Under the terms of the arrangement, Instinet's research sales group will exclusively distribute Potomac Research Group's research to a wide range of institutional clients, including Instinet's global client base of 1,500 firms.

"The appetite for independent research has grown tremendously over the past few years, and public policy is the next major sector in which institutional clients are looking for coverage," said Michael Plunkett, President of Instinet. "We believe that Potomac Research Group provides a very compelling offering based on its team's successful research history and impressive network of contacts."

Potomac Research Group provides investment managers with information needed to evaluate the impact of Congressional, regulatory and Administration actions on their current or potential portfolio holdings. The company produces insight into the timing, direction and impact of policy changes by drawing on one of the most extensive networks of Washington policy influencers and issue experts.

The Potomac Research management team is led by Theodore J. Downey, a respected policy analyst who most recently served in a senior policy research position at a major Washington investment bank. Downey's research on energy, healthcare, banking and telecom policies has been republished in Barron's and frequently quoted in various investment publications.

Potomac Research becomes the sixth independent research provider whose research is exclusively distributed by Instinet Research Partners, the research sales and management group of Instinet, LLC. Launched in 2004, Instinet Research Partners adds value by offering institutional investors a network of high-quality research firms across a range of methodologies, including industry expertise, primary research and quantitative analysis. Instinet supports its research clients with high-touch sales coverage, flexible payment options and a global trading platform.