iShares lists four Australian ETFs on ASX today

Dec. 15, 2010 - PRLog -- First small cap ETF and 20 blue chip ETF

Sydney, December 9, 2010—BlackRock Inc.  - BlackRock confirmed that its iShares business, the world’s leading provider of ETFs, has listed four new Australian ETFs on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) today.


Two of the new iShares ETFs provide first-to market access to Australian indices not previously available via an ASX-listed ETF:


The iShares S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries is the first and only ETF on the ASX to provide exposure to
Australia’s small-cap universe across a wide range of sectors.


The iShares S&P/ASX 20 is the first and only ETF on the ASX to provide targeted exposure to Australia’s 20 largest blue chip companies.


These new funds take the total number of iShares ETFs listed on the ASX to 23, across both domestic and international indices. iShares launched its first suite of international ETFs in Australia three years ago.


Details of the new ETFs are as follows:


Fund Name: iShares MSCI Australia 200
Ticker: IOZ
Objective: Aims to track the performance of the MSCI Australia 200 Index
investing in the 200 largest companies in Australia.
Mgt Cost* % pa: 0.19


Fund Name: iShares S&P/ASX 20
Ticker: ILC
Objective: Aims to track the performance of the S&P/ASX 20 Index
investing in the twenty largest blue chip companies in
Australia.
Mgt Cost* % pa: 0.24

Fund Name: iShares S&P/ASX High Dividend
Ticker: IHD
Objective: Provides exposure to 50 large Australian companies with a
particular focus on higher dividends.
Mgt Cost* % pa: 0.30


Fund Name: iShares S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries
Ticker: ISO
Objective: Aims to track the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries, an established
index which represents small cap companies in Australia.

Mgt Cost* % pa: 0.55

*Total management fees and expenses as a percentage of net asset value.


Commenting, Damien Frawley, CEO of BlackRock Australia, said:
“iShares continues to drive the ETF industry’s rapid growth globally, accounting for close to half of the global ETF industry’s total assets under management with over US$534 billion - more than triple its nearest competitor*.”


“In Australia, iShares is committed to remain at the forefront of the rapidly developing ETF market which reached AU $4.15 billion in assets in November**. We will continue to expand our range of ETFs, offering investors greater choice across a number of key asset classes. Our focus on education, client service and high-quality products will ensure we remain the leading ETF provider in Australia.”


Commenting, Tom Keenan, Director, iShares said:
“The addition of these four new ETFs provides investors with greater diversification of exposures to the Australian sharemarket and a broader range of products to choose from.


“The new iShares ETFs are very cost-effective at 0.19% pa for the iShares MSCI Australia 200 and 0.30% pa for the iShares S&P/ASX High Dividend. These fees will be highly competitive in the marketplace offering tremendous value to investors wishing to invest in the Australian sharemarket. We are confident that these new iShares ETFs will have broad appeal across SMSFs, direct investors, advisers and institutions.”

iShares is the world leader in exchange traded funds with over 460 funds trading on 19 exchanges worldwide. Visit - http://au.ishares.com

iShares ETFs provide investors with a number of benefits for more information visit
http://au.ishares.com/about_ishares/benefits_ishares.do

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Ishares is the world leader in exchange traded funds with over 460 on 19 exchanges worldwide. Http://au.ishares.com