iShares € Corporate Bond fund surpasses €1 billion AUM

iShares, the world's largest provider of exchange traded funds (ETFs), announced today the iShares € Corporate Bond fund has surpassed €1 billion in assets under management - the first bond ETF within the iShares range to reach this milestone.

The iShares € Corporate Bond fund is the fifth iShares fund to surpass the €1 billion mark. The fund, which tracks the Markit iBoxx Euro Liquid Corporates Index, invests in Euro denominated investment grade bonds across a range of sectors.

The four equity funds with over €1 billion in AUM are (in order of AUM size):

iShares DJ Euro STOXX 50 (€3.806 billion)
iShares S&P 500 (€2.738 billion)
iShares FTSE 100 (€2.101 billion)
iShares MSCI Japan (€1.299 billion)

Commenting on the milestone, Alex Claringbull, senior fixed income portfolio manager for iShares, said: "Investors have clearly recognised that the iShares € Corporate Bond fund is a simple and cost-effective way to gain exposure to the European corporate bond market. This fund tracks a recognised index of physical bonds which makes it unique compared to other corporate bond ETF products and this clearly resonates well with clients."

"ETFs are predominately used currently to invest in equity markets, which makes this milestone particularly pleasing as it demonstrates that investors are starting to recognise the benefits ETFs can offer in other asset classes such as bonds."

"It also reinforces iShares' view that assets in fixed income ETFs will grow by up to 200 per cent over the next three years, as capital market banks start to trade the products more widely and they become increasingly accepted by mainstream investors."