BlackRock Adds Target Date ETFs

By Ron DeLegge

September 29, 2011 at 08:00 PM

Share & Print

BlackRock introduced the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index Fund (EEMS), iShares S&P Target Date 2045 (TZW) and iShares S&P Target Date 2050 (TZY).

EEMS is benchmarked to the MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index which is a float-adjusted market cap weighted index that is rebalanced quarterly. The index's top three country holdings as of July 31 are Taiwan (19.86 percent), Korea (17.35 percent) and China (16.46 percent). The top three country sector exposure weightings are consumer discretionary (17.09 percent), industrials (16.90 percent) and financials (16.59 percent).

The annual expense ratio for EEMS is 0.69 percent.

TZW and TZY provide a continuation of the existing iShares target series products, which are designed to provide a portfolio mix of iShares ETFs for retirement focused investors. The two funds are benchmarked to the S&P Target Date 2045/2050 indices and they provide exposure to a diversified menu of asset classes. The indices are rebalanced monthly, while on a yearly basis S&P conducts a survey of target date funds and derives an allocation strategy for the indices. S&P uses iShares ETFs to track each asset class. Both iShares target date funds charge annual expenses of 0.32 percent.

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