. to retain ownership of the brand itself, Reuters says. The brand was created in 1896 by Charles Dow (left), a company founder.

Dow Jones Indexes creates and licenses indexes that investors and others use to measure the performance of markets, including stocks, bonds and real estate, Reuters says. The business offers more than 130,000 equity indices, according to its website.

Under the deal, Dow Jones will "retain a key role in the management of the Dow Jones Industrial Average,'' parent News Corp. said in a statement.

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