iShares new ETFs on the London Stock Exchange

BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) has announced that its iShares product range, the global leader in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), has launched four new ETFs on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).  Three are single country, core building block funds in both developed and emerging equity markets, while the fourth is an accumulating version of the iShares DJ Euro STOXX 50.  The new iShares MSCI Australia, iShares MSCI Canada and iShares MSCI South Africa ETFs provide exposure to companies in predominantly the financial and commodities sectors and complement iShares' existing single country range of ETFs.

There are now 90 iShares listed on the LSE empowering investors to make strategic asset allocation decisions using easy to trade, liquid and transparent ETFs.

Commenting, Axel Lomholt, head of product development for iShares in Europe, said: "iShares is now able to offer investors MSCI exposure to Australia, Canada and South Africa, whilst also providing investors with building block exposure to the highly respected and widely used MSCI World and MSCI Emerging Markets indices.

"The existing iShares DJ Euro STOXX 50 fund has one of the highest trading volumes on the LSE and is one of our most successful European equity benchmarks, underlining our strength in core equities.

"All four funds are accumulating, making the investments easier to manage operationally and removing the administrative burden for investors dealing with cash flows and dividends paid by the fund."

The iShares MSCI Australia aims to track the performance of the MSCI Australia Index as closely as possible and invests in approximately 75 Australian stocks, with financials and materials sectors making up over 70 per cent of its benchmark.

The iShares MSCI Canada aims to track the performance of the MSCI Canada Index as closely as possible and invests in approximately 96 Canadian stocks with commodity-related sectors making up almost 50 per cent of its benchmark.

The iShares MSCI South Africa aims to track the performance of the MSCI South Africa Index and invests in approximately 45 South African stocks with commodity-related sectors making up almost 40 per cent of its benchmark.

The iShares DJ Euro STOXX 50 (Acc) provides exposure to fifty of the most highly capitalised blue chip stocks which represent the leading companies in the Eurozone.

The MSCI single country indices target companies with a market capitalisation within the top 85% of the investable equity universe, subject to a global minimum size requirement.