Desjardins Securities Inc. will begin contributing bond pricing for the calculation of the S&P/TSX Canadian bond index beginning June 2, Standard & Poor’s announced on Tuesday.

Desjardins will contribute bond pricing in addition to the existing providers, which include CIBC World Markets, RBC Capital Markets, BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., Casgrain & Company Ltd., Laurentian Bank Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch Canada Inc., and TD Securities Inc.

Dealer pricing is combined into a single blended price, which is calculated at end of day, for each index bond. These blended prices are used to calculate the S&P/TSX Canadian bond index levels. The participation of a broad range of price contributors provides market participants with a more accurate measure of the performance of the Canadian bond market. In a market where exchange-traded pricing information is unavailable, blended prices for a broad spectrum of Canadian government and corporate bonds will aid the price discovery process by providing a more representative gauge of security valuation.

“Having an independent, multi-dealer priced bond index is essential for fixed income market participants,” said Steve Rive, vice president of Canadian index services at Standard & Poor’s. “The addition of Desjardins Securities Inc. as a price provider underscores the growing acceptance of the S&P/TSX Canadian bond index.”