iShares is the world’s largest issuer of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as per a research in May 2006.Managed by Barclays Global Investors, iSharesETFs track numerous bonds or stock market indexes. Consequently, these ETFs are extremely popular as an investment vehicle in the financial markets.
iShares: History
iShares was launched as WEBS (World Equity Benchmark Shares) by Barclays Global Investors and Morgan Stanley in response to the introduction of the first ETF in the US, the Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts (SPDR), in 1993. WEBS tracked Morgan Stanley’s MSCI foreign stock market indices. Unlike SPDR, the underlying vehicle of the WEBS was mutual funds. WEBS was later renamed iShares MSCI Series when Barclays Global Investors launched other ETFs with the iShares brand name.
Barclays Global Investors created the first index strategy in 1971 and then the first quantitative active strategy in 1979, transforming the investment industry. While expanding its iShares ETF series to other nations, Barclays Global Investors added several features to distinguish them from the ETF products available in the US.
Even after three decades, Barclays Global Investors continues to be a leader in creating investment solutions that consistently deliver on profits. This success has helped Barclays Global Investors become one of the largest asset managers in the world.
iShares ETF
iShares has ETFs across various countries and sectors. Some of the popular iShares ETFs are:
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iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund - Provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of securities present in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
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iShares S&P 500 Index Fund - Seeks investment returns similar to the performance of the S&P 500 Index.
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iShares MSCI Brazil Index Fund - Offers investment results that correspond to the performance of the MSCI Brazil Index in terms of price and yield.
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iShares Russell 1000 Value Index Fund - Seeks investment returns that closely correspond to the performance of the Russell 1000 Value Index.
iShares S&P Global Healthcare Sector Index Fund – Provides investment results that correspond to the price and yield of companies in the Standard & Poor's healthcare sector.