485APOS 1 d485apos.htm S&P U.S. PREFERRED STOCK INDEX FUND 485A S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund 485A
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 5, 2006

File Nos. 333-92935 and 811-09729

 


SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933    x  
Post-Effective Amendment No. 46    x  

and/or

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940    x  
Amendment No. 46    x  

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

iShares® Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

c/o Investors Bank & Trust Company

200 Clarendon Street

Boston, MA 02116

(Address of Principal Executive Office)(Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (415) 597-2000

The Corporation Trust Company

1209 Orange Street

Wilmington, DE 19801

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

With Copies to:

 

MARGERY K. NEALE, ESQ.   ADAM MIZOCK, ESQ.
WILLKIE FARR & GALLAGHER LLP   BARCLAYS GLOBAL INVESTORS N.A.
787 SEVENTH AVENUE   45 FREMONT STREET
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10019-6099   SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

¨ Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

 

x 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

 

¨ On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

¨ On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

 

¨ On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

¨ The post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment

 



Table of Contents

The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The securities described herein may not be sold until the registration statement becomes effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any State in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

 

iShares®

iShares Trust

iShares Trust (the “Trust”) consists of over [80] separate investment portfolios called “Funds.” This Prospectus relates solely to the iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund (the “Fund”). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P® U.S. Preferred Stock Index maintained by Standard & Poor’s (a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.) (the “Index Provider”).

Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”) is the investment adviser to the Fund.

The Trust is a registered investment company. The shares of the Trust are listed and traded at market prices on national securities exchanges, such as the [Listing Exchange]. Market prices for the Fund’s shares may be different from its net asset value per share (“NAV”). The Fund has its own CUSIP number and exchange trading symbol.

The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in blocks of [50,000] shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”). These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities and an amount of cash. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors purchase or redeem Creation Units.

Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the Fund are not redeemable securities.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Prospectus dated             , 2006

 


® iShares is a registered trademark of Barclays Global Investors, N.A.


Table of Contents

Table of Contents

 

Details on Investing
in the Fund

     
   Introduction    1
   Investment Objective    2
   Principal Investment Strategies    2
   Representative Sampling    2
   Correlation    2
   Industry Concentration Policy    3

 

 

Details on the Risks of
Investing in the Fund

   Principal Risk Factors of the Fund    3
   Trading Risk    3
   Market Risk    3
   Concentration    3
   Asset Class Risk    3
   Passive Investments    4
   Tracking Error Risk    4
   Management Risk    4
   Risk of Investing in Preferred Stocks    4
   Market Trading Risks    4
   Non-Diversified Risk    5
   Derivatives    5
   Lack of Governmental Insurance or Guarantee    5
   Portfolio Holdings Information    5

Details on the
Fund

   Performance Information    5
   Fees and Expenses    6
   Creation Transaction Fees and Redemption Transaction Fees    6
   Management    7

Details on Management
and Operations

   Investment Adviser    7
   Portfolio Managers    7
   Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent    7

Details on Buying and
Selling Shares of the Fund

   Shareholder Information    8
   Buying and Selling shares    8
   Book Entry    8
   Share Prices    8
   Determination of Net Asset Value    9
   Dividends and Distributions    9
   Taxes    9
   Taxes on Distributions    9
   Taxes When Shares are Sold    10
   Creations and Redemptions    10
   Transaction Fees    11
   Householding    11
   Distribution    11
   Financial Highlights    11
   Index Provider    11
   Disclaimers    12

 

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Introduction

This Prospectus provides the information you need to make an informed decision about investing in the Fund. It contains important facts about the Trust as a whole and the Fund in particular.

An index is a group of securities that an index provider selects as representative of a market, market segment or specific industry sector. The index provider determines the relative weightings of the securities in the index and publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

The Fund is an “index fund” that seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P® U.S. Preferred Stock Index maintained by the Index Provider, which provides financial, economic and investment information and analytical services to the financial community. BGFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, is a subsidiary of Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”). BGFA and its affiliates are not affiliated with the Index Provider or the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

“Standard & Poor’s®,” “S&P®,” and “S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index” are trademarks of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by BGI. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s, and Standard & Poor’s makes no representations regarding the advisability of investing in shares of the Fund.

 

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iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

Cusip:

Trading Symbol:

Underlying Index: S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index (the “Index”). The Fund’s investment objective may be changed without shareholder approval.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Index measures the performance of a selected group of preferred stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. The Index includes preferred stocks with a market capitalization over $100 million that meet minimum price, trading volume and other requirements determined by the Index Provider. Preferred stock is a class of equity security which pays a specified dividend that must be paid before any dividends can be paid to common stock holders, and which takes precedence over common stock in the event of the company’s liquidation. Although preferred stocks represent a partial ownership interest in a company, preferred stocks generally do not carry voting rights and have economic characteristics similar to fixed-income securities. Preferred stocks generally are issued with a fixed par value and pay dividends based on a percentage of that par value at a fixed or variable rate. Additionally, preferred stocks often have a liquidation value that generally equals the original purchase price of the preferred stock at the date of issuance.

BGFA uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the market it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when the market declines or appears overvalued. Indexing may eliminate some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing also may help increase after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

The Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of its Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in securities not included in its Index, but which BGFA believes will help the Fund track the Index. For example, the Fund may invest in securities not included in its Index in order to reflect various corporate actions (such as mergers) and other changes in its Index (such as reconstitutions, additions and deletions). The Fund also may invest its other assets in futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options, and swaps related to the Index, as well as cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds affiliated with BGFA.

Representative Sampling

BGFA uses a Representative Sampling indexing strategy for the Fund. “Representative Sampling” is investing in a representative sample of securities in the Index, which have a similar investment profile as the Index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, earnings valuation and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Index. In using Representative Sampling, the Fund generally will not hold all of the securities that are included in the Index.

Correlation

An index is a theoretical financial calculation, while the Fund is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Index may vary somewhat due to transaction costs, market impact, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs) and timing variances.

BGFA expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. A figure of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. Any correlation figure that is less than 100% is called “tracking error.” A fund using a Representative Sampling strategy can be expected to have a greater tracking error than a fund using a replication indexing strategy. Replication is an indexing strategy in which a fund invests in substantially all of the securities in its underlying index in approximately the same proportions as in the underlying index.

 

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Industry Concentration Policy

The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is so concentrated.

Principal Risk Factors of the Fund

The Fund is subject to the principal risks described below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and/or its ability to meet its objectives.

Trading Risk

While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that Fund shares will trade on the [Listing Exchange] close to their NAV, disruptions to creations and redemptions may result in trading prices that differ significantly from NAV.

Market Risk

The Fund’s NAV will react to securities market movements. You could lose money over short periods due to fluctuation in the Fund’s NAV in response to market movements, and over longer periods during general market downturns.

Asset Class Risk

The returns from the preferred stocks in which the Fund invests may underperform returns from common stocks or other asset classes. Preferred stocks are not necessarily correlated with securities markets generally and may experience cycles of relative outperformance and underperformance.

Interest Rate Risk

Because many preferred stocks pay dividends at a fixed rate, their market price can be sensitive to changes in interest rates in a manner similar to bonds – that is, as interest rates rise, the value of the preferred stocks held by the Fund are likely to decline. To the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed rate preferred stocks, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly.

Credit Risk

There is a chance that the issuer of any of the Fund’s holdings will have its ability to pay dividends deteriorate or will default (fail to make scheduled dividend payments on the preferred stock or scheduled interest payments on other obligations of the issuer not held by the Fund), which would negatively affect the value of any such holding.

Common Stock Risk

Because many preferred stocks allow holders to convert the preferred stock into common stock of the issuer, their market price can be sensitive to changes in the value of the issuer’s common stock. To the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in convertible preferred stocks, declining common stock values may also cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline.

Concentration Risk

A significant percentage of the Index’s constituent companies may be concentrated in a single industry, group of industries or sector. Stocks in the Index may underperform fixed income investments and stock market investments that track other markets, segments or sectors.

 

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Passive Investments

The Fund is not actively managed. The Fund may be affected by a general decline in the demand for preferred stocks or a decline in the U.S. market segments comprised of the companies issuing preferred stocks. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. BGFA does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets.

Tracking Error Risk

Imperfect correlation between the Fund’s securities and those in the Index, Representative Sampling, rounding of prices, changes to the Index and regulatory policies may cause the Fund’s performance to not match the performance of the Index. This is called “tracking error”. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses while the Index does not incur such expenses.

Management Risk

Because the Fund does not fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index, the Fund is subject to management risk. This is the risk that BGFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

Other Risks of Investing in Preferred Stocks

Preferred stocks are subject to market volatility and the prices of preferred stocks will fluctuate based on market demand. Preferred stocks often have call features which allow the issuer to redeem the security at its discretion. If a preferred stock is redeemed by the issuer, it will be removed from the Index. The redemption of preferred stocks having a higher than average yield may cause a decrease in the yield of the Index and the Fund. Because the Index is rebalanced annually, the removal of a large number of preferred stocks during the year due to maturity, redemption, conversion or other corporate action may cause the Index to be periodically concentrated in a smaller number of issuers or in issuers of a particular sector or industry.

Unlike debt securities, dividend payments on a preferred stock typically must be declared by the issuer’s board of directors. An issuer’s board of directors is generally not under any obligation to pay a dividend (even if such dividends have accrued), and may suspend payment of dividends on preferred stock at any time. In the event an issuer of preferred stock experiences economic difficulties, the issuer’s preferred stock may lose substantial value due to the reduced likelihood that the issuer’s board of directors will declare a dividend and the fact that the preferred stock may be subordinated to other securities of the same issuer.

Market Trading Risks

Absence of Prior Active Market

Although shares of the Fund described in this Prospectus are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.

Lack of Market Liquidity

Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a national securities exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of the shares of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV

Shares of the Fund may trade at, above or below their NAV. The per share NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV as well as market supply and demand. However, given that shares can be created and redeemed only in Creation Units at NAV (unlike shares of many closed- end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs), BGFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund’s shares should not be sustained.

 

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Non-Diversified Risk

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” A non-diversified fund generally may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular companies, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these companies.

Derivatives

A derivative is a financial contract the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset such as a security or an index. The Fund may invest in stock index futures contracts and other derivatives. Compared to conventional securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Fund’s losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities.

Lack of Governmental Insurance or Guarantee

An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Portfolio Holdings Information

A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). The top holdings of the Fund can be found at www.iShares.com. Fund fact sheets provide information regarding the Fund’s top holdings and may be requested by calling 1-800-iShares.

Performance Information

Performance information for the Fund is not presented as the Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.

 

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Fees and Expenses

Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers.

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund.

 

Shareholder Fees

  

(fees paid directly from your investment, but see the Creation Transaction Fees and Redemption Transaction Fees section below)

  

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

  

(expenses that are deducted from the Fund’s assets)*

  

Management Fees

   [    ]%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

   None

Other Expenses**

   None

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

   [    ]%
*   Expressed as a percentage of average net assets.
**   The Trust’s Investment Advisory Agreement provides that BGFA will pay all operating expenses of the Trust, except interest expense and taxes (both expected to be de minimis), any brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.

Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on the assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year    3 Years

$ [    ]

   $ [    ]

Creation Transaction Fees and Redemption Transaction Fees

The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in blocks of [50,000] shares or multiples thereof. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors purchase or redeem these Creation Units. A standard creation transaction fee of $[            ] is charged to each purchaser of Creation Units. The fee is a single charge and will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by an investor on the same day. The approximate value of a Creation Unit as of [                    ] was $[            ]. An investor who holds Creation Units and wishes to redeem them at NAV would also pay a standard redemption transaction fee of $[            ] on the date of such redemption(s), regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed that day.* Investors who hold Creation Units also will pay the annual fund operating expenses described in the table above. Assuming an investment in a Creation Unit of $[            ] and a 5% return each year, and assuming that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same, the total costs would be $[            ] if the Creation Unit is redeemed after one year and $[            ] if the Creation Unit is redeemed after three years.


* See the Transaction Fees section at the end of this Prospectus. If a Creation Unit is purchased or redeemed outside the usual process through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or for cash, a variable fee will be charged up to four times the standard creation or redemption transaction fee.

 

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Management

Investment Adviser

As investment adviser, BGFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust. BGFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of its assets. BGFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BGFA’s extensive resources. BGFA also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate.

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, BGFA is responsible for all expenses of the Trust, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, except interest expense and taxes, brokerage expenses and other expenses connected with executions of portfolio transactions, any distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.

BGFA is entitled to receive management fees from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, as shown in the following table:

 

iShares Index Fund

   Management Fee*  

iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

   [     ]%

* Because the Fund has not been in operation for a full fiscal year, the percentages reflect the rate at which BGFA will be paid.

BGFA is located at 45 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BGI, which in turn is a majority-owned subsidiary of Barclays Bank PLC. As of [            ], 2006, BGI and its affiliates, including BGFA, provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $[            ] trillion. BGI, BGFA, Barclays Global Investor Services, Barclays Bank PLC and their affiliates deal, trade and invest for their own accounts in the types of securities in which the Fund may also invest.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the investment advisory agreement with BGFA will be available in the Fund’s semi-annual report for the period ending [            ], 2007.

Portfolio Managers

Patrick O’Connor and Lisa Chen (the “Portfolio Managers”) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager is responsible for various functions related to portfolio management, including, but not limited to, investing cash inflows, coordinating with members of their team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy, and overseeing members of his or her portfolio management team with more limited responsibilities, but each Portfolio Manager has appropriate limitations on his or her authority for risk management and compliance purposes.

Patrick O’Connor is an employee of BGFA and BGI and, together with the other Portfolio Manager, will be primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund from its inception. Mr. O’Connor has been a senior portfolio manager for BGFA and BGI since 1999.

Lisa Chen is an employee of BGFA and BGI and, together with the other Portfolio Manager, will be primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund from its inception. Ms. Chen has been a portfolio manager for BGFA and BGI since 1999.

The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership (if any) of shares in the Fund.

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent

Investors Bank & Trust Company (“Investors Bank”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.

 

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Shareholder Information

Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the Fund, is available free of charge by calling toll-free: 1-800-iShares or visiting our website www.iShares.com.

Buying and Selling Shares

Shares of the Fund trade on national securities exchanges and elsewhere during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other shares of publicly traded securities. There is no minimum investment. When buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges.

Shares of the Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.

The Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted a policy of not monitoring for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares (“frequent trading”) that appear to attempt to take advantage of a potential arbitrage opportunity presented by a lag between a change in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities after the close of the primary markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities and the reflection of that change in the Fund’s NAV (“market timing”), because the Fund sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, with a deadline for placing cash-related transactions no later than the close of the primary markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities. The Board of Trustees has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed and traded on national securities exchanges. Shares of the Fund trade under the trading symbol listed for the Fund earlier in this Prospectus.

The Fund is listed on the [Listing Exchange]. The [Listing Exchange] is open Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an exemptive order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to the iShares Funds, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Fund.

Book Entry

Shares of the Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.

Investors owning shares of the Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares of the Fund. Participants include DTC, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

Share Prices

The trading prices of shares in the secondary market may differ in varying degrees from their daily NAVs and can be affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors.

The approximate value of shares of the Fund is disseminated every fifteen seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund is listed or by other information providers, such as Bloomberg. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV, because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day. The approximate value generally is determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and makes no warranty as to its accuracy.

 

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Determination of Net Asset Value

Investors Bank calculates the NAV for the Fund generally once daily Monday through Friday generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices at the time of closing, provided that (a) any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar shall be translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more major banks or dealers that makes a two-way market in such currencies (or a data service provider based on quotations received from such banks or dealers); and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Bond Market Association announces an early closing time. The NAV of the Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund, generally rounded to the nearest cent. In calculating the Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s investments are generally valued using market valuations. In the event that current market valuations are not readily available or such valuations do not reflect current market values, the affected investments will be valued using fair value pricing pursuant to the pricing policy and procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. The frequency with which the Fund’s investments are valued using fair value pricing is primarily a function of the types of securities and other assets in which the Fund invests pursuant to its investment objective, strategies and limitations.

Investments that may be valued using fair value pricing include, but are not limited to: (i) an unlisted security related to corporate actions; (ii) a restricted security (i.e., one that may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)); (iii) a security whose trading has been suspended or which has been de-listed from its primary trading exchange; (iv) a security that is thinly traded; (v) a security in default or bankruptcy proceedings for which there is no current market quotation; (vi) a security affected by currency controls or restrictions; and (vii) a security affected by a significant event (i.e., an event that occurs after the close of the markets on which the security is traded but before the time as of which the Fund’s NAV is computed and that may materially affect the value of the Fund’s investments). Examples of events that may be “significant events” are government actions, natural disasters, armed conflict, acts of terrorism, and significant market fluctuations.

Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those investments that may differ from current market prices. Accordingly, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Fund’s Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Fund’s Index.

Dividends and Distributions

The Fund pays out dividends to investors at least annually. The Fund distributes its net capital gains, if any, to investors annually.

Taxes

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of the Fund will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.

Unless your investment in shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

n The Fund makes distributions, and

 

n You sell shares.

Taxes on Distributions

Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, and distributions of income from securities lending, are taxable to you as

 

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ordinary income. Distributions by the Fund of net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends) are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the Fund’s shares. Distributions by the Fund that qualify as qualified dividend income are taxable to you at long-term capital gain rates. Under current law, the taxation of qualified dividend income at long-term capital gain rates will no longer apply for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. In order for a distribution by the Fund to be treated as qualified dividend income, the Fund must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to its dividend paying securities and you must meet holding period requirements and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year when they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, the Fund’s ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short-term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies, provided, however, that for taxable years of the Fund beginning on or before December 31, 2007, interest related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends may not be subject to such U.S. withholding tax.

If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by law, back-up withholding will apply to your distributions and proceeds if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number and made other required certifications.

Taxes When Shares are Sold

Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares.

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax adviser about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.

Creations and Redemptions

The shares that trade in the secondary market are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of [50,000] shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” enters into an authorized participant agreement with SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SEI”), the Fund’s distributor, which is subject to acceptance by the transfer agent, and then deposits into the Fund a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund and a specified amount of cash in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units.

Similarly, shares can only be redeemed in a specified number of Creation Units principally in-kind for a portfolio of securities held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after an order is received in a form described in the authorized participant agreement.

Creations and redemptions must be made through a firm that is either a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or a DTC participant, and in each case, must have executed an agreement with SEI with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the SAI.

Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of the Fund, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in them being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus-delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. Nonetheless, any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.

 

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Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters,” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by section 4(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act is only available with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.

Transaction Fees

The Fund will impose a purchase transaction fee and a redemption transaction fee to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units of shares. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units of shares for cash are required to pay an additional variable charge to compensate for brokerage and market impact expenses. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees for creations and redemptions in kind for the Fund are discussed below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to each purchaser on the day such purchaser creates a Creation Unit. The fee is a single charge and will be the amount indicated below regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by an investor on the same day. BGFA may, from time to time, at its own expense, compensate purchasers of Creation Units who have purchased substantial amounts of Creation Units, and other financial institutions for administrative or marketing services. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee will be the amount indicated regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed that day. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees for creations and redemptions through DTC for cash (when cash creations and redemptions are available or specified) will also be subject to an additional variable charge of up to a maximum of four times the amount shown below under “Maximum Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee.” In addition, purchasers of shares in Creation Units are responsible for payment of the costs of transferring securities to the Fund. Redeemers of shares in Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring securities from the Fund. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may pay fees for such services. The following table also shows, as of [                            ], the approximate value of one Creation Unit per Fund, including the standard creation and redemption transaction fee.

 

Name of Fund

  

Approximate

Value of a
Creation
Unit

    Standard
Creation/
Redemption
Transaction
Fee
    Maximum
Creation/
Redemption
Transaction
Fee
 

iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

   $ [             ]   $ [             ]   $ [             ]

Householding

Householding is an option available to certain investors of the iShares Funds. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the iShares Funds is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

Distribution

SEI serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. SEI does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. SEI has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. SEI’s principal address is One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456.

Financial Highlights

Financial highlights for the Fund are not presented as the Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.

Index Provider

Standard & Poor’s is the Index Provider for the Index. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Trust, BGI, BGFA, Investors Bank, the Distributor, or the [listing exchange].

 

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Standard & Poor’s, provides financial, economic and investment information and analytical services to the financial community. Standard & Poor’s calculates and maintains the S&P® U.S. Preferred Stock Index. Company additions to and deletions from the Index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the company.

BGI has entered into a license agreement with Standard and Poor’s to use the Index. BGI is sub-licensing rights in the Index to the Trust at no charge.

Disclaimers

The iShares S&P Index Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s. Standard & Poor’s makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Trust or to any member of the public regarding the advisability of owning or trading in shares of the Trust. Standard & Poor’s only relationship to the Trust, BGI or BGFA is the licensing of certain trademarks, trade names and service marks of Standard & Poor’s and of the Standard & Poor’s Indices which are determined, composed, and calculated by Standard & Poor’s without regard to the Trust, BGI or BGFA. Standard & Poor’s has no obligation to take the needs of BGI, BGFA or the owners of shares into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Standard & Poor’s Indices. Standard & Poor’s is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination or timing of, the prices, or quantities of shares to be listed or sale or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares are to be converted into cash. Standard & Poor’s has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration of the Trust, or the marketing or trading of shares. Standard & Poor’s does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Standard & Poor’s Indices or any data included therein and Standard & Poor’s shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions therein. Standard & Poor’s makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by BGI, BGFA, owners of shares of the Trust, or any other person or entity from the use of the Standard & Poor’s Indices or any data included therein. Standard & Poor’s makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Standard & Poor’s Indices or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Standard & Poor’s have any liability for any lost profit or indirect, punitive, special or consequential damages, even if notified of the possibility of such damages. There are no third party beneficiaries of any agreements between Standard & Poor’s and BGI and BGFA.

Shares of the Trust are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by the [Listing Exchange]. The [Listing Exchange] makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to track the total return performance of the Index or the ability of the Index identified herein to track stock market performance. The Index identified herein is determined, composed and calculated by Standard and Poor’s without regard to the Fund. The [Listing Exchange] is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The [Listing Exchange] has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Fund.

The [Listing Exchange] does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein. The [Listing Exchange] makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the iShares Trust on behalf of its Funds as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the Trust, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject indices or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. The [Listing Exchange] makes no express or implied warranties, and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the [Listing Exchange] have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

BGFA does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein and BGFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions therein.

BGFA makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, to the owners of the shares of the Fund, or to any other person or entity, from the use of the Index or any data included therein. BGFA makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BGFA have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect, or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

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Copies of the Prospectus and SAI can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more detailed information about the Trust and shares of the Fund, you may request a copy of the SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Fund, and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this Prospectus.

If you have questions about the Fund or shares of the Trust or you wish to obtain the SAI, free of charge, please:

 

Call:    1-800-iShares
(toll free)    1-800-474-2737
   Monday through Friday
   8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time)
Email:    iSharesfunds@seic.com
Write:    iShares Trust
   c/o SEI Investments Distribution Co.
   One Freedom Valley Drive
   Oaks, PA 19456

Information about the Fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund and its shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep the Prospectus for future reference.

Investment Company Act File No. 811-09729


Table of Contents

The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The securities described herein may not be sold until the registration statement becomes effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any State in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

 

iShares® Trust

Statement of Additional Information

Dated _________, 2006

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (“Prospectus”) for the iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund of iShares Trust (the “Trust”) as such Prospectus may be revised or supplemented from time to time.

The Prospectus for the iShares S&P Index Series listed above is dated             , 2006. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust’s distributor, SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SEI” or the “Distributor”), at 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456, calling 1-800-iShares or visiting www.iShares.com. ®iShares is a registered trademark of Barclays Global Investors, N.A.


Table of Contents
     Page

General Description of the Trust and the Fund

   1

Exchange Listing and Trading

   1

Investment Strategies and Risks

   2

Lack of Diversification of the Fund

   2

Lending Portfolio Securities

   2

Repurchase Agreements

   2

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

   3

Money Market Instruments

   3

Securities of Investment Companies and REITs

   3

Illiquid Securities

   3

Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments

   3

Futures and Options

   3

Options on Futures Contracts

   4

Swap Agreements

   4

Future Developments

   4

General Considerations and Risks

   4

Risks of Futures and Options Transactions

   5

Risks of Swap Agreements

   5

Proxy Voting Policy

   5

Portfolio Holdings Information

   6

Construction and Maintenance Standards for the Underlying Index

   7

The S&P Indices Generally

   7

S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index

   8

Investment Limitations

   8

Continuous Offering

   9

Management

   10

Trustees and Officers

   10

Committees of the Board of Trustees

   14

Remuneration of Trustees

   14

Investment Adviser

   15

 

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Portfolio Managers

  16

Codes of Ethics

  17

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent

  17

Distributor

  17

Index Provider

  18
Brokerage Transactions   18
Additional Information Concerning the Trust   18

Shares

  18

Termination of the Trust or the Fund

  19

DTC Acts as Securities Depository for the Shares of the Trust

  19
Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations   20

Creation

  20

Fund Deposit

  20

Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations

  21

Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations

  21

Creation Transaction Fee

  22

Redemption of Shares in Creation Unit Aggregations

  22

Redemption Transaction Fee

  23

Regular Holidays

  23
Taxes   24

Registered Investment Company Qualifications

  24

Taxation of RICs

  24

 

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Excise Tax

  24

Back-Up Withholding

  24

Section 351

  24

Qualified Dividend Income

  24

Corporate Dividends Received Deduction

  25

Net Capital Loss Carryforwards

  25

Funds Holding Foreign Investments

  25

Federal Tax Treatment of Complex Securities

  25
Determination of NAV   27
Dividends and Distributions   28

General Policies

  28

Dividend Reinvestment Service

  28
Financial Statements   28
Miscellaneous Information   28

Counsel

  28

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

  28

 

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General Description of the Trust and the Fund

iShares Trust currently consists of over [80] investment portfolios. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 16, 1999 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The offering of the Trust’s shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). This SAI relates to the following fund (the “Fund”):

 

    iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P® U.S. Preferred Stock Index (its “Underlying Index”). The Fund is managed by Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA” or “Investment Adviser”), a subsidiary of Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”).

The Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each a “Creation Unit” or a “Creation Unit Aggregation”), generally in exchange for a basket of equity securities included in its Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). The shares described in the Prospectus and this SAI are listed and traded on national securities exchanges such as the [listing exchange]. iShares also may be listed on certain non-US exchanges. Shares trade in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Unit Aggregations, and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a specified cash payment. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally [50,000] or multiples thereof.

The Trust reserves the right to offer a “cash” option for creations and redemptions of shares although it has no current intention of doing so. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash at least equal to 105%, which BGFA may change from time to time, of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations section of this SAI. In each instance of such cash creations or redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed that will be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, such conditions and fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

Exchange Listing and Trading

A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus in the Shareholder Information section. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of the Prospectus.

Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the [Listing Exchange] (a “Listing Exchange”) and trade throughout the day on this Listing Exchange [and other secondary markets.] There can be no assurance that the requirements of a Listing Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. A Listing Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of the Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which such Fund is based is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. A Listing Exchange will remove the shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the share prices of the Fund in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.

 

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Investment Strategies and Risks

The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in securities issued by companies that comprise the Underlying Index and through transactions that provide substantially similar exposure to securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively managed. Adverse performance of a security in the Fund’s portfolio will ordinarily not result in the elimination of the security from the Fund’s portfolio.

The Fund will engage in Representative Sampling, which is investing in a representative sample of securities in the Underlying Index, selected by BGFA to have a similar investment profile as the Underlying Index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, earnings valuation and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the relevant Underlying Index. Funds that use Representative Sampling generally do not hold all of the securities that are included in the relevant Underlying Index.

Lack of Diversification of the Fund. The Fund is a non-diversified fund. A “non-diversified” classification means that a Fund is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The securities of a particular issuer may dominate the Underlying Index and, consequently, the Fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect the Fund’s performance or subject the Fund’s shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment companies.

In addition, the securities of issuers in particular industries may dominate the Underlying Index of the Fund and consequently the Fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect its performance or subject the Fund’s shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by less concentrated investment companies.

The Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a “regulated investment company” for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code (the “IRC”), and to relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the IRC may limit the investment flexibility of the Fund and make it less likely that the Fund will meet its investment objectives.

Lending Portfolio Securities. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers, including borrowers affiliated with BGFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. The Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. The Fund receives the value of any interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned securities.

With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the borrower will be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral and the fee paid to the borrower. In the case of collateral other than cash, the Fund is compensated by a fee paid by the borrower equal to a percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. Any cash collateral may be reinvested in certain short-term instruments either directly on behalf of each lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, including those managed by BGFA.

Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process), “gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees the Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. In the event a borrower does not return a Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral does not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities.

The Fund may pay a portion of the interest or fees earned from securities lending to a borrower as described above, and to a securities lending agent who administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. BGI acts as securities lending agent for the Fund subject to the overall supervision of BGFA. BGI receives a portion of the revenues generated by securities lending activities as compensation for its services in this regard.

Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with certain counterparties. Repurchase agreements involve an agreement to purchase financial instruments and to resell those instruments back to the same counterparty at an agreed-upon date and price, which price reflects a rate of interest unrelated to a coupon rate or maturity of the purchased instruments. The value of the instruments purchased may be more or less than the price at which the counterparty has agreed to repurchase them. As protection against the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation, the instruments are marked to market daily and are maintained at a value at least equal to the sale price plus the accrued incremental amount. Delays or losses could result if the counterparty to the repurchase agreement defaults or becomes insolvent. The Fund will only engage in repurchase agreements with counterparties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by BGFA.

 

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Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing. The securities purchased with the funds obtained from the agreement and securities collateralizing the agreement will have maturity dates no later than the repayment date. Generally the effect of such transactions is that the Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while in many cases the Fund is able to keep some of the interest income associated with those securities. Such transactions are only advantageous if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a greater rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions than the interest cost of obtaining the same amount of cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available and the Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when BGFA believes it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s assets. The Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by securities having a value equal to or greater than such commitments. Under the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements are considered borrowings.

Money Market Instruments. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1+” or “A-1” by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BGFA; and (iv) repurchase agreements. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

BGFA received an exemptive order from the SEC that permits the funds it manages, including the Fund, to invest in shares of money market funds affiliated with BGFA. Pursuant to this order, the Fund is permitted to invest in shares of money market funds affiliated with BGFA for cash management purposes.

Securities of Investment Companies and REITs. The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) and real estate investment trusts to the extent allowed by law. Under the 1940 Act, a fund’s investment in investment companies is limited to, subject to certain exceptions: (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company; (ii) 5% of the fund’s total assets with respect to any one investment company; and (iii) 10% of the fund’s total assets with respect to investment companies in the aggregate. Pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC, the Fund may invest its assets in securities of money market funds advised by BGFA or otherwise affiliated with BGFA in excess of the limits noted above. Investments in the securities of other investment companies generally involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses.

Illiquid Securities. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets.

Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. The Fund may invest in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity. The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (ii) negotiable CDs, bankers’ acceptances, fixed time deposits and other obligations of domestic banks (including foreign branches); (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1+” or “A-1” by S&P, or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BGFA; (iv) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that are rated in accordance with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (v) repurchase agreements; and (vi) short-term, U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign banks (including U.S. branches). Money market instruments include shares of money market mutual funds, including those managed by BGFA.

Futures and Options. The Fund may enter into U.S. futures contracts, options and options on futures contracts. These futures contracts and options will be used to simulate full investment in the respective Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund will only enter into futures contracts and options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange. The Fund will not use futures or options for speculative purposes. The Fund intends to use futures and options in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has filed a notice of eligibility for exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that the Fund is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.

 

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A call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security at a specified price (“exercise price”) within a specified period of time. A put option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security at a specified price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a call option pays the “writer” a premium, which is paid at the time of purchase and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. The Fund may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities it is committed to purchase. The Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the securities it holds or is committed to purchase.

Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific instrument or index at a specified future time and at a specified price. Stock index contracts are based on investments that reflect the market value of common stock of the firms included in the investments. The Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase security investments when BGFA anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. Assets committed to futures contracts will be segregated by the custodian to the extent required by law.

Options on Futures Contracts. An option on a futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s futures margin account that represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. The potential for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV of the Fund. The potential for loss related to writing call options is unlimited.

The Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange as a hedge against changes in value of its portfolio securities, or in anticipation of the purchase of securities, and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected.

Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund will be required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents known as “initial margin,” which is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract and is returned to the Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, known as “variation margin”, to and from the broker will be made daily as the price of the index underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking-to-market.” At any time prior to expiration of a futures contract, the Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate the Fund’s existing position in the contract.

Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on the change in market value or level of a specified rate, index or asset. In return, the other party agrees to make periodic payments to the first party based on the return of a different specified rate, index or asset. Swap agreements will usually be done on a net basis, the Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or highly liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess is maintained in an account at the Trust’s custodian bank.

The use of interest-rate and index swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These transactions generally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal.

Future Developments. The Board may, in the future, authorize the Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the applicable Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies.

General Considerations and Risks

A discussion of some of the risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus.

 

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An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of preferred or common stocks in general, and other factors that affect the market. An investment in the Fund should also be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the portfolio securities and thus in the value of shares of the Fund). Preferred stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. Holders of preferred stocks incur more risk than holders of debt obligations because preferred stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors or holders of debt obligations.

Risks of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. First, a position in futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be closed only on the exchange on which the contract was made (or a linked exchange). While the Fund plans to utilize futures contracts only if an active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist for the contract at a specified time. Furthermore, because, by definition, futures contracts project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in the Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Fund may be required to deliver the instruments underlying the future contracts it has sold.

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The Fund does not plan to use futures and options contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. The Fund, however, intends to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit its risk exposure to levels comparable to direct investment in the types of stocks in which it invests.

Utilization of futures and options on futures by the Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to the Underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index. There is also the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by BGFA as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.

Because the futures market imposes less burdensome margin requirements than the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators in the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting the Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.

Although the Fund intends to enter into futures contracts only if there is an active market for such contracts, there is no assurance that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time.

Risks of Swap Agreements. The risk of loss with respect to swaps generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the swap counterparty will default on its obligations. If such a default occurs, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor (e.g., the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it contractually is entitled to receive).

Proxy Voting Policy

The Trust has adopted as its proxy voting policies for the Fund, the proxy voting guidelines of BGFA, the investment adviser to the Fund. The Trust has delegated to BGFA the responsibility for voting proxies on the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The remainder of this section discusses the Fund’s proxy voting guidelines and BGFA’s role in implementing such guidelines.

 

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BGFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for the Fund in a manner that BGFA, in the exercise of its independent business judgment, concludes is in the best economic interests of the Fund. In some cases, BGFA may determine that it is in the best economic interests of the Fund to refrain from exercising the Fund’s proxy voting rights (such as, for example, proxies that might impose costly or time-consuming in-person voting requirements). With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting, BGFA’s approach is also driven by our clients’ economic interests. The evaluation of the economic desirability of recalling loans involves balancing the revenue producing value of loans against the likely economic value of casting votes. Based on our evaluation of this relationship, we believe that the likely economic value of casting a vote generally is less than the securities lending income, either because the votes will not have significant economic consequences or because the outcome of the vote would not be affected by BGFA recalling loaned securities in order to ensure they are voted. Periodically, BGFA analyzes the process and benefits of voting proxies for securities on loan, and will consider whether any modification of its proxy voting policies or procedures are necessary in light of any regulatory changes. BGFA will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with its proxy voting guidelines. BGFA’s proxy voting guidelines provide detailed guidance as to how to vote proxies on certain important or commonly raised issues. BGFA may, in the exercise of its business judgment, conclude that the proxy voting guidelines do not cover the specific matter upon which a proxy vote is requested, or that an exception to the proxy voting guidelines would be in the best economic interests of the Fund. BGFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies without regard to the relationship of the issuer of the proxy (or any shareholder of such issuer) to the Fund, the Fund’s affiliates (if any), BGFA or BGFA’s affiliates, or SEI or SEI’s affiliates. When voting proxies, BGFA attempts to encourage companies to follow practices that enhance shareholder value and increase transparency and allow the market to place a proper value on their assets. With respect to certain specific issues:

 

    The Fund generally supports the board’s nominees in the election of directors and generally supports proposals that strengthen the independence of boards of directors;

 

    The Fund generally does not support proposals on social issues that lack a demonstrable economic benefit to the issuer and the Fund investing in such issuer; and

 

    The Fund generally votes against anti-takeover proposals and proposals that would create additional barriers or costs to corporate transactions that are likely to deliver a premium to shareholders.

BGFA maintains institutional policies and procedures that are designed to prevent any relationship between the issuer of the proxy (or any shareholder of the issuer) and the Fund, the Fund’s affiliates (if any), BGFA or BGFA’s affiliates, or SEI or SEI’s affiliates, from having undue influence on BGFA’s proxy voting activity. In certain instances, BGFA may determine to engage an independent fiduciary to vote proxies as a further safeguard against potential conflicts of interest or as otherwise required by applicable law. The independent fiduciary may either vote such proxies or provide BGFA with instructions as to how to vote such proxies. In the latter case, BGFA votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s determination.

Information with respect to how BGFA voted Fund proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-iShares or through the Fund’s website at www.iShares.com: and (ii) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Portfolio Holdings Information

The Fund’s Board of Trustees has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings information that requires that such information be disclosed in a manner that: (a) is consistent with applicable legal requirements and in the best interests of the Fund’s respective shareholders; (b) does not put the interests of BGFA, SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SEI” or the “Distributor”), or any affiliated person of the Fund, the Investment Adviser or the Distributor, above those of Fund shareholders; (c) does not advantage any current or prospective Fund shareholders over any other current or prospective Fund shareholders, except to the extent that certain Entities (as described below) may receive portfolio holdings information not available to other current or prospective Fund shareholders in connection with the dissemination of information necessary for transactions in Creation Units, as contemplated by the iShares Exemptive Orders and discussed below; and (d) does not provide selective access to portfolio holdings information except pursuant to the procedures outlined below and to the extent appropriate confidentiality arrangements limiting the use of such information are in effect. The “Entities” referred to in sub-section (c) above are generally limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members and subscribers to various fee-based subscription services, including those large institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) that have been authorized by the Distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares (known as “Creation Units”) pursuant to legal requirements, including exemptive orders granted by the SEC pursuant to which the Fund offers and redeems its shares (“iShares Exemptive Orders”), and other institutional market participants and entities that provide information services.

 

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Each business day, Fund portfolio holdings information will be provided to the Distributor or other agent for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC and/or other fee-based subscription services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to those other fee-based subscription services, including Authorized Participants, and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading shares of the Fund in the secondary market. This information typically reflects the Fund’s anticipated holdings on the following business day.

Daily access to information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings is permitted (i) to certain personnel of those service providers that are involved in portfolio management and providing administrative, operational, risk management, or other support to portfolio management, including affiliated broker-dealers and/or Authorized Participants, and (ii) to other personnel of the Investment Adviser and other service providers, such as the Fund’s administrator, custodian and fund accountant, who deal directly with, or assist in, functions related to investment management, administration, custody and fund accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with the iShares Exemptive Orders, agreements with the Fund, and the terms of the Fund’s current registration statement.

From time to time, information concerning Fund portfolio holdings, other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may also be provided to other entities that provide additional services to the Fund, including, among others, rating or ranking organizations, in the ordinary course of business, no earlier than one business day following the date of the information. Portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide additional services to the Fund in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC.

The Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis, based on the Fund’s fiscal year, within 60 days of the end of the quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder. The Fund, however, may voluntarily disclose all or part of its portfolio holdings other than in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, in advance of required filings with the SEC, provided that such information is made generally available to all shareholders and other interested parties in a manner that is consistent with the above policy for disclosure of portfolio holdings information. Such information may be made available through a publicly-available website or other means that make the information available to all likely interested parties in a contemporaneous manner.

The Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures.

The Fund’s Board of Trustees reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of portfolio holdings information at least annually.

Construction and Maintenance Standards for the Underlying Index

A brief description of the Underlying Index on which the Fund is based and the equity markets in which the Fund invests are provided below.

The S&P Indices Generally

About Standard & Poor’s Indices. S&P calculates various U.S. and global indices. These indices are comprised of securities selected according to published criteria or guidelines designed to reflect the performance of a market or certain sections of a market.

Index Availability. The S&P Indices are calculated continuously and are available from major data vendors.

Issue Changes. General oversight responsibility for the S&P Indices, including overall policy guidelines and methodology, is handled by the S&P Global Index Committee. Maintenance of component investments, including additions and deletions to these investments, is the responsibility of separate regional index committees composed of S&P staff specialized in the various regional equity markets and, in some cases with the assistance of local stock exchanges. Public announcements of index changes as the result of committee decisions will generally be made one to five business days in advance of the anticipated effective date whenever possible, although for exceptional corporate events announcements may be made earlier.

Index Maintenance. Maintaining the S&P Indices includes monitoring and completing the adjustments for company additions and deletions, share changes, stock splits, stock dividends, and stock price adjustments due to restructuring and spin-offs.

 

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S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index

Number of Components: approximately [45]

Index Description. The S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index measures the performance of a selected group of preferred stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. The Underlying Index may include preferred stocks that are issued in the U.S. by U.S-domiciled entities whose parent companies or guarantors may be non-U.S. entities. The preferred stocks included in the Underlying Index are selected by S&P using the methodology described below. In general terms, the Underlying Index includes preferred stocks with a market capitalization of over $100 million that meet minimum price, trading volume and other requirements determined by S&P. S&P excludes (i) preferred stocks that are structured products and brand-name products issued by financial institutions and are packaged securities linked to indices, baskets of stocks or another company’s stock, (ii) preferred stocks that are issued by special ventures such as highway, airport, or dam operators, (iii) ADRs and other forms of depositary receipts and (iv) preferred stocks that have a mandatory conversion or scheduled maturity within the next 12 months (i.e., before the next rebalancing). After excluding the securities listed above, S&P removes preferred stocks that (i) trade at $1.00 or less per share at the time the Underlying Index is constituted or rebalanced (ii) have an outstanding market capitalization of less than $100 million, (iii) have a 12-month average monthly trading volume of less than 300,000 shares, or (iv) have a trading volume of less than $18 million during the previous month. In addition, S&P removes preferred stocks for which S&P cannot determine an indicated dividend when (i) there occurs significant and persistent arrears in payments and (ii) uncertainty about survival of the stock’s listing because of possible impending corporate actions such as a merger, acquisition or other corporate restructuring (including bankruptcy). The reference date for all of the preceding criteria is the last trading day in August of each year. S&P also limits the exposure to any single issuer to three issues of that company’s preferred stock, unless the aggregate of all issues of such company is less than 5% of the total market capitalization of the Underlying Index. For purposes of this limitation, S&P defines a single issuer to include companies that are under common control or are guaranteed by the same entity which is also affiliated with such companies. The Underlying Index is calculated with a modified capitalization weighted scheme, with modifications being made to Underlying Index shares to prevent single stock concentration: specifically, no single Underlying Index component may have a weight of more than 10%.

The Underlying Index is reconstituted annually after the close of the NYSE on the third Friday of September.

It is possible that the preferred stocks constituting the Underlying Index may change prior to the next rebalancing date, due to conversion or redemption of the preferred stock or for other reasons. In such an event, S&P will generally remove the stock on the first date of the redemption or conversion period and adjust the Underlying Index’s value accordingly. S&P will make an announcement one to five business days before a preferred stock is removed from the Underlying Index.

Investment Limitations

The Fund has adopted its investment objective as a non-fundamental policy. Therefore, the Fund may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without a shareholder vote. The Board has adopted as fundamental policies the Fund’s investment restrictions numbered one through six below. The restrictions for the Fund cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. A vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities is defined in the 1940 Act as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a fund meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy, or (b) more than 50% of outstanding voting securities.

The Fund will not:

 

1. Concentrate its investments (i.e. hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries), except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Underlying Index concentrates in the stocks of such particular industry or group of industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

 

2. Borrow money, except that (i) the Fund may borrow from banks for temporary or emergency (not leveraging) purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests which might otherwise require the untimely disposition of securities, and (ii) the Fund may, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, enter into repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, forward roll transactions and similar investment strategies and techniques. To the extent that it engages in transactions described in (i) and (ii), the Fund will be limited so that no more than 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) is derived from such transactions. Any borrowings which come to exceed this amount will be reduced in accordance with applicable law.

 

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3. Issue any senior security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

4. Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

5. Purchase or sell real estate, real estate mortgages, commodities or commodity contracts, but this restriction shall not prevent the Fund from trading in futures contracts and options on futures contracts (including options on currencies to the extent consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies).

 

6. Engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by other persons, except to the extent that the Fund may technically be deemed to be an underwriter under the Securities Act in disposing of portfolio securities.

In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as fundamental policies, set forth above, the Fund will not invest in the securities of a company for the purpose of exercising management or control or purchase or otherwise acquire any illiquid security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, which currently permits up to 15% of the Fund’s net assets to be invested in illiquid securities.

BGFA monitors the liquidity of restricted securities in the Fund’s portfolio. In reaching liquidity decisions, BGFA considers the following factors:

 

  The frequency of trades and quotes for the security;

 

  The number of dealers wishing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential purchasers;

 

  Dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and

 

  The nature of the security and the nature of the marketplace in which it trades (e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer).

If any percentage restriction described above is complied with at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from a change in values of assets will not constitute a violation of such restriction.

The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities in the Fund’s Underlying Index and in ADRs based on securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund also has adopted a policy to provide its shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior written notice of any change in such policy. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy.

Continuous Offering

The method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Listing Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.

 

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Management

Trustees and Officers. The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed by BGFA and other service providers. Each Trustee serves until his or her successor is duly elected or appointed and qualified.

iShares Trust, iShares, Inc., Master Investment Portfolio and Barclays Global Investors Funds, each an open-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act, are considered to be members of the same fund complex, as defined in Form N-1A under the 1940 Act. Each Trustee also serves as a Director for iShares, Inc. and, as a result, oversees a total of [111] Funds within the fund complex. In addition, Lee T. Kranefuss and Richard K. Lyons each serve as a Trustee for Barclays Global Investors Funds and Master Investment Portfolio and, as a result, oversees an additional 25 portfolios within the fund complex. The address of each Trustee and Officer, unless otherwise indicated, is 45 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The Board has designated George G.C. Parker as its Lead Trustee.

Trustees and Officers

 

Name (Year of Birth)

Interested Trustees

  

Position

  

Principal Occupation(s) During the

Past 5 Years

  

Other Directorships Held by

Trustee/Officer

Interested Trustees

        
*Lee T. Kranefuss (1961)    Interested Trustee, Chairman, and President (since 2003)    Chief Executive Officer of Intermediary Investors and Exchange Traded Products Business of BGI (since 2003); Chief Executive Officer of the Individual Investor Business of BGI (1999-2003) and Chief Executive Officer, Global Index and Markets Group of BGI (2005-present).    Director (since 2003) of iShares, Inc.; Trustee (since 2001) of Barclays Global Investors Funds and Master Investment Portfolio; Director (since 2003) of BGI Cayman Prime Money Market Fund; Director (since 2003) of iShares PLC and EETF PLC (Dublin).
*John E. Martinez (1962)   

Interested Trustee

(since 2003)

   Co-CEO of Global Index and Markets Group of BGI (2001-2003); Chairman of Barclays Global Investors Services (2000-2003); CEO of Capital Markets Group of BGI (1996-2001).    Director (since 2005) of Real Estate Equity Exchange; Director (since 2003) of iShares, Inc.; Director (since 2003) of Larkin Street Youth Services.

* Lee T. Kranefuss and John E. Martinez are deemed to be “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust due to their affiliations with BGFA, the Fund’s investment adviser, BGI, the parent company of BGFA, and Barclays Global Investors Services, an affiliate of BGFA and BGI.

 

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Name (Year of Birth)

Independent Trustees

  

Position

  

Principal Occupation(s) During the

Past 5 Years

  

Other Directorships Held by

Trustee/Officer

Independent Trustees

        
Richard K. Lyons (1961)    Independent Trustee (since 2000)    Executive Associate Dean (since 2005) and Sylvan Coleman Chair in Finance (since 2004); Acting Dean (2004-2005) and Professor (since 1993), University of California, Berkeley: Haas School of Business; Consultant for IMF World Bank, Federal Reserve Bank, and Citibank N.A. (since 2000).    Director (since 2003) of the BGI Cayman Prime Money Market Fund, Ltd.; Trustee (since 2001) of Master Investment Portfolio and Barclays Global Investors Funds; Director (since 2002) of iShares, Inc.; Trustee (since 1995) and Chairman of Matthews Asian Funds (oversees 8 portfolios).
George G.C. Parker (1939)    Independent Trustee (since 2000)    Dean Witter Distinguished Professor of Finance (since 1994); Formerly Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of MBA Program, Stanford University: Graduate School of Business (1993-2001).    Director (since 2002) of iShares, Inc.; Director (since 1996) of Continental Airlines, Inc.; Director (since 1995) of Community First Financial Group; Director (since 1999) of Tejon Ranch Company; Director (since 2003) of First Republic Bank; Director (since 2004) of Threshold Pharmaceuticals.
Cecilia H. Herbert (1949)    Independent Trustee (since 2005)    Member of Finance Council, Archdiocese of San Francisco (since 1991); Chair of Investment Committee, Archdiocese of San Francisco (1994-2005).    Director (since 2005) of iShares, Inc.; Trustee (2004-2005) of Pacific Select Funds; Trustee (1992-2003) of the Montgomery Funds; Trustee (since 2005) of the Thacher School; Director (since 1998) of Catholic Charities CYO; Trustee (1998-2000) of the Groton School; Director (since 2005) of Women’s Forum West (professional association).
Charles A. Hurty (1943)   

Independent Trustee

(since 2005)

   Partner, KPMG, LLP (1968-2001).    Director (since 2005) of iShares, Inc.; Director (since 2002) of GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund (1 portfolio); Director (since 2002) of Citigroup Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (2 portfolios); Director (since 2005) of CSFB Alternative Investments Fund (15 portfolios).

 

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Name (Year of Birth)

Independent Trustees

  

Position

  

Principal Occupation(s) During the

Past 5 Years

  

Other Directorships Held by

Trustee/Officer

John E. Kerrigan (1955)    Independent Trustee (since 2005)    Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University (since 2002); Managing Director, Merrill Lynch (1994-2002).    Director (since 2005) of iShares, Inc.; Member (since 2004) of Advisory Council for Commonfund Distressed Debt Partners II.
Officer         
Michael Latham (1965)    Secretary, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer (since 2002)    Chief Operating Officer of the Intermediary Investors and Exchange Traded Products Business of BGI (since 2003), Director of Mutual Fund Delivery in the U.S. Individual Investor Business of BGI (2000-2003); Head of Operations, BGI Europe (1997 - 2000).    None.

 

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The following table sets forth, as of December 31, 2005, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Fund and in other registered investment companies overseen by the Trustee within the same family of investment companies as the Trust.

 

NAME OF TRUSTEE

  

NAME OF INDEX FUND

  

DOLLAR RANGE OF EQUITY

SECURITIES IN THE FUND

  

AGGREGATE DOLLAR RANGE

OF EQUITY SECURITIES IN ALL
REGISTERED INVESTMENT
COMPANIES OVERSEEN BY
TRUSTEE IN FAMILY OF
INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Richard K. Lyons   

iShares Lehman 1-3 Year Treasury Bond

iShares S&P 500

LifePath 2030 Portfolio

   $50,001 - $100,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
   Over $100,000
Lee T. Kranefuss   

iShares Lehman 1-3 Year Treasury Bond

iShares Russell 3000

iShares GS $ InvesTop Corporate Bond

iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend

   $50,001 - $100,000
Over $100,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
   Over $100,000
John E. Martinez   

iShares MSCI EAFE

iShares Russell 1000

iShares Russell 1000 Value

iShares S&P 500

   Over $100,000
Over $100,000
Over $100,000
Over $100,000
   Over $100,000
George G.C. Parker   

iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend

iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25

iShares GS $ InvesTop™ Corporate Bond

iShares Lehman 1-3 Year Treasury Bond

iShares MSCI EAFE

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets

iShares MSCI Mexico

iShares Russell 1000 Value

iShares Russell 2000

iShares Russell 2000 Value

iShares S&P 100

iShares S&P 500

iShares S&P 500 Growth

iShares S&P 500 Value

iShares S&P Midcap 400

iShares S&P Midcap 400 Value

iShares S&P Global 100

   Over $100,000
$50,001 - $100,000
Over $100,000
$10,001 - $50,000

Over $100,000
Over $100,000
$50,001 - $100,000

Over $100,000
$50,001 - $100,000
Over $100,000
Over $100,000
Over $100,000
$10,001 - $50,000

$50,001 - $100,000
Over $100,000
Over $100,000

$10,001 - $50,000
   Over $100,000
W. Allen Reed*    None    Not Applicable    Not Applicable
Cecilia H. Herbert   

iShares MSCI Hong Kong

iShares MSCI Japan

iShares Dow Jones Consumer Goods Sector

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Healthcare

iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend

iShares S&P 500 Index

iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25

   $10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$50,001 - $100,000
$10,001 - $50,000
Over $100,000
$50,001 - $100,000
   Over $100,000
Charles A. Hurty   

iShares S&P 500 Index

iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25

iShares Dow Jones Financial Sector

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Energy Sector

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Technology Sector

iShares MSCI EAFE

iShares MSCI Japan

   $10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
$10,001 - $50,000
   Over $100,000
John E. Kerrigan    iShares Russell 1000    Over $100,000    Over $100,000

* Served as Trustee through June 30, 2006.

 

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As of December 31, 2005, none of the Trustees who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust (“Independent Trustees”) or their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BGFA (the Fund’s investment adviser), SEI (the Fund’s distributor) or any person controlling, controlled by or under control with BGFA or SEI.

Committees of the Board of Trustees. Each Independent Trustee serves on the Audit and Nominating Committees of the Board of Trustees. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board of Trustees (1) in its oversight of the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Trust; (2) in its oversight of the Trust’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (3) in selecting, evaluating and, where deemed appropriate, replacing the independent accountants (or nominating the independent accountants to be proposed for shareholder approval in any proxy statement); and (4) in evaluating the independence of the independent accountants. The Audit Committee of the Trust met four times during the calendar year ended December 31, 2005.

The Nominating Committee nominates individuals for Independent Trustee membership on the Board of Trustees. The Nominating Committee evaluates candidates’ qualifications for board membership, including their independence from the Fund’s investment adviser and other principal service providers and the potential effects of any other relationship that might impair the independence of a candidate. In addition, the Nominating Committee periodically reviews the composition of the Board of Trustees to determine whether it may be appropriate to add individuals with different backgrounds or skills from those already on the Board of Trustees. The Nominating Committee considers nominees recommended by shareholders if such nominees are submitted in accordance with Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”), in conjunction with a shareholder meeting to consider the election of Trustees. The Nominating Committee met one time during the calendar year ended December 31, 2005.

Remuneration of Trustees. Effective January 1, 2006, the Trust pays each Independent Trustee and John Martinez, an Interested Trustee, an annual fee of $60,000 for meetings of the Board attended by the Trustee; also the Trust pays Charles Hurty an annual fee of $12,500 for service as the chairperson of the Board’s Audit committee and George G. C. Parker an annual fee of $25,000 for service as the Board’s Lead Trustee. Prior to January 1, 2006, the Trust paid each Independent Trustee and John Martinez, an Interested Trustee, an annual fee of $45,000 for meetings of the Board attended by each Trustee; also the Trust paid each Independent Trustee who served as a chairperson of a Board committee an annual fee of $2,500. Prior to April 1, 2005, the Trust paid each Independent Trustee and John Martinez, an Interested Trustee, an annual fee of $32,500 for meetings of the Board attended by each Trustee. The Trust also reimburses each Trustee for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred by him/her in connection with attending such meetings.

The table below sets forth the compensation paid to each Interested Trustee for the calendar year ended December 31, 2005.

 

Name of Interested Trustee

  

Aggregate

Compensation

from the

Trust

  

Pension or

Retirement

Benefits Accrued As
Part of Trust

Expenses*

  

Estimated Annual

Benefits Upon

Retirement*

  

Total

Compensation

From the Fund

and Fund Complex**

Lee T. Kranefuss***

   $ 0    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 0

John E. Martinez

   $ 41,875    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 83,750

* No Trustee or Officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Trust.

 

** Includes compensation for service on the Board of Directors of iShares, Inc.

 

*** Lee T. Kranefuss was not compensated by the Trust due to his employment with BGI during the time period reflected in the table.

The table below sets forth the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee for the calendar year ended December 31, 2005.

 

Name of Independent Trustee1

  

Aggregate

Compensation

from the

Trust

  

Pension or

Retirement

Benefits Accrued As
Part of Trust

Expenses*

  

Estimated Annual

Benefits Upon

Retirement*

  

Total

Compensation

From the Fund

and Fund Complex**

 

John B. Carroll***

   $ 8,125    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 16,250  

Richard K. Lyons

   $ 41,875    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 108,750 ****

George G. C. Parker

   $ 43,750    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 87,500  

W. Allen Reed+

   $ 43,750    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 87,500  

Charles A. Hurty1

   $ 22,500    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 45,000  

John E. Kerrigan1

   $ 22,500    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 45,000  

Cecilia H. Herbert1

   $ 22,500    Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 45,000  

1 Cecilia H. Herbert, Charles A. Hurty and John E. Kerrigan were elected to serve as Independent Trustees of the Trust effective August 11, 2005.

 

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* No Trustee or Officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Trust.

 

** Includes compensation for service on the Board of Directors of iShares, Inc.

 

*** Served as Trustee through March 1, 2005.

 

**** Includes compensation as Trustee for Barclays Global Investors Funds and Master Investment Portfolio, investment companies with 25 funds also advised by BGFA and/or for which BGFA provides administration services.

 

+ Served as Trustee through June 30, 2006.

The Trustees and officers of the Trust collectively owned less than 1% of the Fund’s outstanding shares as of [            ].

Investment Adviser. BGFA serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and BGFA. BGFA is a California corporation indirectly owned by Barclays Bank PLC and is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, BGFA, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of the Fund, manages and administers the Trust and the investment of the Fund’s assets. BGFA is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of the Fund.

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, BGFA is responsible for all expenses of the Trust, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, except expense interest and taxes, brokerage expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution fees and extraordinary expenses. For its investment management services to the Fund, BGFA is paid a management fee at the annual rates (as a percentage of such Fund’s average net assets) of:

 

iShares Index Fund

   Management Fee  

iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

   [     ]%

The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a majority of the Board who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60-days’ notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Investment Advisory Agreement is also terminable upon 60 days notice by BGFA and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Current interpretations of federal banking laws and regulations may prohibit Barclays Bank PLC, BGI and BGFA from controlling or underwriting the shares of the Trust, but would not prohibit Barclays Bank PLC or BGFA generally from acting as an investment adviser, administrator, transfer agent or custodian to the Fund or from purchasing iShares as agent for and upon the order of a customer.

BGFA believes that it may perform advisory and related services for the Trust without violating applicable banking laws or regulations. However, the legal requirements and interpretations about the permissible activities of banks and their affiliates may change in the future. These changes could prevent BGFA from continuing to perform services for the Trust. If this happens, the Board would consider selecting other qualified firms. Any new investment advisory agreement would be subject to shareholder approval.

 

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If current restrictions on bank activities with mutual funds were relaxed, BGFA, or its affiliates, would consider performing additional services for the Trust. BGFA cannot predict whether these changes will be enacted, or the terms under which BGFA, or its affiliates, might offer to provide additional services.

Portfolio Managers. Patrick O’Connor and Lisa Chen (the “Portfolio Managers”) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund as of the inception date of the Fund. The Portfolio Managers are also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of certain types of other iShares Funds and certain other portfolios and/or accounts in addition to the Funds, as indicated in the table below:1

Patrick O’Connor

 

Types of Accounts

   Number    Total Assets  

Registered Investment Companies

   [        $              ]

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

   [        $              ]

Other Accounts

   [        $              ]

Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements

   [        $              ]

Lisa Chen

 

Types of Accounts

   Number    Total Assets  

Registered Investment Companies

   [        $              ]

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

   [                         ]

Other Accounts

   [                         ]

Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements

   [        $              ]

 

1 Information provided in the table is as of [            ].

Each of the portfolios or accounts for which the Portfolio Managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management seeks to track the rate of return, risk profile and other characteristics of independent third-party indexes by either replicating the same combination of securities that compose those indexes or through a representative sampling of the securities that compose those indexes based on objective criteria and data. Certain of the portfolios or accounts for which the Portfolio Managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management are composed of securities the identity and amount of which are selected by a computer model that is based on prescribed, objective criteria using independent third-party data to transform independently maintained indexes. The Portfolio Managers are required to manage each portfolio or account to meet those objectives. Pursuant to BGI and BGFA policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably among the iShares Funds and other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply on the market, legal constraints or other factors, in which event the investment opportunity will be allocated equitably among those portfolios and accounts, including the Fund, seeking such investment opportunity. As a consequence, from time to time the Fund may receive a smaller allocation of an investment opportunity than they would have if the Portfolio Managers and BGFA and its affiliates did not manage other portfolios or accounts.

Like the Fund, the other portfolios or accounts for which the Portfolio Managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management generally pay an asset-based fee to BGFA or BGI, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may pay BGI an incentive-based fee in lieu of, or in addition to, an asset-based fee for its advisory services. A portfolio or account with an incentive-based fee would pay BGI a portion of that portfolio’s or account’s gains, or would pay BGI more for its services than would otherwise be the case if BGI meets or exceeds specified performance targets. By their very nature, incentive-based fee arrangements could present an incentive for BGI to devote greater resources, and allocate more investment opportunities, to the portfolios or accounts that have those fee arrangements, relative to other portfolios or accounts, in order to earn larger fees. Although BGI has an obligation to allocate resources and opportunities equitably among portfolios and accounts and intends to do so, shareholders of the Fund should be aware that, as with any group of portfolios and accounts managed by an investment adviser and/or its affiliates pursuant to varying fee arrangements, including incentive-based fee arrangements, there is the potential for a conflict-of-interest, that may result in the Portfolio Manager’s favoring those portfolios or accounts with incentive-based fee arrangements. As of [March 31, 2006], the Portfolio Managers did not manage any portfolio or account with an incentive-based fee.

As of [March 31, 2006], with respect to all iShares Funds and other portfolios and/or accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, on behalf of BGFA, the Portfolio Managers receive a salary and are eligible to receive an annual bonus. Each Portfolio Manager’s salary is a fixed amount generally determined annually based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the Portfolio Manager’s title, scope of responsibilities, experience and knowledge. Each Portfolio Manager’s bonus is a discretionary amount determined annually based on the overall profitability of the various BGI companies worldwide, the performance of the Portfolio Manager’s business unit, and an assessment of the Portfolio Manager’s

 

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individual performance. Each Portfolio Manager’s salary and annual bonus are paid in cash. In addition, a Portfolio Manager may be paid a signing bonus or other amounts in connection with initiation of employment with BGFA. If a Portfolio Manager satisfied the requirements for being part of a “select group of management or highly compensated employees (within the meaning of ERISA section 401(a))” as so specified under the terms of BGI’s Compensation Deferral Plan, the Portfolio Manager may elect to defer a portion of his or her bonus under that Plan.

Portfolio Managers may be selected, on a fully discretionary basis, for awards under BGI’s Compensation Enhancement Plan (“CEP”). Under CEP, these awards are determined annually, and vest after two years. At the option of the CEP administrators, the award may be “notionally invested” in funds managed by BGI, which means that the final award amount may be increased or decreased according to the performance of the BGI-managed funds over the two-year period. If the award is not notionally invested, the original award amount is paid once vested.

A Portfolio Manager may be granted options to purchase shares in Barclays Global Investors UK Holdings Limited (“BGI UK Holdings”), a company organized under the laws of England and Wales that directly or indirectly owns all of the Barclays Global Investors companies worldwide, which options vest in three equal installments over three years and are generally exercisable during prescribed exercise windows. Shares purchased must generally be held 355 days prior to sale. For such purposes, the value of BGI UK Holdings is based on its fair value as determined by an independent public accounting firm.

As of [March 31, 2006], the Portfolio Managers beneficially owned shares of the Fund in amounts reflected in the following table:

Patrick O’Connor

 

     Dollar Range

Fund

   None    $1 to $10k    $10,001 to
$50k
   $50,001 to
$100k
   $100,001 to
$500k
   $500,001 to
$1m
  

over

$1m

iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

   X                  

Lisa Chen

 

     Dollar Range

Fund

   None    $1 to $10k    $10,001 to
$50k
   $50,001 to
$100k
   $100,001 to
$500k
   $500,001 to
$1m
   over
$1m

iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

   X                  

Codes of Ethics. The Trust, BGFA and SEI have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. The Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. Investors Bank & Trust Company (“Investors Bank”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund. Investors Bank’s principal address is 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02111. Under the Administration Agreement with the Trust, Investors Bank provides necessary administrative, legal, tax, accounting services, and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and the Fund. In addition, Investors Bank makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. Under the Custodian Agreement with the Trust, Investors Bank maintains in separate accounts cash, securities and other assets of the Trust and the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records, and provides other services. Investors Bank is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by Investors Bank and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust for the Fund. Also, under a Delegation Agreement, Investors Bank is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with the Trust, Investors Bank acts as a transfer agent for the Fund’s authorized and issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Trust. As compensation for the foregoing services, Investors Bank receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by BGFA from its management fee.

Distributor. SEI Investments Distribution Co. is the distributor of shares of the Trust. Its principal address is 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes shares of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described in the Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units Aggregations

 

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section. iShares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, the Statement of Additional Information to persons purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (“NASD”).

The Distribution Agreement for the Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60-days prior written notice to the other party (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the relevant Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations of shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as defined below), DTC Participants (as defined below) and/or Investor Services Organizations.

BGFA or BGI may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of shares.

Index Provider. The Fund is based upon a particular index compiled by Standard and Poor’s. Standard and Poor’s is not affiliated with the Fund or with BGI or its affiliates. BGI has provided to the iShares Funds, the applicable sub-licenses without charge. The Fund is entitled to use its Underlying Index pursuant to a sub-licensing agreement with BGI, which in turn has a licensing agreement with Standard and Poor’s.

Brokerage Transactions

BGFA assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of the Fund for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. In selecting brokers or dealers for any transaction in portfolio securities, BGFA’s policy is to make such selection based on factors deemed relevant, including but not limited to, the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the reasonableness of the commission or mark-up or mark-down, if any, execution capability, settlement capability, back office efficiency and the financial condition of the broker or dealer, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid is evaluated by BGFA based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as may be involved in large block trades, less liquid securities, broad distributions, or other circumstances. BGFA does not consider the provision or value of research, products or services a broker or dealer may provide, if any, as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer or the determination of the reasonableness of commissions paid in connection with portfolio transactions. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of the Fund’s shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or a dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.

The Fund’s purchase and sale orders for securities may be combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BGFA manages or advises, and for which it has brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other accounts managed or advised by BGFA are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Fund and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by BGFA. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Fund is concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower transaction costs will be beneficial to the Fund. BGFA may deal, trade and invest for its own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest. BGFA may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for the account of the Fund with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BGFA, in conformity with the 1940 Act and SEC rules and regulations. Under these provisions, any commissions paid to affiliated brokers or dealers must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions charged by other brokers or dealers in comparable transactions. The Fund will not deal with affiliates in principal transactions unless permitted by applicable SEC rule or regulation or by SEC exemptive order.

Additional Information Concerning the Trust

Shares. The Trust was established as a Delaware statutory trust on December 16, 1999. The Trust currently is comprised of over [80] Funds. The Fund issues shares of beneficial interest, with no par value. The Board may designate additional iShares Funds. The Trust is currently registered with the SEC as an open-end management investment company.

Each share issued by an iShares Fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that Fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the relevant iShares Fund, and in the net distributable assets of such Fund on liquidation.

 

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Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all iShares Funds vote together as a single class except that, if the matter being voted on affects only a particular Fund, and, if a matter affects a particular Fund differently from other Funds, that Fund will vote separately on such matter.

Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All shares (regardless of the iShares Fund) have noncumulative voting rights for the Board. Under Delaware law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the shareholders.

Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit Aggregation(s) of shares of an iShares Fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in such Fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. An iShares Fund cannot predict the length of time for which one or more shareholders may remain a control person of the Fund.

Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to the Trust, c/o the Distributor, SEI Investments Distribution Co., at 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456.

Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of an iShares Fund may be subject to the reporting provisions of Section 13 of the 1934 Act and the SEC’s rules promulgated thereunder. In addition, absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC staff, officers and Trustees of an iShares Fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of such Fund (“Insiders”) may be subject to the insider reporting, short-swing profit and short sale provisions of Section 16 of the 1934 Act and the SEC’s rules promulgated thereunder. Beneficial owners and insiders should consult with their own legal counsel concerning their obligations under Sections 13 and 16 of the 1934 Act.

Termination of the Trust or the Fund. The Trust or the Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board or the affirmative vote of a super majority of the holders of the Trust or the Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Trust’s organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit Aggregation. In the event of a termination of the Trust or the Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Unit Aggregations or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Trust may make redemptions in-kind, for cash, or for a combination of cash or securities.

DTC Acts as Securities Depository for the Shares of the Trust. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (“DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities’ certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE, the AMEX and the NASD. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”).

Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares.

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

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Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of such Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name”, and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares of the Trust at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations

Creation. The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an order in proper form.

A “Business Day” with respect to the Fund is any day on which the Listing Exchange on which the Fund is listed for trading is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Listing Exchange observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed), Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities (i.e., the Deposit Securities), which constitutes a substantial replication, or a portfolio sampling representation, of the stocks involved in the Fund’s Underlying Index and an amount of cash (the “Cash Component”) computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.

The Cash Component is sometimes also referred to as the “Balancing Amount.” The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit Aggregation and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit Aggregation exceeds the Deposit Amount), the creator will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit Aggregation is less than the Deposit Amount), the creator will receive the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.

BGFA, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the applicable Listing Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund.

Such Deposit Securities are applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities is made available.

The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Fund Deposit for the Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BGFA with a view to the investment objective of the relevant Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities of the Underlying Index.

 

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In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e. a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed below). The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount where the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted under the securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws, or in certain other situations. The adjustments described above will reflect changes known to BGFA on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the Underlying Index or resulting from certain corporate actions.

Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund, an entity must be: (i) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see the Book Entry Only System section), and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations (“Participant Agreement”) (discussed below). A Participating Party and DTC Participant are collectively referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement. All shares of the Fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

All orders to create shares must be placed for one or more Creation Unit Aggregations. Orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund cannot be placed through the Clearing Process. All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations, whether through the Clearing Process (through a Participating Party) or outside the Clearing Process (through a DTC Participant), must be received by the Distributor no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Listing Exchange (“Closing Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) in each case on the date such order is placed in order for creation of Creation Unit Aggregations to be effected based on the NAV of shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. The date on which an order to create Creation Unit Aggregations (or an order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations, as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, as described below. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.

All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, as applicable, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and, therefore, orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases, there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and, to the extent needed, only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.

Those placing orders for Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution making the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Listing Exchange. Investors should be aware that the Authorized Participant may require orders for Creation Units placed with it to be in the form required by the individual Authorized Participant, which form may not be the same as the form of purchase order specified by the Trust that the Authorized Participant must deliver to the Distributor.

Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations. The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of the Fund if: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by BGFA, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or BGFA, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, Investors Bank, the Distributor or BGFA makes it, for all practical purposes, impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, BGFA, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, Investors Bank or sub-custodian or any other participant in

 

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the creation process, and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit Aggregation of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, Investors Bank, a sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

Creation Transaction Fee. A purchase transaction fee is imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs of the Fund associated with the issuance of Creation Units of shares. The fee is a single charge and will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by a purchaser on the same day. Purchasers of Creation Units of shares for cash are required to pay an additional variable charge to compensate for brokerage and market impact expenses. Where the Trust permits an in-kind purchaser to substitute cash in lieu of depositing a portion of the Deposit Securities, the purchaser will be assessed the additional variable charge for cash purchases on the “cash in lieu” portion of its investment. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Trust. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services.

The following table sets forth the standard and maximum creation transaction fee for the of the Fund.

 

Name of Fund

  

Standard Creation

Transaction Fee*

  

Maximum Creation

Transaction Fee*

iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

   $                                 $                             

* If a Creation Unit is purchased outside the usual process through the NSCC or for cash, a variable fee will be charged up to four times the standard creation or redemption transaction fee.

Redemption of Shares in Creation Units Aggregations. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Unit Aggregations at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through Investors Bank and only on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Unit Aggregations. Beneficial Owners must accumulate enough shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit Aggregation in order to have such shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit Aggregation. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit Aggregation.

With respect to the Fund, BGFA, through the NSCC and the Distributor, makes available immediately prior to the opening of business on the applicable Listing Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time) on each Business Day, the identity of the Fund securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as described below) on that day (“Fund Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Unit Aggregations.

Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for the Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit Aggregation generally consist of Fund Securities — as announced on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form — plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less a redemption transaction fee as listed below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater then the NAV of the shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the difference is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder.

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund: (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund or determination of the Fund’s NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.

 

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Redemption Transaction Fee. A redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund. The fee is a single charge and will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an investor on the same day. The redemption transaction fees for redemptions in kind and for cash and the additional variable charge for cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are available or specified) are listed below. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services.

The following table sets forth the standard and maximum redemption transaction fee for the of the Fund.

 

Name of Fund

  

Standard Redemption

Transaction Fee*

  

Maximum Redemption

Transaction Fee*

iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund

   $                                 $                             

* If a Creation Unit is redeemed outside the usual process through the NSCC or for cash, a variable fee will be charged up to four times the standard creation or redemption transaction fee.

Regular Holidays. The Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and Portfolio Securities on a basis of “T” plus three Business Days (i.e., days on which the national securities exchange is open). The Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and Portfolio Securities on a basis other than T plus three or T plus two in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates, or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within three Business Days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within normal settlement period.

The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring Portfolio Securities to redeeming investors, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for some Funds, in certain circumstances. The holidays applicable to the Fund during such periods are listed below, as are instances where more than seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Although certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year is not expected to exceed the maximum number of days listed below for the Fund. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays, or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.

The dates in calendar year 2006 in which the regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets of the below listed countries are as follows:

 

United States

                             
Jan 2    May 29   

Nov 23

           
Jan 16    Jul 4   

Dec 25

           
Feb 20    Sep 4               
Apr 14    Oct 9               

 

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Taxes

Registered Investment Company Qualifications. The Fund intends to qualify for and to elect treatment as a separate Regulated Investment Company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its net investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and meet several other requirements. Among such other requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Fund’s annual gross income must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership; and (ii) at the close of each quarter of the company’s taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited for purposes of this calculation in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer, of two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund (within the meaning of Section 851(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code), and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. The Fund’s investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly traded partnerships, may result in the Fund’s being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

Taxation of RICs. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. In such event, distributions to individuals should qualify as qualified dividend income and distributions to corporate shareholders generally should be eligible for the dividends-received deduction. Although the Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year, the Fund will be subject to federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. If the Fund’s distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder’s cost basis and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Excise Tax. The Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year at least 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus 98% of its capital gain net income for the twelve months ended October 31 of such year. The Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.

Back-Up Withholding. In certain cases, the Fund will be required to withhold at the applicable withholding rate, and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (1) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the Internal Revenue Service; (3) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding; or (4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

Section 351. The Trust on behalf of the Fund has the right to reject an order for a purchase of shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of a given Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, that Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. If the Fund’s basis in such securities on the date of deposit was less than market value on such date, the Fund, upon disposition of the securities, would recognize more taxable gain or less taxable loss than if its basis in the securities had been equal to market value. It is not anticipated that the Trust will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Trust determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to the Fund or its shareholders. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

Qualified Dividend Income. Distributions by the Fund of investment company taxable income (excluding any short-term capital gains) whether received in cash or shares will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend income, eligible for the reduced maximum rate to individuals of 15% (5% for individuals in lower tax brackets) to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and the Fund designates the distribution as qualified dividend

 

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income. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations (e.g., foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that (i) the shareholder has not held the shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the 121-day period that begins on the date that is 60 days before the date on which the shares become ex dividend with respect to such dividend (and the Fund also satisfies those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder), (ii) the shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to substantially similar or related property, or (iii) the shareholder elects to treat such dividend as investment income under section 163(d)(4)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code. The maximum 15% rate on qualified dividend income will not apply to dividends received in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income. Capital gain distributions consisting of the Fund’s net capital gains will be taxable as long-term capital gains.

Corporate Dividends Received Deduction. The Fund’s dividends that are paid to its corporate shareholders and are attributable to qualifying dividends it received from U.S. domestic corporations may be eligible, in the hands of such shareholders, for the corporate dividends received deduction, subject to certain holding period requirements and debt financing limitations.

Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, or until their respective expiration dates, whichever occurs first.

Funds Holding Foreign Investments. The Fund may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. The Fund that is permitted to do so will elect to “pass through” to its investors the amount of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund provided that the investor held the shares of the Fund, and the Fund held the security, on the dividend settlement date and for at least fifteen additional days immediately before and/or thereafter, with the result that each investor will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s foreign income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S. taxable income) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s foreign income taxes. A foreign person who invests in a Fund that elects to “pass through” its foreign taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A foreign tax credit may not exceed the investor’s U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investor’s foreign source income. For this purpose, each shareholder must treat as foreign source gross income (i) his proportionate share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from foreign sources; the Fund’s gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S. source income. This foreign tax credit limitation is applied separately to separate categories of income; for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2007, dividends from the Fund will be treated as “passive” or “financial services” income for this purpose. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2006, the number of categories of income has been reduced and dividends from the Fund should be treated as “passive” income. The effect of this limitation may be to prevent investors from claiming as a credit the full amount of their pro rata share of the Fund’s foreign income taxes.

If the Fund owns shares in certain foreign investment entities, referred to as “passive foreign investment companies”, the Fund will be subject to one of the following special tax regimes: (i) the Fund is liable for U.S. federal income tax, and an additional charge in the nature of interest, on a portion of any “excess distribution” from such foreign entity or any gain from the disposition of such shares, even if the entire distribution or gain is paid out by the Fund as a dividend to its shareholders; (ii) if the Fund were able and elected to treat a passive foreign investment company as a “qualified electing fund”, the Fund would be required each year to include in income, and distribute to shareholders in accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above, the Fund’s pro rata share of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the passive foreign investment company, whether or not such earnings or gains are distributed to the Fund; or (iii) the Fund may be entitled to mark-to-market annually the shares of the passive foreign investment company, and, in such event, would be required to distribute to shareholders any such mark-to-market gains in accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above.

Federal Tax Treatment of Complex Securities. The Fund may invest in complex securities. These investments may be subject to numerous special and complex tax rules. These rules could affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund and/or defer the Fund’s ability to recognize losses. In turn, these rules may affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to you by the Fund.

The Fund is required, for federal income tax purposes, to mark-to-market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures and options contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures and options contracts on broad-based investments required to be marked-to-market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, option contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund.

 

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As a result of entering into swap contracts, the Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. The Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). The tax treatment of many types of credit default swaps is uncertain.

It is anticipated that any net gain realized from the closing out of futures or options contracts will be considered qualifying income for purposes of the 90% requirement for a Fund to qualify as a RIC.

The Fund intends to distribute to shareholders annually any net capital gains that have been recognized for federal income tax purposes (including unrealized gains at the end of the Fund’s fiscal year) on futures or options transactions. Such distributions are combined with distributions of capital gains realized on the Fund’s other investments and shareholders are advised on the nature of the distributions.

Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of a shareholder’s basis in his shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds his shares of the Fund as capital assets). Shareholders receiving dividends or distributions in the form of additional shares should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of money that the shareholders receiving cash dividends or distributions will receive, and should have a cost basis in the shares received equal to such amount.

Investors considering buying shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares just purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable to them. If the Fund is the holder of record of any stock on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such stock, such dividends will be included in the Fund’s gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (a) the date such stock became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the stock would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends) or (b) the date the Fund acquired such stock. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution requirements, the Fund may be required to pay dividends based on anticipated earnings, and shareholders may receive dividends in an earlier year than would otherwise be the case.

Sales of Shares. Upon the sale or exchange of his shares, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and his basis in his shares. A redemption of shares by the Fund will be treated as a sale for this purpose. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced, including replacement through the reinvesting of dividends and capital gains distributions in the Fund, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the shares. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on the sale of the Fund share held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of long-term capital gains received by the shareholder with respect to such share. If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of the Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then acquires shares in a mutual fund for which the otherwise applicable sales charge is reduced by reason of a reinvestment right (e.g., an exchange privilege), the original sales charge will not be taken into account in computing gain/loss on the original shares to the extent the subsequent sales charge is reduced. Instead, the disregarded portion of the original sales charge will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired shares. Furthermore, the same rule also applies to a disposition of the newly acquired shares made within 90 days of the second acquisition. This provision prevents a shareholder from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting his or her investment within a family of mutual funds.

Other Taxes. Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.

If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current

 

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guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not exempted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders. Dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate.

In general, United States federal withholding tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses, exempt-interest dividends, or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2008, properly-designated dividends are generally exempt from United States federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the Fund’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, the Fund’s U.S. source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the Fund is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the Fund’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital gain over the Fund’s long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on its circumstances, the Fund may designate all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund designates the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.

The foregoing discussion is a summary only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisers as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including under state, local and foreign tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, judicial authority and administrative interpretations in effect on the date of this SAI. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, and such changes often occur.

Determination of NAV

The NAV for the Fund is calculated by deducting all of the Fund’s liabilities (including accrued expenses) from the total value of its assets (including the securities held by the Fund plus any cash or other assets, including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding, and generally rounded to the nearest cent, although the Fund reserves the right to calculate its NAV to more than two decimal places. The NAV for the Fund will be determined generally once daily Monday through Friday generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices at the time of closing, provided that (a) any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar shall be translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more major banks or dealers that makes a two-way market in such currencies (or a data service provider based on quotations received from such banks or dealers); and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Bond Market Association announces an early closing time.

In calculating the Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s investments are generally valued using market valuations. In the event that current market valuations are not readily available or such valuations do not reflect current market values, the affected investments will be valued using fair value pricing pursuant to the pricing policy and procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. A market valuation generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service, or a

 

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major market maker (or dealer) or (iii) based on amortized cost. In the case of shares of the funds that are not traded on an exchange, a market valuation means such fund’s published net asset value per share. BGFA may use various pricing services or discontinue the use of any pricing service. A price obtained from a pricing service based on such pricing service’s valuation matrix may be considered a market valuation.

The value of assets denominated in foreign currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using exchange rates deemed appropriate by BGFA as investment adviser.

Dividends and Distributions

General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Fund. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary to improve tracking error or is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

Dividends and other distributions on shares are distributed on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

Dividend Reinvestment Service. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial Owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.

Financial Statements

Financial statements for the Fund are not available because, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund has no financial information to report.

Miscellaneous Information

Counsel. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019 is counsel to the Trust.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, serves as the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Fund’s financial statements, and may perform other services.

 

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iShares Trust

File Nos. 333-92935 and 811-09729

Part C

Other Information

 

Item 23.     Exhibits:

  PEA # 46

 

Exhibit Number

  

Description

(a)    Agreement and Declaration of Trust is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed May 12, 2000 (Accession No. 0000950130-00-002860) (“PEA No. 2”).
(b)    Amended and Restated By-Laws is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 38, filed June 29, 2005 (Accession No. 0001193125-05-134869).
(c)    Not applicable.
(d.1)    Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”) is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 2.
(d.2)    Schedule A to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and BGFA, as amended, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d.2) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 45, filed June 28, 2006 (Accession No. 0001193125-06-138226) (“PEA No. 45”)
(e.1)    Distribution Agreement between the Trust and SEI Investments Distribution Company (“SEI”) is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 2.
(e.2)    Exhibit A to the Distribution Agreement between the Trust and SEI, as amended, is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(f)    Not applicable.
(g.1)    Custodian Agreement between the Trust and Investors Bank & Trust Company (“IBT”) is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 2.
(g.2)    Amendment, dated December 31, 2002, to the Custodian Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(g.3)    Amendment, dated May 21, 2002, to the Custodian Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(g.4)    Amendment, dated January 1, 2006, to the Custodian Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(g.5)    Appendix A to the Custodian Agreement between the Trust and IBT, as amended, is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.1)    Securities Lending Agency Agreement between Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”) and the Trust is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g.3) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 21, filed June 27, 2003 (Accession No. 0001193125-03-014224).
(h.2)    Appendix A to Securities Lending Agency Agreement between BGI and the Trust, as amended, is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.3)    Delegation Agreement between the Trust and IBT is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g.3) to PEA No. 2.
(h.4)    Administration Agreement between the Trust and IBT is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.1) to PEA No. 2.

 

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(h.5)    Appendix A to the Administration Agreement between the Trust and IBT, as amended, is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.6)    Amendment, dated May 21, 2002, to the Administration Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.7)    Amendment, dated January 1, 2006, to the Administration Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.8)    Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Trust and IBT is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.2) to PEA No. 2.
(h.9)    Appendix A to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Trust and IBT, as amended, is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.10)    Amendment, dated May 21, 2002, to the Transfer Agency Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.11)    Amendment, dated August 18, 2004, to the Transfer Agency Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.12)    Amendment, dated January 1, 2006, to the Transfer Agency Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(h.13)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares S&P Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.3I) to PEA No. 2.
(h.14)    Exhibit A to the Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares S&P Funds, as amended, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.6) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 37, filed June 6, 2005 (Accession No. 0001193125-05-120767) (“PEA No. 37”).
(h.15)    Exhibit A to the Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares S&P Funds, as amended, to be filed by amendment.
(h.16)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Dow Jones Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.7) to PEA No. 37.
(h.17)    Exhibit A to the Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Dow Jones Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.8) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 43, filed April 17, 2006 (Accession No. 0001193125-06-081002) (“PEA No. 43”).
(h.18)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Russell Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.8) to PEA No. 37.
(h.19)    Exhibit A to the Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Russell Funds to be filed by amendment.
(h.20)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.9) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 10, filed June 1, 2001 (Accession No. 00001021408-01-501621).
(h.21)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.10) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 13, filed July 31, 2001 (Accession No. 00001021408-01-504274).
(h.22)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Goldman Sachs Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.11) PEA No. 37.
(h.23)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Lehman Brothers 1-3 year Treasury Index Fund, iShares Lehman Brothers 7-10 year Treasury Index Fund, iShares Lehman Brothers 20+ year Treasury Index Fund, iShares Lehman Brothers Treasury Index Fund, iShares Lehman Brothers Government/Credit Index Fund and iShares U.S. Credit Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.12) to PEA No. 16.

 

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(h.24)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares GS $ InvesTop Corporate Bond Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.13) to PEA No. 16.
(h.25)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares S&P ADR International Index Fund and KLD Nasdaq Social Index Fund to be filed by amendment.
(h.26)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.15) to PEA No. 37.
(h.27)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Dow Jones Transportation Average Index Fund and iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.17) to PEA No. 37.
(h.28)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares NYSE 100 Index Fund and iShares NYSE Composite Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.19) to PEA No. 37.
(h.29)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.20) to PEA No. 37.
(h.30)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Morningstar Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.21) to PEA No. 37.
(h.31)    Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares KLD Select Social Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.22) to PEA No. 37.
(h.32)    Exhibit A to the Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares Lehman Brothers Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.21) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 39, filed July 28, 2005 (Accession No. 0001193125-05-151478) (“PEA No. 39”).
(h.33)    Exhibit A to the Sublicense Agreement between BGI and the Trust for iShares MSCI EAFE Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h.22) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 40, filed August 24, 2005 (Accession No. 0001193125-05-173934).
(i.1)    Legal Opinion and Consent of Counsel to be filed by subsequent amendment.
(j)    Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC to be filed by subsequent amendment.
(k)    Not applicable.
(l.1)    Subscription Agreement between the Trust and SEI is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 2.
(l.2)    Letter of Representations between the Trust and Depository Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 2
(l.3)    Amendment of Letter of Representations between the Trust and Depository Trust Company for iShares S&P Global 100 Index Fund and iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 11, filed July 2, 2001 (Accession No. 0000928385-01-501258).
(m)    Not applicable.
(n)    Not applicable.
(o)    Not applicable.
(p.1)    iShares Trust Code of Ethics is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 41, filed November 23, 2005 (Accession No. 0001193125-05-231896).
(p.2)    BGI Code of Ethics is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 39.

 

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(p.3)    Code of Ethics for SEI is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 45.
(q.1)    Power of Attorney dated February 21, 2006 for Richard K. Lyons is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 43.
(q.2)    Powers of Attorney dated February 22, 2006 for Cecilia H. Herbert, John E. Kerrigan, John E. Martinez and George G.C. Parker are incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 43.
(q.3)    Power of Attorney dated February 25, 2006 for Charles A. Hurty is incorporated herein by reference to PEA No. 43.

 

Item 24. Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control with Registrant:

None.

 

Item 25. Indemnification:

The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is operated pursuant to an Agreement and Declaration of Trust, (the “Declaration of Trust”), that permits the Trust to indemnify its trustees and officers under certain circumstances. Such indemnification, however, is subject to the limitations imposed by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Declaration of Trust provides that officers and trustees of the Trust shall be indemnified by the Trust against liabilities and expenses incurred or paid in connection with any claim, action, suit, or proceedings against them by reason of the fact that they each serve as an officer or trustee of the Trust or as an officer or trustee of another entity at the request of the entity. This indemnification is subject to the following conditions:

(a) no trustee or officer of the Trust is indemnified against any liability to the Trust or its security holders that was the result of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office; and

(b) officers and trustees of the Trust are indemnified only for actions taken in good faith that the officers and trustees believed were in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust.

The Declaration of Trust provides that if indemnification is not ordered by a court, indemnification may be authorized upon determination by shareholders, or by a majority vote of a quorum of the trustees who were not parties to the proceedings or, if this quorum is not obtainable, if directed by a quorum of disinterested trustees, or by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, that the persons to be indemnified have met the applicable standard.

The Administration Agreement provides that Investors Bank & Trust Company (“IBT”) shall indemnify and hold the Fund, its Board of Trustees, officers and employees and its agents harmless from and against any and all Claims to the extent any such Claim arises out of the negligent acts or omissions, bad faith, willful misconduct or material breach of the Administrative Agreement by IBT, its officers, directors or employees or any of its agents or subcustodians in connection with the activities undertaken pursuant to the Administrative Agreement, provided that IBT’s indemnification obligation with respect to the acts or omissions of its subcustodians shall not exceed the indemnification provided by the applicable subcustodian to IBT.

The Custodian Agreement provides that IBT shall indemnify and hold the Fund, its Board of Trustees, officers and employees and its agents harmless from and against any and all Claims to the extent any such Claim arises out of the negligent acts or omissions, bad faith, willful misconduct or material breach of the Custodian Agreement by IBT, its officers, directors or employees or any of its agents or subcustodians in connection with the activities undertaken pursuant to the Custodian Agreement, provided that IBT’s indemnification obligation with respect to the acts or omissions of its subcustodians shall not exceed the indemnification provided by the applicable subcustodian to IBT.

The Distribution Agreement provides that the SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SEI”) agrees to indemnify, defend and hold the Fund, its several officers and Board members, and any person who controls the Fund within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, free and harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and expenses (including the cost of investigating or defending such claims, demands or liabilities and any counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) which the Fund, its officers or Board members, or any such controlling person, may incur under the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act, or under common law or otherwise, but only to the extent that such liability or expense incurred by the Fund, its officers or Board members, or such controlling person resulting from such claims or demands, (a) shall arise out

 

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of or be based upon any information, statements or representations made or provided SEI in any sales literature or advertisements, or any Disqualifying Conduct by SEI in connection with the offering and sale of any Shares, (b) shall arise out of or be based upon any untrue, or alleged untrue, statement of a material fact contained in information furnished in writing by SEI to the Fund specifically for use in the Fund’s registration statement and used in the answers to any of the items of the registration statement or in the corresponding statements made in the prospectus or statement of additional information, or shall arise out of or be based upon any omission, or alleged omission, to state a material fact in connection with such information furnished in writing by SEI to the Fund and required to be stated in such answers or necessary to make such information not misleading, (c) arising out of SEI’s breach of any obligation, representation or warranty pursuant to this Agreement, or (d) SEI’s failure to comply in any material respect with applicable securities laws.

The Authorized Participant Agreement provides that the Participant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Fund and its respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls such persons within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (each an “Indemnified Party”) from and against any loss, liability, cost and expense (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by such Indemnified Party as a result of (i) any breach by the Participant of any provision of the Authorized Participant Agreement that relates to the Participant; (ii) any failure on the part of the Participant to perform any of its obligations set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement; (iii) any failure by the Participant to comply with applicable laws, including rules and regulations of self-regulatory organizations; or (iv) actions of such Indemnified Party in reliance upon any instructions issued in accordance with Annex II, III or IV (as each may be amended from time to time) of the Authorized Participant Agreement reasonably believed by the distributor and/or the transfer agent to be genuine and to have been given by the Participant.

The Securities Lending Agency Agreement provides that Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”) shall indemnify and hold harmless each client, Lender, its Board of Trustees and its agents and Barclays Global Fund Advisors from any and all loss, liability, costs, damages, actions, and claims (“Loss”) to the extent that any such Loss arises out of the material breach of this Agreement by or negligent acts or omissions or willful misconduct of BGI, its officers, directors or employees or any of its agents or subcustodians in connection with the securities lending activities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement, provided that BGI’s indemnification obligation with respect to the acts or omissions of its subcustodians shall not exceed the indemnification provided by the applicable subcustodian to BGI.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Trust pursuant to foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Trust has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for Fund expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Fund in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Trust will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

Item 26. (a) Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser:

The Trust is advised by BGFA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BGI, 45 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. BGFA’s business is that of a registered investment adviser to certain open-end, management investment companies and various other institutional investors.

The directors and officers of BGFA consist primarily of persons who during the past two years have been active in the investment management business. Each of the directors and executive officers of BGFA will also have substantial responsibilities as directors and/or officers of BGI. To the knowledge of the Registrant, except as set forth below, none of the directors or executive officers of BGFA is or has been at any time during the past two fiscal years engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature.

 

Name and Position

  

Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years

Blake Grossman

Chairman

  

Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of BGFA and Chief Executive Officer and Director of BGI

45 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

Frank Ryan

Officer

  

Chief Financial Officer of BGFA and Chief Financial Officer and Cashier of BGI

45 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

Rohit Bhagat

Director

  

Director and Chief Operating Officer of BGFA and BGI

45 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

 

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Item 27. Principal Underwriters:

(a) Furnish the name of each investment company (other than the Registrant) for which each principal underwriter currently distributing the securities of the Registrant also acts as a principal underwriter, distributor or investment adviser.

Registrant’s distributor, SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the “Distributor”), acts as distributor for:

 

SEI Daily Income Trust    July 15, 1982
SEI Liquid Asset Trust    November 29, 1982
SEI Tax Exempt Trust    December 3, 1982
SEI Index Funds    July 10, 1985
SEI Institutional Managed Trust    January 22, 1987
SEI Institutional International Trust    August 30, 1988
The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund    November 14, 1991
The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II    January 28, 1993
Bishop Street Funds    January 27, 1995
SEI Asset Allocation Trust    April 1, 1996
SEI Institutional Investments Trust    June 14, 1996
HighMark Funds    February 15, 1997
Oak Associates Funds    February 27, 1998
CNI Charter Funds    April 1, 1999
iShares Inc.    January 28, 2000
Johnson Family Funds, Inc.    November 1, 2000
Causeway Capital Management Trust    September 20, 2001
The Japan Fund, Inc.    October 7, 2002
Barclays Global Investors Funds    March 31, 2003
The Arbitrage Funds    May 17, 2005
The Turner Funds    January 1, 2006

The Distributor provides numerous financial services to investment managers, pension plan sponsors, and bank trust departments. These services include portfolio evaluation, performance measurement and consulting services (“Funds Evaluation”) and automated execution, clearing and settlement of securities transactions (“MarketLink”).

(b) Furnish the information required by the following table with respect to each director, officer or partner of each principal underwriter named in the answer to Item 20 of Part B. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each director or officer is One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456.

 

Name

  

Position and Office

with Underwriter

   Positions and Offices with
Registrant
William M. Doran    Director    —  
Edward D. Loughlin    Director    —  

 

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Wayne M. Withrow    Director    —  
Kevin Barr    President & Chief Executive Officer    —  
Maxine Chou    Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer    —  
Mark Greco    Chief Operations Officer    —  
John Munch    General Counsel & Secretary    —  
Karen LaTourette    Chief Compliance Officer, Anti-Money Laundering Officer & Assistant Secretary    —  
Mark J. Held    Senior Vice President    —  
Lori L. White    Vice President & Assistant Secretary    —  
Robert Silvestri    Vice President    —  
John Coary    Vice President    —  
Michael Farrell    Vice President    —  
Al DelPizzo    Vice President    —  
Mark McManus    Vice President    —  

 

Item 28. Location of Accounts and Records:

(a) The Fund maintains accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules thereunder (collectively, the “Records”) at the offices of Investors Bank & Trust, 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116.

(b) BGFA maintains all Records relating to its services as advisor at 45 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105.

(c) SEI Investments Distribution Company maintains all Records relating to its services as distributor at 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456.

(d) IBT maintains all Records relating to its services as transfer agent, fund accountant and custodian at 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116.

 

Item 29. Management Services:

Not applicable.

 

Item 30. Undertakings:

Not applicable.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 46 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of San Francisco and the State of California on the 5th day of July, 2006.

 

By:

    
 

Lee T. Kranefuss*

 

President

 

Date: July 5, 2006

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 46 to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacity and on the dates indicated.

 

By:

    
 

Lee T. Kranefuss*

 

Trustee and President

 

Date: July 5, 2006

    
 

Richard K. Lyons*

 

Trustee

 

Date: July 5, 2006

    
 

John E. Martinez*

 

Trustee

 

Date: July 5, 2006

    
 

George G. C. Parker*

 

Trustee

 

Date: July 5, 2006


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Cecilia H. Herbert*

 

Trustee

 

Date: July 5, 2006

    
 

Charles A. Hurty*

 

Trustee

 

Date: July 5, 2006

    
 

John E. Kerrigan*

 

Trustee

 

Date: July 5, 2006

 

/s/ Michael Latham

 

Michael Latham

 

Treasurer

 

Date: July 5, 2006

*By:

 

/s/ Michael Latham

 

Michael Latham

 

Attorney in fact

 

Date: July 5, 2006

Power of Attorney dated February 21, 2006 for Richard K. Lyons is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 43, filed April 17, 2006 (Accession No. 0001193125-06-081002). Powers of Attorney dated February 22, 2006 for Cecilia H. Herbert, John E. Kerrigan, John E. Martinez and George G.C. Parker are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 43, filed April 17, 2006 (Accession No. 0001193125-06-081002). Power of Attorney dated February 25, 2006 for Charles A. Hurty is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 43, filed April 17, 2006 (Accession No. 0001193125-06-081002).