Barclays Global Investors’ iShares, the world’s largest provider of exchange-traded funds, has announced that the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets fund has surpassed EUR1bn in assets under ma
Barclays Global Investors’ iShares, the world’s largest provider of exchange-traded funds, has announced that the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets fund has surpassed EUR1bn in assets under management, making it the largest ETF in Europe tracking the MSCI Emerging Markets index.
The emerging markets fund is the fifth iShares ETF to exceed EUR1bn in assets, the most of any ETF provider, and reinforces its position as the global ETF market leader. The fund, which now has EUR1.02bn in assets, invests in companies spanning 23 emerging market countries including South Korea, China, Taiwan, Brazil and India.
The four other funds with more than EUR1bn are the iShares DJ Euro Stoxx 50 (EUR3.95bn), iShares FTSE 100 (EUR2.4bn), iShares S&P 500 (EUR2.1bn) and iShares MSCI Japan (EUR1.5bn).
‘iShares is the unequivocal market leader in ETFs, and the fact that this is the fifth iShares product to surpass the billion euro mark is testament to the diverse uses of our funds in securing returns, managing risk and controlling cost for investors,’ says Nick Shellard, head of sales for the UK and Switzerland.
‘It also shows the popularity of emerging markets with investors in recent years, with strong and consistent returns enticing investors to the sector. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets is an excellent vehicle for investing in these markets as it provides instant access to some of the largest emerging market companies and provides diversified exposure to around 23 countries, in just one trade.
‘However, for iShares to maintain its competitive advantage, it is vitally important we continue to enhance our existing diverse range, and we hope to announce new, exciting product developments before the end of the year.’
Barclays Global Investors is one of the world’s largest asset managers and a leading global provider of investment management products and services. It has more than 2,900 institutional clients and had more than USD1.8trn in assets under management at the end of March.
BGI, which has its headquarters in San Francisco but is a majority-owned subsidiary of the UK’s Barclays Bank, created the first index strategy in 1971 and the first quantitative active strategy eight years later. The firm manages more than 280 iShares ETFs, and globally BGI and its affiliates had approximately USD323bn in iShares assets under management at the end of March.
