iShares expands fixed income and equity ETF range

iShares, the world's leading Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) provider, has announced the launch of seven new funds with fixed income again providing a key focus for the firm's product development.

iShares has already launched four fixed income ETFs this year and the addition of these new products takes the total number of European fixed income iShares funds available to 37 - the most of any provider in Europe. Year to date, iShares has seen over €1.5 billion in net new
assets flow into its fixed income ETFs as investors continue to demand more risk averse asset classes.

The addition of three new equity ETFs - two of which are world firsts - extends investors' ‘building block' capability providing them with exposure to a range of countries in a cost-effective, liquid and highly transparent way.

The new products are:

The iShares Barclays Euro Government Bond 5 - 7 which provides exposure to the Barclays Capital Euro Government Bond 5 - 7 year term index and measures the performance of 10 year bonds issued by EMU member states with a remaining maturity of 5 - 7 years.
The iShares Barclays Euro Government Bond 10 - 15 which provides exposure to the Barclays Capital Euro Government Bond 10 - 15 year term index and measures the performance of 10 - 15 year maturity bonds issued by EMU member states.

The iShares Barclays Euro Treasury Bond which tracks fixed rate securities that are issued by EMU governments and are part of the Euro-Aggregate and Global Aggregate indices.

The iShares FTSE Gilts UK 0- 5 tracks UK government debt with a maturity of 0 - 5 years and
provides exposure to secure government bonds with short term maturities.

The iShares MSCI Europe ex-EMU which provides investors with exposure to the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. It is the first ETF to offer exposure to these countries in this way.

The iShares FTSE Developed World ex-UK which provides broad international exposure to over 30 countries including the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, France and Germany. The fund is particularly interesting for UK investors who want to avoid overweight exposure to the
UK market in their portfolio and is the first of its type in the world.

The iShares MSCI Pacific ex-Japan which provides developed market exposure to Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. It complements the existing iShares' developed Asian market product range.

Commenting on the launch, Axel Lomholt, senior director of product development, iShares Europe, said: "It is no secret that iShares is committed to developing its fixed income capability as investor demand for the asset class continues unabated. These four new ETFs provide investors with additional exposure to leading fixed income indices. We expect strong demand for these products as investors continue to seek out low risk, transparent and highly liquid investment products.

"The launch of the three new equity products - two of which are world firsts - reflect iShares' innovative approach to product development. Our offering continues to be the most complete and comprehensive equity product set in the market. We believe most investors will use these funds
as ‘building blocks', providing them with exposure to a particular set of countries within a defined region.

"As market leader, iShares is committed to launching products that meet the evolving needs of
investors and these new products reflect our commitment to this."

For further information, visit ishares.com