The NASDAQ OMX brought out 32 new indexes and listed eight new exchange-traded funds in the third quarter.

Through Sept. 30, the NASDAQ OMX has created 53 new index products in all, according to the exchange's third-quarter global indexes report.

Maybe most notable among third-quarter index achievements for the exchange was the milestone achieved by the NASDAQ-100 Index futures contracts, traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. It joined the S&P 500 Index as one of only two indexes to have more than $500 million futures contracts traded, with a notional value of $25 trillion.

There are 600 investment products based on the NASDAQ-100, including PowerShares QQQ (NasdaqGM: QQQQ).

In the third-quarter ETF listings, all eight were new PowerShares portfolios: 

• Global Agriculture Portfolio (PAGG)
• Global Steel Portfolio (PSTL)
• Global Gold & Precious Metals (PSAU)
• Global Coal Portfolio (PKOL)
• Global Progressive Transportation Portfolio (PTRP)
• Global Biotech Portfolio (PBTQ)
• Global Wind Energy Portfolio (PWND)
• MENA Frontier Countries Portfolio (PMNA)

NASDAQ OMX also had two indexes serving as the basis for new exchange-traded funds listing on international exchanges in the third quarter. PowerShares Global Agriculture Fund (PSGA: LSE), joined the Ireland-based family of PowerShares portfolios; while the ComStage ETF NASDAQ-100 (CBNDX: Xetra) listed in Germany.

In other major index highlights from the third quarter:

• The Philadelphia Stock Exchange's PHLX Sector Index Series was taken over by NASDAQ OMX as a result of the acquisition of the Philly Ex.

• The NASDAQ OMX Europe Index, tracking companies traded on the NASDAQ OMX Europe Marketplace, launched on September 26.

• The NASDAQ Financial-100 Index returned 13.48% in the third quarter.

Among other major NASDAQ OMX Indexes, third-quarter and year-to-date performance were as follows:

The new indexes, and price variants, comprising the 32 indexes added in Q3 are:

• NASDAQ OMX Global Agriculture Index
• NASDAQ OMX Global Gold & Precious Metals Index
• NASDAQ OMX Global Biotechnology Index1
• NASDAQ OMX Global Coal Index
• NASDAQ OMX Global Steel Index
• NASDAQ OMX Ireland Index
• Wilder NASDAQ OMX Global Energy Efficient                              
• NASDAQ OMX Europe Index
• OMX GES Sustainability Sweden Price Index
• OMX GES Sustainability Sweden Ethical Price Index
• OMX GES Ethical Nordic Index
• OMX GES Ethical Sweden Index
• OMX GES Ethical Denmark Index
• OMX GES Ethical Finland Index
• OMX GES Ethical Norway Index
• OMX GES OMXS-30 Ethical Index